The Drowned

The Bram Stoker Award. The James Tiptree Jr. Award. Finalist for the Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy Award, Mythopoeic Award, Shirley Jackson Award, and British Fantasy Award. A complex and captivating novel about a young artist suffering from schizophrenia trying to distinguish reality from psychosis... and an intriguing encounter with a ghostly woman. The artist India Morgan Phelps, simply Imp to her friends, attempts to narrate her life but struggles against the unreliability of her own mind. Suffering from schizophrenia accompanied by anxiety and OCD, Imp finds it difficult to separate fantasy from reality. But it is important for her to tell her "truth." She embarks on a journey through the flow of her consciousness, recalling both her obsession and the mysterious woman she encountered on the side of the road. Imp must overcome her mental illness or work with it to piece together her memories and tell her story. Through a deep exploration of mental illness and the creative process, "The Drowned" conveys a chilling and poignant tale about a girl's attempts to uncover the truth locked in her mind. "From piercing, beautiful, and perfectly crafted, like a jewelry box with a secret, The Drowned takes your breath away." – Holly Black "This is a masterpiece. It deserves to be read, regardless of genre affiliation, for a very, very long time." – Elizabeth Bear "A superbly written, strikingly original novel that reflects references to the classics of authors such as Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, and Peter Straub, Caitlín R. Kiernan emerges as a leading figure in contemporary dark fantasy. This is a stirring and unforgettable story with a narrator whose voice will resonate in your head long after midnight." – Elizabeth Hand "With this novel, Caitlín R. Kiernan firmly enters the new, still-forming avant-garde of the most skillful authors of gothic and speculative fiction capable of creating...