The Drowning People

by Richard Mason

Book Overview

It is a cold afternoon in winter. An old man sits in a room high above the sea, watching the sun set. It is twenty-four hours since the death of his wife at Seton Castle, the home they had shared for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446525243
• ISBN13: 9780446525244
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

a modern-day Evelyn Waugh

Floppy-haired oxford student Richard Mason is basically a modern-day Evelyn Waugh see (Vile Bodies) and considering he wrote this novel when he was only 20-years old makes it all the more amazing. It offers great insight into the modern "woes" of England's young upperclasses.

Mesmerizing

I read the reviews posted and frankly was shocked to find any one and two star entries. I do not understand how they can be so dismissive of such a well-written mystery. The twists and turns would have kept any reader interested even if they would for some unknown reason been turned off by the poetic use of lanugage. This story written by a 20 year conveying the voice of a 70 year reminded me of the fact that a male author wrote the exquisite Memoir of a Geisha. That was a literary feat as is this book. I am looking forward to more works by this obviously talented and gifted author.

One of the finest books I have ever read

This is one of the most astonishing, fascinating and rewarding books I have ever read. I am normally a murder mystery buff, thriving on action, detection and courtroom drama. This book is infinitely more subtle, and every bit as gripping. I frequently turned to the photo on the book jacket, amazed that the perception, perspective, wisdom and sheer writing genius I was enthralled by could possibly be the product of a man so young. Readers of this fine novel are on the threshhold of a genius' career. I will buy, read, and collect every book by young Richard Mason and I devoutly hope he is prolific. A gripping, unusual, page-turning and intellectually rewarding read. I recommend it unreservedly to intelligent readers.

Well, not exactly, but--

Four stars probably would be fairer, but quite honestly, the only other even remotely decent book I've read this year is Jake Arnott's "The Long Firm." I suspect that it's because both gentlemen are British, and the whole "workshop fiction" craze hasn't taken over there in quite the same way it has here. Yes, parts of this book do seem to have been written by a twenty-year-old who's been told all his life how smart he is. But we've all got to start somewhere, and for its flaws, this book is still startingly original and well-crafted. American publishers seem committed to printing mostly memoirs of astonishing self-absorption these days. Thank heaven this book slipped the net.

The Thinking People's Pot Boiler

If you like intelligent, well-constructed and intriguing novels, this is one for you. The Drowning People deals with a 70 yr old man who's just killed his wife - and as he tries to understand why he's done this, he retraces the events of his life (which are complicated, to say the least.) Much emotional realism, a beautifully fluid style, and occasional moments of humour to lighten the darkness distinguish Richard Mason from this season's crop of would-be bestsellers. Get your hands on a first edition while you can!