Over a sweltering Swedish summer, Marina visits her older sister Stella, who has recently married Gabriel, a writer with a particular interest in the Romantics, and especially Rosetti. As the hot days and languorous nights persist, things happen - almost as if in a dream. But these things can never be undone. At times reminiscent of In the Cut or The Piano Teacher in its unflinching embrace of the darker side of sexuality, Drowned is a stunning debut that packs more punch than most books twice its length.
