Drowning Instinct

This book makes the short list for the Top Ten Most Disturbing books I have ever read. It\’s common for a writer to tackle a dark pertinent issue……In Drowning Instinct, Ilsa Bick just about tackles them all. The audiobook medium is perfect for Drowning Instinct. It is written in first person point of view, and has the primary character speaking her story into a tape recorder. The audiobook is like having the recorder dropped into your hands. The waters in Drowning Instinct are dark. In some places churning, and in some malevolent…be careful…it will pull you under.

I do not understand how this book has so many good reviews. I found it completely boring and only managed to finish it because I kept waiting for it to get better. One of the most stupid boring books that I ever listen to it.

Drowning Instinct is told in confession format with Jenna recounting the events that took place prior to her being in the hospital. The prologue is the conclusion about Jenna’s life and the circumstances that brought her to this moment. Jenna explains to Bob about her time as a sixteen year old in high school when she became friends with her coach and teacher. Some might say this is a student/teacher story between Jenna and Mr. Anderson, yet it’s more than that. Mitch Anderson is the chemistry teacher and coach that befriends Jenna. He is known as the nice guy who takes a personal interest in his students. He recognizes troubled students and tries to help them feel normal. Mr. Anderson notices that Jenna shows signs of being anti-social. He makes her feel accepted by having her join his running team and includes her in his class activities. This is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. She is the narrated voice of all characters including both male and female. She does a marvelous job voicing both. The fluency was excellent. Overall Kathleen sounded great. Her performance was mesmerizing. She voiced all the sounds of emotional pain, turmoil, sadness, and excitement exceptionally well. She captured the essence of Jenna’s pain, confusion, anxiety, and fears by bringing her character to life. She did a far better job than I could have done at expressing Jenna’s character. Jenna describes her father as Psycho Dad. He a loose cannon of impatience and annoyance. Her mother is described as an alcoholic who forgets about her parental responsibilities. Neither parent seems to be too concerned about Jenna’s well being. They are strict, yet careless. Both were self absorbed characters who focused on their own issues. Jenna is drowning in the pressures of life. She’s lost and confused. It’s easy to chalk up her problems as those of a typical teenager, yet you get the sense that more is happening at home and at school. I thought the way Ilsa chose to explain Jenna’s character was brilliant. Just when my mind had Jenna’s motives figured out Ilsa switched up the circumstances. Ilsa pushed my mind into different directions. I was torn from one side to the next. She was always one step ahead of me. Ilsa dug deep into the past revealing secrets of a flawed beginning. Ilsa provided a dramatic conclusion full of intense activity. This story is written well and flows smoothly. I was able to stop and start at any point in the book and easily pick up where I left off. This story stayed fresh in my mind throughout the entire time it took to finish listening to it. This is a family issues story where past secrets are hidden to protect Jenna, yet all it did was complicate her life. Jenna discovered that she can’t run from her past, she must face the truths before moving forward into the future. This is a different type of love story in which these characters find a unique type of love. This love is tender and kind. This love is Jenna’s salvation in life. It’s her new beginning.

This book surprised the hell out of me. I was not sure what to expect as the blurb did this book NO justice at all. I read the Ashes series by Ilsa J Bick and LOVED IT! I was taking a chance on this stand alone and boy am I glad I did. I was HOOKED on this book from the very beginning. The author used the names of REAL towns that I actually have been to and that made me feel more connected to the story. The issues that Jenna faced also hit home. This book really captures the hell that a teenager can experience no matter your background is. I am sure that what happens in this book could be met with opposition, but I think that the story itself was an amazing unraveling series of events. I would give this book 10 stars if it were an option. This book has haunted me since I started it and I know it will continue to haunt me days to come. Drowning Instinct is really high on my WOW I DID NOT SEE THAT coming list. Well done, Ilsa! PROPS to the narrator Kathleen McInerney! Well done!!!!!

This is a dark book, and listening to it is the perfect medium for it because Jenna is confessing her story on cassette tape. At sixteen years old, Jenna Lorde has a damaged past. After being in a psych ward and home-schooled she is now attending a public school where she befriends her chemistry teacher. I can\’t tell you how many times I thought, \”Boundaries, Mr. Anderson, boundaries!\” But soon there aren\’t any. Jenna has her secrets, but guess what, so does Mr. Anderson. I liked the ending…it was emotional and the last bit I heard was perfect.

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