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The Drowning Game

by Dusti Bowling

A river accident, a year of guilt, and a question of identity

Regular price $17.09 USD
Regular price $28.49 USD Sale price $17.09 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A river accident, a year of guilt, and a question of identity

Set in the late 1990s, the thriller begins with a whitewater rafting trip on Arizona’s Salt River, where Christian’s fear of water becomes central when a companion disappears in the rapids and Freya falls into the river. A year later, now a university freshman, he believes he sees Freya on campus—even though she was presumed dead. The shift from a dangerous river journey to Christian’s uncertainty about what he sees links the physical peril of the rafting trip with a psychological mystery about memory, guilt, and reality.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in psychological suspense.
  • Readers who enjoy stories involving a dangerous outdoor setting and a mystery around a presumed death.
  • Readers looking for a thriller centered on guilt, obsession, and uncertainty about what is real.

Themes

Fear and riskGuiltObsessionMemory and realityIdentity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Award-winning author Dusti Bowling masterfully crafts a wild ride on Arizona's Salt River in this Hitchcockian thriller that's perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus.

It's the late 1990s, and seventeen-year-old Christian is content with his summer plans to work and hang out with his cat, when he gets a phone call from his best friend that will change his life forever. James invites Christian to Arizona for a whitewater rafting trip, even though he knows Christian is terrified of water. But James is persuasive, and Christian relents.

In Salt River Canyon, the heat is scorching, and so is James's pretty girlfriend, Freya. However, something seems off between the couple as bitter words fly. When James and the others disappear in the second raft, Christian and Freya are left to face the rapids alone. Disaster strikes when Freya falls into the river, and Christian is frozen with fear.

One year later, Christian is still wracked with guilt over Freya's death. Now, he's a freshman at Arizona State University, and he thinks he sees Freya on campus. It can't be her. Freya is dead, after all. They found her body. Didn't they? Christian follows Madison, the girl who looks like Freya, everywhere. He was certain Freya had died that day, but now he's certain Madison is Freya. Will he ever find out what's real? Or will his obsession be his downfall?

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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