LOVE IS BLIND. LIES RUN DEEP. SECRETS CAN SINK A WEDDING.
Small town recluse Agnes Andersson is financially secure but emotionally adrift. After a rippling romance with an Australian sailor and a subsequent betrayal by him, Agnes is back in Sweden determined to mend her broken heart. Today she'll settle for Thomas, the man her late parents detested, whom she's dated on and off for years.
That she's never met his family matters not. She knows him.
But as the wedding day progresses, secrets begin to surface like air bubbles in the South Hamlet Canal. A hostile future stepdaughter and a peculiar mother-in-law, a mysterious photo and a fearful neighbour, a mother's secret and a father's legacy force Agnes to confront her past and her future. In a few scant hours, can she get to the bottom of the groom's lies and her own before she takes the proverbial plunge?
From the chilly waterways of Sweden to the sun-soaked shores of Australia comes a watershed tale about learning to swim in the deep end and finding your (cold) feet.
Agnes Treading Water was a little off-piste genre-wise for me, but I was hooked from the first chapter. I reckon if you like Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, etc.) or you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens, you'll love Agnes Treading Water.
Charlotte French's debut novel is a page turner in every sense. A main character you immediately care about and root for, a plot with some unexpected twists and turns that just keep coming, and finally a satisfying, fist-pumping, heart-warming and realistic conclusion that leaves you sad that it's over, but cheering for Agnes.
The writing is crisp and confident, keeping you engaged as the timeline switches from the recent past to the present. When you're reading about the past, you're wondering about the present and vice versa. A cracking cast of supporting characters and settings adds richness and depth to the story without distracting you from Agnes's journey. Scandi-noir Sweden, sweltering Australia, loyal friends, protective siblings, jealous exes, and a petulant teenager, they're all in there. Niina - Agnes's best friend, for example - doesn't take any prisoners!
Bravo Charlotte. I can't wait to see what comes next.
