SuitabookBelonging and social judgement
Ruby becomes an outcast after falling through the ice and describing her underwater vision; she is also affected by how peers regard her brother.
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Book details
Riel Nason - Author
A reflective story about a young person navigating embarrassment, family responsibilities and first love while her community faces forced relocation. Expect character-focused writing, social tension and a strong sense of place rather than constant action.
Living with a weird brother in a small town can be tough enough. Having a spectacular fall through the ice at a skating party and nearly drowning are grounds for embarrassment. But having a vision and narrating it to the assembled crowd solidifies your status as an outcast. What Ruby Carson saw during that fateful day was her entire town — buildings and people — floating underwater. Then an orange-tipped surveyor stake turns up in a farmer's field. Another is found in the cemetery. A man with surveying equipment is spotted eating lunch near Pokiok Falls. The residents of Haverton soon discover that a massive dam is being constructed and that most of their homes will be swallowed by the rising water. Suspicions mount, tempers flare, and secrets are revealed. As the town prepares for its own demise, 14-year-old Ruby Carson sees it all from a front-row seat. Set in the 1960s, The Town That Drowned evokes the awkwardness of childhood, the thrill of first love, and the importance of having a place to call home. Deftly written in a deceptively unassuming style, Nason's keen insights into human nature and the depth of human attachment to place make this novel ripple in an amber tension of light and shadow.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceA reflective story about a young person navigating embarrassment, family responsibilities and first love while her community faces forced relocation. Expect character-focused writing, social tension and a strong sense of place rather than constant action.
Ruby becomes an outcast after falling through the ice and describing her underwater vision; she is also affected by how peers regard her brother.
A dam project will submerge most of Haverton, requiring residents to leave and confront the loss of familiar homes and communal life.
Pay attention to the near-drowning, Ruby’s underwater vision, peer derision, family strain and the community’s impending loss of homes. The atmosphere includes dread and emotional pathos, though the writing is also described as gentle.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
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