The Drowning Woman

📘 About This Book

From the bestselling author of The Party comes a "dark and wild ride of redemption, betrayal, and friendship" (Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push) following a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from drowning. Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life. Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was. "As twisty and pacey as it gets" (Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push). Most anticipated by Goodreads · Indigo​ · SheReads

📖 Summary

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding is a gripping domestic suspense novel that centers on the unlikely and volatile friendship between two women at rock bottom. Lee Gulliver is a homeless woman living in her car, hiding from a dangerous past, when she witnesses a woman named Hazel Stone attempting to drown herself in the ocean. Lee intervenes, saving Hazel’s life, and a strange, codependent bond is immediately forged between them. Hazel, a wealthy woman escaping an abusive marriage to a powerful politician, sees Lee as an ally. She proposes a desperate plan: she will help Lee get back on her feet if Lee agrees to help her disappear by faking her own death. As the two women set the plan into motion, the narrative shifts between their perspectives, revealing layers of deception, hidden agendas, and dark secrets. Lee begins to realize that Hazel may not be the innocent victim she claims to be, and the stakes of their partnership escalate rapidly. As they navigate the dangerous landscape of social status, manipulation, and survival, the lines between rescuer and villain blur. Harding masterfully explores themes of class disparity, the psychological toll of trauma, and the lengths to which people will go to reinvent themselves. Set against a backdrop of atmospheric coastal tension, the novel builds toward a series of shocking revelations that challenge the reader’s perception of who is truly drowning and who is pulling the strings. It is a taut exploration of the darkness hiding behind perfect facades, questioning whether one can ever truly escape their past or if history is destined to repeat itself through new, more lethal alliances.

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