The Cure for Drowning

Canada Reads opens up opportunities for Canadian authors.  It pits five books that have survived strenuous qualifying.  Champions are selected and required to read all five books.  Over four days each book is attacked and defended.  This year "The Cure for Drowning" was the winner.  I would add, deservedly.

Its champion was Tegan Quin.  Tegan with her twin sister Sara is part of a popular musical duo Tegan and Sara.   Both are in same sex relations and have been open from the beginning of their musical career.  Tegan defended a book with non binary romance elements very ably.

The title may seem strange, but serves as a sort of tool.  At a very young age Kit fell through ice and drowned, but was scooped up by her brother Landon who walked a long distance in wintry conditions to their home.  The mother Caroline  somehow brought her back to life.  The incident leads to a Celtic fairy tale involving a spirit rescuing a person drowning.

The story takes place around World War II.  The romance is not conventional.  Kit, might be described as a tomboy much to the displeasure of her mother.  Her older brother is good looking and confident.  A younger brother Jep is loved by both siblings.  When Jep has an accident breaking his leg he is dragged to a new doctor in town.  Not incidental to the story the doctor has a German background and more critical to the story he has a daughter, Rebekah.  

Rebekah is 'courted" by both Landon and Kit.  Landon is a smooth talker and is really attracted to Rebekah, even approaching her father with talk of marriage.  In the meantime the two women find an attraction that includes some discrete intimate contact.  As these relations are developing the families are friendly, but as the war approaches it causes a breach for the youngsters.  Rebekah disappears back to Montreal and Kit ran away from home (hoping Rebekah would join her).

From there the four youngsters end up involved with the war.  Landon joins the navy and Jep joins the army.  Rebekah ends up in Halifax working on naval intelligence.  Kit has adopted the name of Christopher and joins the air force and is very involved in actual aerial battles.

Loghan admits there are some changes in details, but essentially the picture described is accurate regarding military procedures.  There are many twists over the years that make for engrossing reading.

There is sex, but most current fiction has at least some.  And although for many of us this is a little non traditional the sex is done relatively discretely.  Cultural factors will seem fairly normal, i.e. not too far out of range of our traditional experience.

We go from one event to another smoothly.  The telling is done alternately between the two key women.  This has been a reading difficult to put down--not only for the interesting plot, but for the telling.  

Loghan Paylor is described as a queer trans author.  They was raised in Ontario, but has since moved to the west coast after earning a Master's degree in creative writing.  They has written and published a few short stories and essays, but this is their first novel.  Loghan took six years getting the first words on paper to publication, moving three times in the effort.  Their dog was very helpful as a sounding board and escape from literary tensions.  They will be a judge in the CBC short story contest for 2027.

The other Canada Reads finalist was Searching for Terry Punchout" championed by Steve Glynn         http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/07/searching-for-terry-punchout-surprise.html

The cover design was by Jennifer Griffiths and with both (pictured above) help explain the Celtic fairy tale.