Joshilyn Jackson, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Joshilyn Jackson

Grand Central, Mar 2008, $23.99

ISBN: 9780446579650

Laurel Gray Hawthorne is a nationally acclaimed quilter whose products created out of throwaways and scraps are in demand. Living with her husband video game designer David and their preadolescent daughter Shelby in Victoriana, Florida, Laurel prefers scandals not occur and skeletons remain buried. Her sister Thalia is an actress though Laurel believes drama queen is more fitting as she believes any news is good publicity while their parents live nearby in Pace.

Laurel is stunned when she sees the ghost of a little girl in her bedroom. She follows the spirit to her swimming pool in her backyard where she sees the corpse of young Molly. The police investigate and determine an unfortunate accident occurred. However, Molly lingers and soon Laurel begins to believe Shelby and her friend Bet played an active role in the drowning. At about the same time Thalia comes home to stay with them for now only to open a thirteen year old secret involving the death of her Uncle Marty, whose house Laurel and her family reside in.

This is a terrific modern day southern family drama that enables the audience to see deep into the secrets that Laurel prefers interred under a cloak of respectability as she has come a long way from her impoverish roots. Each of the key players is fully developed and brings hidden agendas and motivations to hiding or revealing the goings-on. Fans who appreciate a strong regional character driven tale will want to learn why THE GIRL STOPPED SWIMMING.

Harriet Klausner