The Town That Drowned

Written by Riel Nason

Narrated by Patricia Ross

Living with an eccentric little brother can be tough. Falling through the ice at a skating party and nearly drowning are grounds for embarrassment. But having a vision and narrating it to assembled onlookers? That 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. Soon everyone discovers that a massive hydroelectric dam is being constructed and their homes will eventually be swallowed by rising water. Suspicions mount, tempers flare, and long-simmering secrets are revealed.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ECW Press
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781773102122

Riel Nason

Riel Nason is a writer and textile artist. She is the author of three novels (including one for middle-grade readers), a children’s picture book, and two books on quilting. The Town That Drowned was her debut novel. It won the Commonwealth Book Prize for Canada and Europe and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She lives in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

Reviews for The Town That Drowned

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this novel based on true account, in New Brunswick

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about Ruby Carson, who is unpopular at school, and her younger autistic brother, Percy. Their small town is about to be flooded and relocated in order to build a hydroelectric dam. We watch Ruby come of age just as she and all her neighbours have to deal with the reality of losing their homes.Well written, a good story.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Town that Drowned is a gentle story by debut Canadian author Riel Nason which was recently recognized by several major national literary prizes.It's the mid sixties and the narrator is fourteen year old Ruby Carson who lives in a small rural town named Haverton on the banks of the St John River which wends it's way through New Brunswick, Canada. Ruby's best friend has moved away over the summer and she is dreading the return to school. Already a target of derision by her peers because of her brother's strange behaviour, Ruby finds herself ostracized after falling through the ice and seeing a vision of the town underwater as drowned townspeople drift by.While The Town That Drowned is a coming of age tale as Ruby experiences the angst of adolescence, including first love, the larger story centers around the death of a community. Ruby's insensible vision becomes a reality when survey pegs appear in the town and the government announces that the building of the new Mactaquac Dam will result in the relocation of Haverton.The strength of this story is in Nason's characterisation of a community struggling with change. Just as Percy, who has Asperger's, finds it difficult to tolerate any deviations from order and routine, the townspeople are unwilling to embrace the government directive to desert their homes. How each deals with the inevitable paints a poignant tale of loss, change and renewal.The writing of The Town That Drowned has a dreamy quality but the slow pace coupled with the lack of overt plot action meant I found my attention wondering more than once, even though I found the idea of a town being forcibly destroyed in this way fascinating.While labeled as literary Young Adult, mainly I suspect because of the teenage narrator, I think The Town That Drowned will more likely appeal to an adult audience who will appreciate the literary style. Reviews suggest it particularly resonates with those whose childhood communities have fallen victim to a similar fate as Haverton.

[iudita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very enjoyable story to read. It had an interesting plot and very likeable characters. The really nice thing about this book is that it can be enjoyed by such a range of ages. It is appropriate for senior elementary yet not too childish at all for teens and well constructed enough to be enjoyed by adults. I can see this book getting some attention.

[callmejacx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is surprisingly Riel Nason’s debut novel. This book is remarkably written and so real. She captures life in the 60’s and small town perfectly. We can easily see the images that Riel has explain in detail. It is easy to grow attached to Ruby Carson.The story is told through Ruby Carson, a young girl, coming of age. We see inside Ruby’s thoughts and heart. We feel how close she is to her brother, labeled as “different.” We feel how she must feel when Percy is being bullied and made fun of and later herself, after falling through the ice and in the water, and saw an image of her town and some of the town’s residents underwater.The main idea of the story is how a town, Haventon, react to their town having to be flooded. Many are forced to cope with the government’s plans to build a dam and flood their long time community. Many homes and farms have been in their family’s generation for years. We read about the struggles of the town, and also, Ruby and her family’s struggles. The story spans from 1965 – 1967.It takes no effort at all to read this novel. The words flow into each other. Every word has been chosen carefully. There is never a moment when you lose the momentum of the story. It is a refreshing novel. A good wholesome read.I didn’t want to story to end. I felt so connected with Ruby and I already miss her, closing the book only hours ago. I highly recommend it. It’s a book I will never forget. It will stay in my library until I share it with someone special, maybe my granddaughter when she is older.Riel’s story was so very real to me, often reminding me of my son, (Percy) and of myself, as a young girl (Ruby).Riel has a gift for storytelling.

[blueheronlanding · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is Riel Nason's first novel and she is a great story teller. She has taken a real event, the building of the Mactaquac dam, and spun a fictional story around this historic and life changing time in New Brunswick's history. It is certainly worth reading whether you are from New Brunswick or not. She writes about the complex social reactions to the building of the dam. Her characters are realistic and I look forward to her next novel.