To Those Willing to Drown: A Disappointing Mythical Journey

To Those Willing to Drown by Mark Matthews

On the  face of it, To Those Willing to Drown, the new novel from Mark Matthews, should have been right up my street; a tale of ancient creatures and mythology with a fractured, time-hopping narrative but, whilst there is much to admire within its pages, the book ultimately turned out to be a disappointment.

The back and forth narrative makes up part one of the novel, introducing the present day protagonists, camp counsellors Sharon and Kai, who work at Torch Lake in northern Michigan, alternating with sections providing the backstory of the book’s villain, civil war surgeon Lucas Lamia.

To Those Willing to Drown is relatively short and the effect of this is felt most strongly in these opening chapters which feel rushed, as if this really is little more than scene-setting, something to get out of the way as quickly as possible, with much telling and little showing in evidence. Lamia’s story would have greatly benefitted from having a bit more time spent on it; the civil war has provided the backdrop to some excellent weird fiction and horror before (Dan Simmons’ Iverson’s Pits and Philip Fracassi’s Shiloh as a couple of prime examples) and I felt slightly that this was a missed opportunity to create something similar.

Many will no doubt recognise the significance of the surgeon’s surname (and his wife’s first name which is Lilith) and it’s one he most certainly lives up to as his progression through addiction to morphine leads him onto partaking of another illicit substance, namely cremated remains. It’s a concept that’s already been employed of course, most notably in Cullen Bunn’s Bone Parish where the drug Ash leads to gang warfare.

It’s what’s contained in those ashes however that sets up the main theme ofTo Those Willing to Drown namely the persistence of the soul beyond the death of the physical body. To be kinder to the book than perhaps I’ve been so far, it’s an in depth (pun intended) exploration of grief and the effect it has on the decisions people make, and the desperate measures they often take as a result. It’s also about guilt and addiction – which is a lot to cram into a short novel and which may explain why the opening sections felt a little rushed.

All of these themes are interwoven with the mythology surrounding Torch Lake (which draws on the stories of the indigenous water monster Mishipeshu) which means there’s a certain amount of manipulation of the narrative to make it fit. Unfortunately, this results in an unbelievable scene at the beginning of the third act which kind of took me out of the story. (It’s akin to the scene in Prometheus when Noomi Rapace gives herself a C-section then gets up and runs about as if nothing has happened (bizarrely not the most ludicrous thing to happen in that film) but even more unrealistic).

That stumble aside, the conclusion of To Those Willing to Drown is its strongest part with a shift in tone to more elegiac writing and an embracing of the fabulous aspects of the narrative. This is clearly what the book is “about” but I still feel that the novel falls between two stools and the profundity of what is being said at the end is somewhat diminished. The ideas here needed more space in which to develop and grow, something the pulpier horror aspects would have benefited from too.

To Those Willing to Drown by Mark Matthews

To save her daughter’s soul, a grieving mother must battle a sinister pastor who feeds off the cremains of the dead and haunts a lake community.

“A seismic, beautiful novel.”
—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

“A powerful story that proves impossible to put down.”
—The Midwest Book Review

“Deep, disturbing, and beautifully rendered.”
—Christa Carmen, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Daughters of Block Island

When Jewel Jordan dies from cancer, her father’s wish is to scatter the ashes inside their beloved Torch Lake. But after the grieving mother hears her daughter’s voice coming from inside the urn, how can she let the ashes go?

Especially after a mysterious pastor begs her to keep them and promises to reunite her with her daughter’s spirit. Who should she listen to?

Even creatures from the lake whisper to her at night, pleading for the remains of her daughter. Who can she trust?

Nobody knows the truth and the bargain she made that led to her daughter’s death. Now she has to fight to save her child’s soul, and Torch Lake holds the answers. But the lake is cold, the truth is deep, and you have to earn the right to hear such secrets, for the lake speaks most honestly to those willing to drown.



“An epic tale of pain, love, grief, and regret.”
—Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads

“This is goddamn wonderful. It’s both beautiful and horrible.”
—Julie Hutchings, author of The Harpy

“Matthews is the reigning king of modern psychological horror.”
—Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Kin

“Matthews is a damn good writer, and make no mistake, he will hurt you.”
—Jack Ketchum, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Girl Next Door

Further Reading

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