Right from the first chapter this book had me in it’s grip. The little sprinkle of magical realism made this story extra special, but at its core this is an extremely compelling coming of age story that you won’t want to put down until you finish it.

I read this book in two sittings (and only because I started it right before bed the first night) then the next day read right through until the end. That’s not something I usually do, but I truly could not put it down. The author does such a brilliant job of bringing you back in time and immersing you in the setting.

The book is so beautifully written, the characters are so interesting and complex, and the relationship dynamics that are built along the way are intricate and interwoven so carefully that when I got to the end of the book I had been so deep into it that it felt wrong coming back to reality.

I loved this book, and I thoroughly recommend giving it a read if you’re at all interested in queer historical fiction overlaid with elements of Celtic mythology. It's rare for me to love historical fiction this much, and rarer still to find historical stories that focus on non-binary main characters and queer romances, so this is quite the gem and I truly hope that it won't be a hidden one. This deserves endless amounts of praise, and I expect it'll be one of my top reads of 2024.

When I was given the opportunity to read a debut novel by a Canadian Author set in Canada, I jumped at the chance! Let’s be honest — there are A LOT of World War II books out there right now. The market has been saturated with them for the last few years, and, it’s rare to find one that’s actually set in Canada. AND, with queer/non-binary representation!

Loghan Paylor has written a magical tale of love and resilience set during a time when acceptance and understanding of being different was zero to none. I enjoyed the characters and their evolutions over the years during which the story is set. Their ups and downs and how they reacted to hard times made them real to me, and I’ve continued to think about them in the weeks since finishing the book. I would have gladly read another two hundred pages just to see where life took them.

This wasn’t a quick read for me. The gorgeous words are meant to be savoured and I allowed the story to engulf me fully. It’s original, which is tough when nearly all recent Historical Fiction is set during the same time.

The Cure for Drowning is set to be released on January 30, 2024.

I felt like this book picked up steam as it went. I enjoyed the writing style, and could picture Harrichford vividly in my mind. But it really took off for me once the main characters separated during the war. It felt plausible that these characters would experience these joys and defeats (although I'm not sure about the logistics of Cpl. C. MacNair). I was unsure about the involvement of the Selkies, but it was satisfactorily tied together in the end, so I enjoyed it!

Beautifully written book that I could not put down. High recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This historical fiction saga set in Canada has 3 parts - pre WWII, during the war, and after the war. There are two main POV’s, that of Rebekah, the daughter of a German doctor and French mother, and of Kathleen/Kit/Christoper McNair, child of an immigrant Irish Family.
When Kathleen was ten, she and her older brother Landon and younger brother Jep, were walking home in one of the worst winter storms Ontario had experienced. Kathleen went through the ice and drowned. Landon carried her home, and their mother tended her all night, performing some mysterious ritual that her back to life, but forever changed. When Kathleen awoke, their identity changed. They had had to relearn everything from basic motor skills to reading and math. Now, referred to as Kit, they began to dress and act as a boy.
Rebekah’s family moves to the small town, and all three siblings become infatuated with her. They spend the summer together and although Kit and Rebekah want to be together, her father wants her to marry Landon. But when anti German sentiments threaten their quiet life, Rebekah’s father decides it best to move his family back to Montreal. Meeting up with some of the McNair siblings during the war forever changes all their lives.
I enjoyed this story and found it had a similar vibe to Legends of the Fall. It’s a quiet yet engaging read and I recommend it highly!
My thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for this eArc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for the ARC.

This book was beautifully written, I honestly could not put it down. The imagery and magical realism sprinkled throughout was captivating, and I can't wait to read Loghan's next work. I'll be on the lookout for more historical fiction set in Canada - I think this was my first novel of the sort.

I loved the dual POV and the sweep from young summer to hardened war. I have to be honest, I oscillated between for whom I was cheering, and it made it all the more satisfying towards the end of the novel.

This is definitely. a contender for the best novel of 2024, and I can't wait to not only read it again but recommend it to family and friends.

Heart-achingly beautiful.
The Cure for Drowning seeps you in the sweetness of youthful summertime then wrenches you into the wretchedness of war, juxtaposing freedoms fought for in global conflicts with the constraints on identity too often encountered in childhood homes. Loghan Paylor intricately weaves lore, history and pseudo-history into a poignant examination of how story and perception shape cultural ideas of who and what we can be – and how social ills can only be cured by love, acceptance, and the courage to be who we are.

This book. An easy five star read for me. I was doubtful when I first clicked the book open on my Kindle on a Friday afternoon on the train ride home, this doesn’t seem like a unwind and relax kind of book I told myself. And yet I found myself immersed, easily captured by the story, the characters, the setting, the vividness of it all. It came so alive in my hands, in my mind and I gulped it - finishing it on Sunday afternoon as my kids watched tv before dinner.

I’m no stranger to the Second World War apart from clearly not having lived through it. I’ve read many, many novels set during the period and studied it in school and research it professionally. And this work blew me away. The detail, the emotion, the reality of it all - this book is SO well done. It spoke to me on so many levels and I will be thinking about it for weeks, months to come.

The book is written from two perspectives, Rebekah and Kit (aka Kathleen aka Christopher). The two are thrust together in sleepy rural Ontario in the immediate pre-war summer, two teenaged girls on the cusp of womanhood. Rebekah the city girl come with her parents and doctor father to this town, Kit the country girl who is confident and fierce, one with the land she works alongside her brothers and parents on their sheep farm. The two women explore their romantic feelings for one another in hidden corners of the land, stolen moments in the sunshine. And yet it’s not enough.

Because as with so many stories from this period, violence, distrust, fear and sadness grip the characters and the story, from highs to lows, and all the in betweens. This story has me feeling all the feelings, like I’ve just had an epic love story breeze past me in a Lancaster or perhaps even on the afternoon train. It’s a Canadian love saga with a fantastical twist that is rooted in the land, in the weather and the people and history of the land.

This is an incredible novel. The plot sucks you in from page 1, where you begin learning about the troubled past of Kit McNair and their family. 1939 rolls around and a new doctor moves to their small farming town in Southern Ontario, bringing with him a lovely daughter that catches the eye of both Kit and their brother, Landon. Tumultuous relationships develop and you follow the characters through their involvement in the war effort, and the aftermath.

I loved the queer representation, depictions of motherhood, complicated social relationships, and the fact that it is Canadian fiction. I will definitely be on the lookout for subsequent releases from Paylor.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read and review the ARC!

Historical fiction is usually not my genre of choice but, as a queer and non-binary person from small-town Ontario, I couldn't pass up this title. The pacing is good and the dual POV kept me interested, although I struggled a bit with the length of the story. The mythological subplot felt a little bit like it was thrown in and then forgotten about, but on reflection, I do agree with other reviewers that it's possible that the characters used it to process their circumstances and identities. Part of me wishes the mythology had a more central role in the story, but at the same time, maybe that would have detracted from the very real stories of these characters. Even now, outside of the context of wars, queer and non-binary people are living narratives not unlike Kit and Rebekah's; I kind of liked the way that this story, set in a time that was so unrelatable and unfathomable to me, still felt so close to home and resonant.

I received an ARC of this review in exchange for my honest opinion. I don't think I'll read it again, but I will recommend it to my friends who enjoy historical fiction.

4.5 stars rounding up to 5. This is a story I can see myself reading again.

The Cure for Drowning is a dual-POV story that is, at its heart, a love story with queer and non-binary characters taking centre stage. Kit McNair, born Kathleen, is considered a rebellious changeling by parents that expect them to behave as a proper farmgirl. Rebekah is daughter to a German-Canadian doctor and French-Canadian mother in a pre-WWII world where her last name makes her family a target of prejudice. The pair, as well as Kit’s brother Landon, are drawn into a love triangle when Rebekah’s family move to rural Ontario and become the McNair’s neighbours. The three are pulled onto separate paths by WWII, only to be brought together again in the aftermath of the war.

This story pulled me along, I wanted to know what would happen next, and I ended up reading it in every spare moment I could find once I started. The pacing and dual-POV narrative were very well done and made this an easy read. Paylor’s settings were lush and their descriptions brought the time period to life.

To say I enjoyed our two main characters is an understatement. Rebekah and Kit, the relationship between them and with the other characters presented in the story, were compelling. The writing keeps them at arm’s-length from the reader, and I felt we did not truly get inside their heads, which may not suit some reader’s tastes, but still works for the story being told. We see these characters experience love, heartbreak, and loss, and face challenges as they try to find their way through this WWII era world.

The way the story is split up, and the way the time skips were used, worked wonderfully for me. The innocence and youth of the first part combined with the buildup to and inevitability of WWII. The different realities of WWII in Canada and for Canadians overlaid by the loss of innocence and finding a way to survive during wartime. And, finally, coming to terms with the loss post-WWII and finding a way forward and building a new life. All of which is deftly tied together by the romantic plotline between Kit, Rebekah, and Landon.

I do have mixed feelings about the mythology and fantastical elements. They were not a major part of the story, and I’m not sure the story would change at all if they were removed. On the other hand, these elements added to the atmosphere of the story, and it’s interesting to consider whether these explanations were the characters’ way of coming to terms with their own stories and world rather than being literal happenings.

As for the ending, again, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it feels very fitting. On the other hand, I feel like it left loose strings that I’m not entirely satisfied with. Those strings being Kit’s relationship with their mother and the farm, and both Kit and Rebekah’s relationships with Landon, particularly Kit’s and the conflict there. And yet a resolution to these things may also have felt unrealistic.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

This is a very well-written historical romance featuring paranormal elements and a queer love story which takes place in Canada during WWII. While slow at times, it’s worth reading until the end for the beautiful writing and ocean imagery that is interspersed throughout the novel. The characters are likable enough, and the love story is memorable. It’s not the first historical fiction I would think of when making recommendations for that genre, but it was a unique perspective of the effects of WWII on a small family in a small town. Overall, I really enjoyed it—thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was so magical and moving. I really love magical realism, and this had just the right amount. It feels like a contemporary story, but there is such a magical quality to it.
I don't read many books set in Canada despite living here my whole life, and I thought it was so interesting to get to read a Canadian historical fiction.
I thought the characters were so lovely and unique and interesting. Kit was my personal favourite, because they were so unique and had a hint of whimsy to them. I also liked Landon and Rebekah, who both felt very well fleshed-out and different. Each character has their own voice and their own way of existing in the world.
Also, me personally, I think a happy ending is always the better choice, even if it's not always the most realistic choice, so I loved the ending.

Thank you for NetGalley for a early copy for a honest review.

Firstly, since I am a Canadian and have visited all the towns (now cities), I enjoyed the historical aspect pre and post WWII. There was even mention of my hometown.

This debut tackles social norms, mythical selkies to two different family dynamics and Canadian involvement in WWII. How can you fit this into one novel? Well done.

Below may contain spoilers:
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Kit/Kathleen/Christopher- I liked how her character was developed throughout the 10 year span. I enjoyed reading about their experience as a young girl who was just coming into herself but was limited to social norms. They weren’t able to live their true authentic self and was meshed into various roles. The ending wrap up was a little ambiguous in how they chose to live. Maybe the author left that up to the reader to decide.

Family: from working class to well-off, each have their challenges. Family can be a place to call home, though not all families respond in the same way.


WWII- tackles both air and ocean, but mostly from Kit’s/Christophers perspective with the Airforce. Would have liked to see more on her brother’s role with the Navy.

Overall, I rated ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ as the first half was a slow-burn in character development. It may have been pared down in my opinion, though maybe that is the intention for the reader to appreciate each character.

For a debut, well done!

The split POV in this was executed really well. It didn't feel repetitive, but it gave little connecting pieces that kept you wondering what would happen when the other found out about something. I also liked that this was a romance but both of the main characters were really fleshed out and had their own struggles, motivations, personalities, and people/things that were important to them. That really added depth and made me care about the characters much more than I do with some historical fiction and romances. I was kind of surprised that the magical realism part didn't play a bigger role, but it was still interesting during the pieces it did show up in.

This kind of reminded me of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, except the pacing in this book felt much smoother. It used the time jumps and split POV to keep things moving which I really appreciated and that definitely made me want to keep reading instead of feeling bogged down.

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of this book and I am so very grateful for it!

I wasn't sure if I'd like the story since it's historical, but given that it has queer representation, that made up my mind!! I found the narrative so engaging!! Whether it was completely historically accurate was beside the point. The characters were well flushed out and felt like actual real people to me. The whole story felt like I was watching a movie. The love story had this aromantic person's heart beat so fast, longing for Kit and Rebekah to bump into each other again!! My mind remained in this story for days and I'm still having difficulty getting out of it.

This is a 5+ stars read for me, through and through, and I can't wait to receive the physical copy I pre-ordered so I can reread and annotate. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Congratulations on such an outstanding debut novel!!!

The first ~40% made me think this was going to be one of my new favorite books but around that mark the story changed completely (plot-wise and setting-wise). I was disappointed because the strong 5 star potential was gone for me! The middle section of this book has a large war/military focus which I didn’t like and wasn’t interested in. There were also some bizarre writing choices in this section. The last ~25% held my interest but not to the extent of the beginning. I can’t even describe how the first ~1/3 of this book made me feel but I loved it and that is what saves this from being 3 stars. I also loved the queer representation which isn’t often portrayed in historical fiction. In general, it’s not often that I find books with non-binary representation and by trans authors and I’m very pleased that NetGalley sent me an email to inform me of this ARC! I would definitely read more from this author.
Bonus points for the mention of my home city: Fredericton 🎉

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Canada and Loghan Paylor for this ARC ebook. The Cure For Drowning will be published January 30, 2024.

Lyrical and haunting; 'Girl of the Limberlost' meets 'Aimee and Jaguar' in this beautiful and doom-shadowed historical romantic triangle between a Canadian doctor's half-French, half-German daughter and the neighbour's two oldest children, starting in southern Ontario on the cusp of WW2, when anyone with a German name is becoming increasingly suspect.

Rebekah, daughter of the expat German doctor and his French-Canadian wife, is slowly adapting to life in a small town near the shores of Lake Huron after her father's practice in MontreaI was diminished by growing anti-German sentiment. The only people she knows are the neighbouring farm's oldest son, Landon, and his conflicted, misgendered sister Kit, whose parents think she is a changeling.

Apart from the initial near-drowning scene, this novel is deceptively gentle, filled with dappled sunshine and softly rippling meadows. The early, tentative steps towards both relationships are delicately crafted, A real treat to read. although.the looming sense of the three young people on a romantic and sexual collision course soon overshadows even the most sunlight idyll.

I identified with all the major characters in some way or other, from the beset doctor to his melancholic, lonely wife, the bisexual daughter struggling with her conflicting desires for love and for stability, in a world where there isn't a language to express her yearnings, let alone support her in dealing with them. The 'changeling child', Kit, coming out as transsexual in a society even less able to cope with 'women who don't keep their place'.. Maybe not so much with Landon who represents the status quo, the ideal to which Rebekah is expected to aspire by virtually everyone in her world... except Kit.

Fascinated as I was by the well-drawn historical backdrop, the ways in which the characters interacted with their era of societal upheaval. what the novel really stands out for is the growing sense of dread about the eventual emotional destruction that I felt sure was coming, even though the author did not overtly foreshadow it.

This is well worth the read for historical fiction fans, for anyone who wants a step back in time to a period of upheaval in Canadian and World history, and an in-depth look at the delicate processes of coming out as your true self surrounded by a society that will do anything to put you back in the box you were assigned at birth.

CW: LGBTQ+, bigotry, post-combat trauma, immigrant struggles

This is such an original and compelling story. I read the entire second half of the book in one sitting. The changeling/nonbinary narrative was handled thoughtfully within its historical (and magical) contexts, and the main characters in particular were nuanced and well-written.

If I were to nitpick: I didn't get the sense of a long period of time passing in the first part of the book. I mostly only noticed this in contrast to the middle/war sections of the book and because, later on in the book, this time is referred to as if it were several formative years (and I think it was actually just a few months). The very end of the book <spoiler>(from when Landon came back)</spoiler> felt a little forced for the sake of the plot, as well. I completely understand the author's choices with wrapping everything up, but I think I would have been equally satisfied <spoiler>if Landon had stayed AWOL and we just did a little fade-to-black on the farm house with Kit, Rebekah, Adelaide, and Caroline</spoiler>.

There are definitely other queer WWII history novels out there, but I enjoyed the uniqueness of this Canadian take with its magical elements.

From the title itself its hard to tell the theme of the story. Thinking of the characters involved in this historical fiction, I tried to tie up the overall story of Kit, Rebekah and several other characters, which brought a multiple POVs in my opinion kinda lost me in some parts of the story.

The depiction of the changing life of Kit and love story that came in as triangle at first was heartbreaking but the author was able to carry it as an overall package of the story.

Overall an average read for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House of Canada for the ARC.

3.5/5 stars