Through no fault of her own Grace Mae is trapped in an asylum. She is pregnant with her father's baby and that is the only reason she is there. She is trapped in another way as well. She will not speak. Things go from bad to worse for Grace when she finally does speak. Not only does she use her voice, but she acts in a violent manner and is banished to the darkest corners of the asylum, the cellars.

Grace catches the attention of a visiting doctor, Thornhollow. He sees things in Grace that belie the fact that she is crazy, In fact, the doctor can sense her intelligence and is amazed by her incredible memory. There is a killer of young women and Thornhollow has plans to use Grace in order to try and identify the killer. The plan is for Grace to pretend she is out of her mind, all the while hunting the killer. To do this, she is transferred to a much better asylum, one that actually treats patients with a bit more dignity. Meanwhile, Grace is forced to address her past. Perhaps she cannot escape her past but can she escape the clutches of the killer?

As mental hospitals in that day and age were mostly quite horrible, I thought that is what I would be reading of - Grace's survival. Also, with Thornhollow's field of study, phrenology, I again thought that would be the focus, why madness occurs. Instead, A Madness So Discreet played more like a murder mystery. Once that was clearly established, I was able to enjoy the story on a different level. The story had enough twists and turns to maintain my interest, but the conclusion left me less than enthused.

Lastly, there are some trigger warnings. The aforementioned madness, but also incest, rape and suicide, just to name a few.

Through no fault of her own Grace Mae is trapped in an asylum. She is pregnant with her father's baby and that is the only reason she is there. She is trapped in another way as well. She will not speak. Things go from bad to worse for Grace when she finally does speak. Not only does she use her voice, but she acts in a violent manner and is banished to the darkest corners of the asylum, the cellars.

Grace catches the attention of a visiting doctor, Thornhollow. He sees things in Grace that belie the fact that she is crazy, In fact, the doctor can sense her intelligence and is amazed by her incredible memory. There is a killer of young women and Thornhollow has plans to use Grace in order to try and identify the killer. The plan is for Grace to pretend she is out of her mind, all the while hunting the killer. To do this, she is transferred to a much better asylum, one that actually treats patients with a bit more dignity. Meanwhile, Grace is forced to address her past. Perhaps she cannot escape her past but can she escape the clutches of the killer?

As mental hospitals in that day and age were mostly quite horrible, I thought that is what I would be reading of - Grace's survival. Also, with Thornhollow's field of study, phrenology, I again thought that would be the focus, why madness occurs. Instead, A Madness So Discreet played more like a murder mystery. Once that was clearly established, I was able to enjoy the story on a different level. The story had enough twists and turns to maintain my interest, but the conclusion left me less than enthused.

Lastly, there are some trigger warnings. The aforementioned madness, but also incest, rape and suicide, just to name a few.

 

Lynn was nine the first time she killed to protect the pond, the sweet smell of water luring the man to be picked off like the barn swallows that dared to swoop in for a drink.

- first sentence

 

I couldn't wait to see how this one would end. It is the story of a young girl raised in the wilderness by her mother. In this world, water is more than scarce. The only water Lynn and her mother have comes from their pond and they will do anything to defend it. Her mother taught her not to trust anyone and to be entirely self-reliant. But how long can they survive this way?

 

I enjoyed the wild west feel of this one. I loved Lynn and enjoyed watching her mature and adapt emotionally as the book progressed. Her life is full of struggles and the constant threat of death, but Lynn is strong and she doesn't give up. There was a devastating event towards the end that I totally didn't see coming - it was tough.

 

Apparently, there is a "companion book",  In a Handful of Dust, that I look forward to reading after Halloween Bingo concludes.

 

I read this one for the Doomsday square:

 

4.25 stars

This has been on my TBR list for a while, and when I saw that it was at the library, I borrowed it. I’ve read one other book by the author, Given to the Sea, and I still have mixed feelings about that one. The world-building made for a repulsive setting, but the writing was compelling and I couldn’t put it down. Not a Drop to Drink also has a grim setting, but I enjoyed this book much better. It’s a tight, fast read, one I read in just two sittings. And the more I think about it, the more I liked it.

Lynn has spent her entire life protecting the pond on her property. Along with her mother, she mercilessly shoots anyone who dares to approach their water source. In a world with severe water shortages, water is everything. Because their pond is fed by spring snow melt and rain, a dry season is disastrous for them.

After her mother is killed in a terrible accident, Lynn is on her own. Taught to survive by her mother, she rides out her grief, and then gets back to the business of staying alive. It’s all she’s ever known. When Stebbs, the man who lives on the property next door, approaches her, her whole life changes. She doesn’t have to do this alone, and not every stranger is an enemy. But when a group of men sets up in a town nearby, Lynn is in danger of having everything she possesses stolen away from her.

I loved Lynn. She has no idea how to trust, and her mother’s paranoia has kept them both isolated. When Stebbs asks her to check on the people living near the stream, she reluctantly agrees to go and see if they are still there. If not, she’s to bring back whatever they have left behind, and split it with Stebbs, in payment of him watching the pond while she’s gone.

What Lynn finds is a small family struggling to survive in the wilderness. Starving, Eli, a boy about her age, begs her to take Lucy, a young girl, back with her. Lucy has a better chance of surviving with Lynn. Eli is struggling to keep his sister-in-law alive, and they don’t have enough food to go around. Reluctantly, Lynn agrees, and her whole outlook on life changes after this one, awkward encounter.

At first, Lynn, like her mother, is distrustful of strangers and possessive of what’s hers. Mainly the water in the pond. The water is life. Without the water, they would be dead. She jealously protects her water source, and has never felt remorse dropping intruders with her rifle. But after meeting Lucy and Eli, and after getting to know Stebbs, she starts to develop a conscience, and wonder if it’s really necessary to kill everyone who approaches the pond. She begins to understand the value of friends. And she starts to want better for Lucy than sitting on the roof, waiting to shoot the next person who steps foot on the property.

I wish there was more world-building, but like Lynn, the reader’s world view is extremely limited. With no electricity, no safety, and no guarantee of survival, defending what one has is everything. Not a Drop to Drink is a gritty tale of survival, and it was one I had a hard time putting down.

Grade: 4.25 stars