Drowning Dark - by Andrée a Michaud (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This literary thriller drops you in the middle of a classic summer family vacation--and then twists everything into a heart-stopping tale of desperation, conflicting truths, and profound suspense.

A young family--Max, Laurence, and their daughter Charlie--arrive at what appears to be the perfect lakeside campground. They're ready for a relaxing vacation, but a disturbing interaction with another vacationer occurs almost immediately, then another, and suddenly what was supposed to be a happy getaway spirals into a nightmare.

They try to leave in the night, in the middle of a storm, but get lost and end up stuck on a remote and muddy road. Just when it seems as though help has arrived, they realize that the darkness they felt at the campground has pursued them, and the family is pushed to their physical and psychological limits.

Michaud masterfully alternates between perspectives, gradually unfolding layers of fear, secrets, confusion, and finally desperation. The forest itself becomes almost a character--hostile, claustrophobic, and filled with hidden threats.

A brilliantly suspenseful novel that asks how far we'll go to survive and to protect the ones we love when everything goes wrong--and how guilt and trauma can haunt us for a lifetime.

Review Quotes

Winner of the 2026 Grand Prix de littérature policière

"Michaud's exploration of the darkness within us is as poetic as it is chilling." --Le Devoir

"A page-turner from the first lines, impossible to put down. The writing is gripping, the atmosphere oppressive, and the emotional impact is lasting." --Le Soir (Belgium)

"A book that immerses you in a nightmare you never saw coming, with a narrative that alternates between horror and moments of grace." --Figaro Magazine (France)
"Michaud orchestrates anxiety and tension masterfully. She is a true maestro of psychological suspense." --Libération (France)
"A great noir novel that flirts with horror. . . . Two halves that grab us and never let go. I loved it." --André Marois, "Top 15 for 2024"

About the Author

ANDRÉE A. MICHAUD is the author of fourteen internationally acclaimed novels of mystery and suspense. She is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Award for French-language fiction, for Bondrée (Boundaries), which was also longlisted for the Giller Prize, and Le ravissement; a two-time recipient of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best French Language Crime Book, for Tempêtes and Bondrée; and Baignades (Drowning Dark) won the prestigious Grand Prix de littérature policière in 2026. Her work has been translated into several languages and has earned numerous other literary prizes in Quebec, Canada, and Europe. She lives near Sherbrooke, Quebec.

DONALD WINKLER is one of Canada's most prolific and award-winning translators from French to English. Recent translations include Governor General's Award for Translation finalist May Our Joys Endure by Ève Lambert, Governor General's Literary Award for Translation winner The Major Verbs by Pierre Nepveu, Jean Chretien's My Stories, My Times, and Andrée A. Michaud's award-winning Bondrée. He lives in Montreal with his wife, translator Sheila Fischman.