Submersed - by Matthew Gavin Frank (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Brief portions of this work were previously published, in different form, in Harper's Magazine"--Copyright page.

Book Synopsis

An exquisite, lyrical foray into the world of deep-sea divers, the obsession and madness that oceans inspire in us, and the story of submarine inventor Peter Madsen's murder of journalist Kim Wall--a captivating blend of literary prose, science writing, and true crime

"[A] thrilling study of an obsession--to sink below the surface, to depths both metaphoric and in fact. Full of wild characters and strange histories, by the end we are convinced, in no small part by the beauty of [Frank's] language, that this is one of the most important stories ever told."--Nick Flynn, author of This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire

Submersed begins with an investigation into the beguiling subculture of DIY submersible obsessives: men and women--but mostly men--who are so compelled to sink into the deep sea that they become amateur backyard submarine-builders. Should they succeed in fashioning a craft in their garage or driveway and set sail, they do so at great personal risk--as the 2023 fatal implosion of Stockton Rush's much more highly funded submarine, Titan, proved to the world.

Matthew Gavin Frank explores the origins of the human compulsion to sink to depth, from the diving bells of Aristotle and Alexander the Great to the Confederate H. L. Hunley, which became the first submersible to sink an enemy warship before itself being sunk during the Civil War. The deeper he plunges, however, the more the obsession seems to dovetail with more threatening traits. Following the grisly murder of journalist Kim Wall at the hands of eccentric entrepreneur Peter Madsen aboard his DIY midget submarine, Frank finds himself reckoning with obsession's darkest extremes.

Weaving together elements of true crime, the strange history of the submarine, the mythology of the deep sea, and the physical and mental side effects of sinking to great depth, Frank attempts to get to the bottom of this niche compulsion to chase the extreme in our planet's bodies of water and in our own bodies. What he comes to discover, and interrogate, are the odd and unexpected overlaps between the unquenchable human desire to descend into deep water, and a penchant for unspeakable violence.

Review Quotes

"Frank, an accomplished author of narrative nonfiction, uses his terror as inspiration for this exploration of personal submersibles. . . . Frank's painstaking research . . . yields evocative mini-portraits, whatever his subject. . . . The sheer depth of Frank's skill [means] we can smell the damp wood and tequila in the Alaskan cabin where one Nazi-obsessed submariner builds his vessels. . . . His book . . . conjure[s] so vividly Wall's character and the tragedy of her death."
--Peter Sagal, The New York Times Book Review

"Matthew Gavin Frank dives into the subculture of DIY submersible enthusiasts. . . . Frank hopscotches across the globe, from British Columbia to Alaska to Denmark, to interview a colorful cast about their calling. . . . Frank questions his penchant for being 'obsessed with obsessives, ' but zealots are kind of his thing. . . . It would be spoiling the story to reveal what his [own deep-sea dive] was like -- just know that he journeys 2,000 feet under the sea, and lives to write the story."
--Shelia McClear, The Washington Post

"A fascinating mash of crime narrative, psychological profiling and a peek inside the same misogynistic, all-consuming inventor culture that led to the Titan submersible implosion."
--Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

"Deft. . . . Captivating. . . . Page-turning. . . . Frank has an eye for the unique. . . . He works hard for his readers . . . immersing them in awe-inspiring levels of context and detail."
--Dave Shiflett, The Wall Street Journal

"If the title alone doesn't have you jamming the preorder button, the titillating story of what drives people to sink to the depths in amateur submarines will."
--Lizz Schumer, People, "People Picks the Best Nonfiction Books of Summer 2025"

"A cut-above true crime tome. . . . Frank's hybrid work defies genre as masterfully as it confronts the dark allure of the deep. . . . Frank's language is stunning--lyrical without losing clarity, philosophical without becoming murky. This book reads like deep-sea pressure: it builds slowly and then refuses to let go. . . . Mesmerizing. . . . [A] literary triumph."
--Shari Stauch, The Post and Courier (Charleston)

"A strange and beautiful journey into the depths--literally--of obsession and intrigue at the edge of the known world."
--Jonathan Meiburg, author of A Most Remarkable Creature

"For as long as I can remember, I've been afraid of the ocean. So begins Matthew Gavin Frank's thrilling study of an obsession--to sink below the surface, to depths both metaphoric and in fact. Frank travels the world, combs through archives, gathers stories of a world most of us will never witness, even as it is all around us. Full of wild characters and strange histories, by the end we are convinced, in no small part by the beauty of his language, that this is one of the most important stories ever told."
--Nick Flynn, author of This Is the Night Our House Will Catch Fire

"Submersed might be the scariest book I've ever read: I can feel little bubbles of panic float up in me if I just imagine stepping onto an amateur submarine. But I'll follow an essayist like Matthew Gavin Frank anywhere, and he's crafted an exceptional journey into the down deep, beautifully examining 'the nagging drive to embed the body into a balloon-like enclosure and float alongside the fishes.' Reading this book, I felt rearranged at an atomic level. What a gift."
--Kristen Radtke, author of Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness

"Submersed is a dizzying and riveting descent into obsession, toxic masculinity, and the irresistible desire to reach new depths or tell a good story. Matthew Gavin Frank plunges far beneath the surface to observe the best and worst of humanity. A work of narrative nonfiction that is as astonishing as diaphanous sea creatures. One of the best books I've ever read."
--Michele Filgate, editor of What My Father and I Don't Talk About

"Matthew Gavin Frank is a master storyteller. A poetic true-crime cousin of Truman Capote's classic In Cold Blood, Submersed navigates the horrific murder of journalist Kim Wall, the eccentric culture of the DIY submersible community, and our human relationship to large bodies of water. Believe me, you won't be able to put this book down until you arrive at the very last page. It's stunning, commanding, and haunting all at once."
--S. Kirk Walsh, nationally bestselling author of The Elephant of Belfast

"From the DIY pop-up postindustrial steampunk shipyards of Denmark to misogyny and murder, Matthew Gavin Frank is a furnace of intelligence and curiosity. Plumbing the depths and heights of the sea and the human condition, Submersed is an environmental story about obsession and desire, including Frank's own, where he becomes embedded in the oceanic kelp of cultural complexities and complicated lives. Radiant, dark, elegant, perceptive, Submersed reveals how external landscapes affect our internal ones."
--Kerri Arsenault, author of Mill Town

"Scintillating. . . . Frank's thoughtful approach resists the temptation to revel in lurid details. Instead, he delves into the intriguing history of submarines and how the lack of personal submersible regulation results in catastrophes like the implosion of the Titan submersible. . . . Excellent for book groups, Frank's unique approach is a distinguished tour de force."
--Colleen Mondor, Booklist (starred review)

"A well-documented look at the submarine community that combines true crime with science writing and history. It's a good pick for fans of Erik Larsen, as Frank also intersperses the events of a crime within a subject's larger context, all in engaging and haunting writing."
--Maria Ashton-Stebbings, Library Journal

"A sharp researcher and stylish writer who's 'obsessed with obsessives, ' Frank sets aside his lifelong fear of the ocean in this excellent book to plumb the peculiar depths of the DIY sub community. . . . Frank is witty and incisive . . . and he draws wonderful connections throughout. . . . A fascinating voyage among the hidden tides shaping a social niche."
--Kirkus Reviews

"[Frank's] years of research and reporting are distilled into engaging anecdotes that have the flow of lyrical prose."
--Anna Ridilla, Gasparilla Magazine

"[An] aquatic escape. . . . Frank is afraid of the ocean, but that doesn't stop him from diving into the water to learn about the murky world of DIY submarines."
--John McMurtrie, Kirkus Reviews, "4 Nonfiction Books to Transport You This Summer"

About the Author

MATTHEW GAVIN FRANK is the author of the nonfiction books Flight of the Diamond Smugglers, The Mad Feast, Preparing the Ghost, Pot Farm, and Barolo, as well as the poetry books The Morrow Plots, Warranty in Zulu, and Sagittarius Agitprop. His work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Paris Review, Guernica, The New Republic, Iowa Review, Salon, Conjunctions, The Believer, and the Best Travel Writing and Best Food Writing anthologies. He's a professor of creative writing in the Masters of Fine Arts Program at Northern Michigan University, where he is also the Nonfiction/Hybrids Editor of the literary magazine, Passages North.