I wasn’t really sure what to make of this next book and to be honest I am still not sure what to make of it. In Don’t Let Me Drown by Andy Siege we explore being a photojournalist in a country being torn apart by civil war as the protagonist Aaron visits Miberia. However, we also explore the toll that is exacted on people as Aaron struggles with the guilt and after effects of his previous photo shoot where he ended up photographing a young boy who washed up on shore already dead. Adding an extra layer to that though Aaron starts a relationship with Mary while in Miberia and decides to help her escape from the various militant factions. Mary is intersex and this is something that is heavily forbidden there, so much so that many people would kill her on sight if they knew. All of this mingles together as these two young people must work together to survive and escape Miberia, all under the dangerous eye of numerous militant factions that are laying waste to the country and everyone in it.
This book was interesting in that it had several seemingly diverse layers that were present. The focus is primarily on Aaron as he struggles with the idea of continuing as a photojournalist after his previous jobs. More specifically, he struggles with the idea that someone has to die or be hurt in order for him to be able to do his job which is something that he feels immensely guilty over. Honestly, this is something that is extremely human and I think shows exactly how much empathy Aaron has for his fellow humans. Mind you I am also fairly certain that he has some kind of PTSD from his job as well. I was impressed by how Aaron attempts to reconcile performing his job by documenting the civil war and his inability to take photos of dead bodies by only taking pictures of living people. He was essentially celebrating the way people attempt to continue living even in the harshest possible conditions by photographing their marketplaces and their celebrations. This helps set the stage for the character growth Aaron exhibits over the course of the book. It also helps shed light on how the civilians in places like that are affected by what is going on. Everyone thinks about the soldiers and the prisoners but not many people think about the civilians like journalists or other similar groups so it was interesting to see that perspective present. However, it also dived into the idea of intersex, which is a tricky and sometimes touchy subject, but one that is does need to be addressed more often. I was happy to see exactly how this book handled that subject. It didn’t gloss over the dangers some cultures present to people like that but it also didn’t paint it in a negative light but more along the lines of just a fact of life and merely one aspect of what made the character of Mary. The book didn’t allow that one characteristic to define her as it also made sure to mention just how smart she was and how strong she was as she helped Aaron during their escape. I felt like this book was ultimately pretty respectful of the topic which was nice to see. It was a pretty good book and one that I am happy giving four out of five stars.
This book was a good example of a thriller and one that I enjoyed. If you happen to enjoy that genre consider reading this one sometime as it is pretty good. However, it also contains considerable violence and racism along with other rather mature content so if that makes you uncomfortable than I suggest you be careful about trying this. It is because of this content that I would also suggest that this book is not suitable for younger readers. I would recommend any teen or young adult readers be extremely careful before diving into this book and that it should probably be restricted to older teens and not younger teens due to the content. As I said before it is a good book and if you do decide to try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. This book was acquired through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.