Canada Reads 2026 Finalist
Shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize
A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
“Brimming with magic and historical detail, The Cure for Drowning is a rare wonder of a book. A profound exploration of lives entwined, it is, at once, a page-turning read and a richly imagined study of love—the kind that overcomes and endures, and ultimately transforms us into who we’re meant to be.” —Ami McKay, bestselling author of The Birth House, The Virgin Cure and The Witches of New York
“Loghan Paylor takes us on a journey of history, the complexity of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we choose, and the intoxication of queer love. This novel is deftly written and propulsive; the fantastical as important in detail as everything else. I’ll be thinking about this novel for years to come.” —Jessica Johns, author of Bad Cree
“The Cure for Drowning is a captivating and utterly engrossing work of historical fiction—intricately crafted, epic in scope and yet astonishingly intimate. In riveting prose, infused throughout with magic, Paylor renders characters who are painfully, exquisitely human; who traverse landscapes as diverse as a rural family farm in Ontario, jazz clubs in Halifax and the airfields of Europe during World War II, and yet who feel as familiar as neighbours. Evocative of the works of Ann-Marie MacDonald and Alice Munro, The Cure for Drowning has all the makings of a modern classic; a debut that is as grounded as it is ground-breaking, as tender as it is thrilling. To anyone who has ever wondered what makes a Great Canadian Novel, Paylor has delivered the answer.” —Jasmine Sealy, author of The Island of Forgetting, winner of the Amazon First Novel Award
“Loghan Paylor’s lush scenes and exquisite sentences illuminate an important aspect of society largely invisible in historical fiction. Kit and Rebekah’s swirling life paths portray queer and trans people as integral parts of our collective history, even while they are forced to remain hidden. Yearning for love, acceptance and home propel this vivid narrative, in which where families can be more cruel than strangers, silence can be the loudest form of allyship, and a little bit of turquoise magic helps us realize ‘they knew who they were all along.’” —Tara McGuire, author of Holden, After and Before
“The thing I’m fixated on the most right now, as I’m thinking about defending the book, is how little [queer] representation we have from that time period in history and how poignant and moving and thrilling it is to imagine it like that. . . . It’s so far and few between that you see that kind of representation. . . . You don’t have to be from 1939 to relate to not being seen. . . . I don’t want to be so bold as to call it a classic yet, but I think that when we look at books that stand the test of time, one of the things we look for is that anyone [can pick up and] read it. . . . This is a really beautiful book.” —Tegan Quin, Canada Reads 2026 champion of The Cure for Drowning
“Loghan Paylor’s debut novel The Cure for Drowning is a stirring page-turner of a historical love story that delves into the meaning of family—both inherited and created.” —Vancouver Sun
“A rich, beautifully wrought family saga about love, truth and identity. . . . This is a deeply moving book, filled with historic detail, vividly drawn descriptions, and layered with haunting insights about family, loyalty and truth. An incredible Canadian novel. Highly recommended.” —The Miramichi Reader
“[A] touching, tender debut…. The Cure for Drowning is not just a queer love story or a powerful historical novel; it’s both, and more. The narrative mixes reality and fantasy in a delightful mosaic.” —The Georgia Straight
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