Some books whisper. Others linger. The Art of Drowning does both, drawing readers beneath the surface of a quiet, aching life and into the emotional world of a character who feels all too familiar.
Set to launch with America Publishers this August, this literary debut by Isvory Mabombo follows the inner drift of Eli, a young man weighed down by his own mind. Told through poetic language, intimate moments, and soft-spoken dialogue, the novel explores what it means to survive without truly living, until someone notices. Or tries to.
At its core, The Art of Drowning is not a story about mental health. It is a portrait of its silence. The missed phone calls. The glances avoided. The slow fade of a person in plain sight. Through Eli’s moments with Sophie, a barista who notices more than she says, and Victor, a quiet friend carrying his own pain, the novel explores one question: What if nobody ever sees you in time?
