https://www.waterstones.com/book/mom-dad-im-drowning/ilias-agapiou//9789090405414
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mom-dadim-drowning-ilias-agapiou/1147841947
Editorial Review For Mom, Dad... I’m Drowning
Mom, Dad... I’m Drowning follows Orpheus, a fifteen-year-old who feels invisible in a world that refuses to understand him. The story traces his inner turmoil as he faces rejection from his parents after they discover his diary, which reveals his sexual identity. The book moves through his memories, isolation, and desperate search for acceptance. It looks at the pain of being unloved for who you are and the quiet fight to survive when even home feels hostile. It is not a light story, but it tells the truth about what it means to live behind a mask just to be tolerated.
The book’s strength lies in its voice. The writing pulls the reader directly into Orpheus’s thoughts, showing the raw confusion and sadness of a young person who cannot find a safe place to exist. The story’s pacing mirrors his emotions—slow and heavy when he feels trapped, sharp and chaotic when his fear peaks. The repeated rain and recurring image of drowning give the book a rhythm that feels alive. The dialogue between Orpheus and his parents is painful but believable, and that honesty is what makes the story hit hard.
Within its genre of contemporary fiction, Mom, Dad... I’m Drowning fits with other works that tackle themes of identity, mental health, and family rejection. It stands out because it doesn’t try to comfort the reader with easy hope. Instead, it exposes the quiet cruelty that many young people endure when love comes with conditions. It joins the growing list of novels that challenge cultural silence around LGBTQ youth, especially in conservative or traditional families.
Readers who appreciate intense, introspective stories will find meaning here. It is for those who want literature that feels personal, even uncomfortable. Anyone who has felt unseen by their own family—or has tried to understand someone who feels that way—will recognize themselves in these pages.
In short, Mom, Dad... I’m Drowning doesn’t hold your hand, and it doesn’t care if you squirm. It simply tells the truth, and sometimes that’s the only thing worth reading.
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