6th May, 2025 in Recommended Reads

Above the Waterline by Francois Domain

“So this is what the after looks like. A void. Vast. Silent. Claustrophobic.” The novel, Above the Waterline, by Francois Domain, explores the reasons that relationships that feel stable and tolerable may not be enough for our partners and/or children. As the protagonist, Eddie, suddenly finds himself facing a different life when his wife expresses her dissatisfaction with their marriage and the possibility of a separation lingering amid her words, he escapes to another country. However, he quickly learns that he cannot keep himself from reflecting beyond what must be wrong with his wife and the source of her unhappiness, as his budding friendships with hotel guests fluctuate and sour when it is pointed out how his behaviors circulate a toxicity that he has been unwilling to acknowledge. Above the Waterline digs into the ease we ignore our disagreeable traits, and small changes that we may make to improve not only the lives of those around us but in core satisfaction of our lives.