Effy is the protagonist of A Study in Drowning. The story is told through her perspective in a close third-person voice and follows her growth as an academic and social warrior who faces, and ultimately overcomes, the source of her childhood trauma. Effy is a passionate reader who dreams of being a writer. In contrast to Preston, who approaches things in a colder and more logical manner, she sees the passionate and analytical approaches to storytelling as intrinsically intertwined. Her dream is to study at her country’s prestigious literature college; however, being female, she is denied access. Instead, she enrolls in a subject she isn’t particularly drawn to—“less prestigious, less interesting, and, as far as she was concerned, monumentally more difficult” (4)—but that she feels will elevate her status in some way. She immediately becomes a subject of close scrutiny within her school and is blamed by her peers for her experience with sexual assault.

Effy survives school by attempting to embody what others most want to see, which alludes to the need of marginalized people to sometimes play into stereotypes for social gain of some kind. To continue working toward her academic goals, she is unable to stand against Master Corbenic or champion her own individual value.