Synopses & Reviews
The beautiful struggle of a girl desperate for the one relationship that has caused her the most pain
Cassie O’Malley has spent the past two and a half years in a mental institution — dumped there by her mother, against her will. Now, at 18, Cassie emancipates herself, determined to start over. She attends college, forms new friendships, and even attempts to start fresh with her mother. But before long, their unhealthy relationship threatens to pull Cassie under once again. As Cassie struggles to reclaim her life, childhood memories persist and confuse, and Cassie must consider whose version of history is real, and more important, whose life she must save.
A bold, literary story about the fragile complexities of mothers and daughters and learning to love oneself, The First Time She Drowned reminds us that we must dive deep into our pasts if we are ever to move forward.
Review
"[An] excellent debut novel….heart-wrenching….Readers who enjoy the suspense of unreliable narrators, as in Adele Griffin’s Loud Awake and Lost or Stephanie Kuehn’s Complicit, will appreciate this one." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"The First Time She Drowned is an exquisite and masterful dive, a brave exploration into the complexities of family, and the saving grace of friendship. Kletter’s writing is hypnotic, her characters alive, her story tragic, beautiful, hopeful. Simply put, this book is stunning." David Arnold, critically acclaimed author of Mosquitoland
Review
"Sentence by sentence...one of the most lyrical novels I’ve ever read. Haunting and exquisite." Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything
Review
"[A] lovely and haunting keep-you-up-all-night heart-wrencher that is both beautiful and raw, painful and uplifting. It’s utterly amazing. An incredible read." Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
Review
"Beautiful and passionate...[Kletter is] a writer of great distinction and infinite promise." Pat Conroy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and South of Broad
About the Author
Kerry Kletter has had a lifelong passion for story. She holds a degree in literature and has an extensive background in theater, having appeared in film, television, and onstage. When not writing, Kerry can be found surfing, running, working with animals, or singing loudly in her car while stuck in LA traffic. A native of Ridgewood, New Jersey, Kerry now lives in Santa Monica, California, with her partner, screenwriter David Zorn. The First Time She Drowned is her debut novel.