Synopses & Reviews
“Profoundly moving….Will take your breath away.” Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces
“Give this to all your friends immediately….It tackles mental health, depression, sexual identity, and anxiety with beauty and empathy.” Cosmopolitan.com
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year
Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface--normal okay regular fine. She has her friends, her mom, the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything--not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And not about seeing her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven.
But after what happens on the beach, the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Her dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe--maybe maybe maybe--there's a third way Biz just can't see yet.
Debut author Helena Fox tells a story about love, grief, and inter-generational mental illness, exploring the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honoring those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea.
Review
"This is a frank story of mental illness, loss, and sexual identity, and Fox responsibly concludes her story with information and support services for readers facing similar issues. " BookPage (Starred Review)
Review
"Fox writes with superb understanding and tenderness….The poignant depiction of depression is leavened by secondary characters who love Biz….Ambiguity enhances the beautiful, unsteady shimmer of Biz's story." BCCB (Starred Review)
Review
"Exquisite….Through lyrical first-person narration, Fox empathically conveys the hereditary nature of Biz's illness, its disorienting manifestations, and the limitations and power of love to heal." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
“Biz is smart, funny, and self-deprecating….[ How It Feels to Float is] a masterful portrayal of mental illness that illuminates the complex interplay between emotional trauma and the mind's subsequent recoil. And the writing is just beautiful.” Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Lyrical and profoundly affecting, providing a nuanced account of the hereditary effects of trauma. Haunting." Kirkus (starred review)
About the Author
Helena Fox lives in Wollongong, Australia, where she runs creative writing workshops for young people. She's a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. How It Feels to Float is her debut novel. She can be found at www.helenafoxauthor.com