Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

THE FIRST TIME SHE DROWNED

Kerry Kletter

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. 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. Follow her on Twitter @kkletter.

Available products
Book Published 2016-03-15 by Philomel Books

Comments

“Most Anticipated Debuts from 2016”—Barnes & Noble Teen Blog “YA Books You’ll Want to Read This Spring”—Buzzfeed “Best Books of March”– Teen Vogue “The Most Anticipated YA Books of 2016” —Paste Magazine

A gorgeous, lyrical novel that will leave you emotionally gutted—in the best way possible… YOU’VE NEVER READ ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS. Bring tissues.

POIGNANT...This HEARTFELT, LYRICAL debut will strike a chord with older teens who appreciate contemporary fiction.

Kletter’s exploration of a dysfunctional family through the eyes of a daughter is RAW WITH EMOTION… Sophisticated readers who enjoy dark realistic fiction will be satisfied by this lyrical novel.

Emotionally devastating… A complex novel that ultimately uplifts.

Italy: Il Castoro

BEAUTIFUL AND PASSIONATE. . . [Kletter is] a writer of great distinction and infinite promise.

GORGEOUS, SUMPTUOUSLY LYRICAL, LUMINOUS...a feast for lovers of language. The First Time She Drowned singlehandedly shatters every argument that YA books aren't fit fare for adults.

The best writers are able to tell the most difficult stories with the most empathy, and that’s just what Kletter does in this haunting debut about a girl lost in the depths of her family’s secrets and shame. Complex, affirming, and beautifully written.

Kletter pens a psychological novel that shows how family dysfunction can contribute to personal damage…This is an ABSORBING read that depicts learning to love oneself while straddling a fragile line of wanting a normal mother–daughter relationship that can never be.

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.

Sentence by sentence . . . ONE OF THE MOST LYRICAL NOVELS I’VE EVER READ. Haunting and exquisite.

THE FIRST TIME SHE DROWNED by Kerry Kletter is a Booklist Top 10 First Novel for Youth of 2016

Kletter’s EXCELLENT debut novel incorporates the dubious reliability of Cassie’s narration with the psychological mind games played her cruelly self-absorbed mother… Readers who enjoy the suspense of unreliable narrators will appreciate this one.