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A mesmerising debut novel of sapphic longing, intense obsession and fierce, defiant becoming - enthralling and visceral, this is an unforgettable vision of adolescence in all its horrific glory.
Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach, her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life.
But these are human concerns. The concerns of those confined to land. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Stories that called sailors to their doom. Stories that dragged them down and drowned them. Stories of the creature that she's always longed to become: a mermaid.
Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine - the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No matter how much blood she has to spill.
In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a powerful, relevant tale of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.
Author: Jade Song
Paperback Published 15 October 2024 240 pages
Originally published in hardcover 3 October 2023
'This fantastically strange, explosive debut novel entrances even as it unsettles. It's so brilliantly written' -BUZZFEED