“When we think of environmental disaster or climate change, we often think of catastrophic events—the Californian or Australian wildfires, deadly floods in Bangladesh or Pakistan, a destructive typhoon or hurricane. When events like those becomes the point of focus, we stop thinking about other kinds of destruction and degradation. I wanted to find a way to reveal what Rob Nixon called slow violence. I didn’t want the major catastrophes to entirely dominate the novel; I wanted to bring slower instances of change to the foreground.”
― Tara Menon, Interview, Public Books
What booksellers are saying about Under Water
- A beautifully written book that delves into the loss of true friendship and the grief and regret that goes with it. Marissa and Arielle were best friends, inseparable, until a horrific tragedy that left one gone and the other grieving for years. A heartbreaking story about friendship, loss and finding your way back home.
― Kathy, Sundog Books, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida | BUY
- Fantastic! This wasn’t like anything I think I’ve ever read before. We are walking through New York City with our main character Marissa, on the day that Hurricane Sandy hits, as she remembers another horrific day eight years earlier. That’s all you need to know… This is beautifully written and so well done! The author does a great job pulling you in and immersing you into Marissa’s childhood as she grows up with her best friend, Arielle, in Thailand. There were so many elements of this book that I loved and will keep an eye out for this author going forward!
― Allyn, The Bluffton Bookshop, Bluffton , South Carolina | BUY
- A heartbreaking, powerful exploration of friendship, grief, and loss, set against the backdrop of two natural disasters. I appreciated the slow, steady nature of this book and felt myself transported to Thailand and New York City, where Menon painstakingly recreates the beauty and wonder of nature, not just through these storms, but through the wildlife and landscapes of each place. Bearing witness to Tess’s grief for her friend and the ways she tries to move through the world all these years later is an experience that will stay with me long after finishing this story.
― Beth, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY
About Tara Menon
Tara Menon was born in India, grew up in Singapore, spent a decade in New York, and now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she is an assistant professor of English at Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, the Nation and the Paris Review.
