Overview

"A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year ""Profoundly moving . . . Will take your breath away."" —Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces A stunningly gorgeous and deeply hopeful portrayal of living with mental illness and grief, from an exceptional new voice. Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and 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 she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface—normal okay regular fine. But after what happens on the beach—first in the ocean, and then in the sand—the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. 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 and grief, about inter-generational mental illness, and how living with it is both a bridge to someone loved and lost and, also, a chasm. She explores the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honors those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea. ""Give this to all [your] friends immediately."" —Cosmopolitan.com ""I haven't been so dazzled by a YA in ages."" —Jandy Nelson, author of I'll Give You the Sun (via SLJ) ""Mesmerizing and timely."" —Bustle ""Nothing short of exquisite."" —PopSugar ""Immensely satisfying"" —Girls' Life * ""Lyrical and profoundly affecting."" —Kirkus (starred review) * ""Masterful...Just beautiful."" —Booklist (starred review) * ""Intimate...Unexpected."" —PW (starred review) * ""Fox writes with superb understanding and tenderness."" —BCCB (starred review) * ""Frank [and] beautifully crafted."" —BookPage (starred review) ""Deeply moving...A story of hope."" —Common Sense Media ""This book will explode you into atoms."" —Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels ""Helena Fox's novel delivers. Read it."" —Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue ""This is not a book; it is a work of art."" —Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned ""Perfect...Readers will be deeply moved."" —Books+Publishing"

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9780525554295

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Reviews

A profoundly moving story about grief, loss, and love that will take your breath away. Helena Fox is a writer to be reckoned with. --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces This book will explode you into atoms, put you back together, and return the new shape of you to earth. Alive with sensation and rich in thought and feeling, How it Feels to Float intensively explores what it's like to be here now. --Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels A YA The Bell Jar with a ghostly twist, [and an] honest, nuanced portrayal of grief and life with mental illness. . . . A mesmerizing and timely debut. --Bustle Impossibly beautiful, life-affirming, profound. This is not a book; it is a work of art. --Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned Every now and then you pick up a novel and you know you've found something wonderful--a glorious voice, a character you adore. Helena Fox's novel delivers. It is exquisite. Read it. --Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue

A profoundly moving story about grief, loss, and love that will take your breath away. Helena Fox is a writer to be reckoned with. --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces Lyrical and profoundly affecting, providing a nuanced account of the hereditary effects of trauma. Haunting. --Kirkus (starred 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) 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) 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. How It Feels to Float is a beautifully crafted story of finding hope and love when both appear to be gone forever. --BookPage (starred review) A YA The Bell Jar with a ghostly twist, [and an] honest, nuanced portrayal of grief and life with mental illness. . . . A mesmerizing and timely debut. --Bustle This book will explode you into atoms, put you back together, and return the new shape of you to earth. Alive with sensation and rich in thought and feeling, How it Feels to Float intensively explores what it's like to be here now. --Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels Impossibly beautiful, life-affirming, profound. This is not a book; it is a work of art. --Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned Every now and then you pick up a novel and you know you've found something wonderful--a glorious voice, a character you adore. Helena Fox's novel delivers. It is exquisite. Read it. --Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue A perfect, surreal exploration of mental illness and grief. Fox's writing is poetry, bringing the reader to the brink of Biz's madness and back again as she finds new ways to make meaning, and new people to make it with. . . . How It Feels to Float is a visceral reading experience that captures the way in which many teens struggle with mental illness. It is a lesson in acceptance and understanding, and readers will be deeply moved. --Books+Publishing

A profoundly moving story about grief, loss, and love that will take your breath away. Helena Fox is a writer to be reckoned with. --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces Lyrical and profoundly affecting, providing a nuanced account of the hereditary effects of trauma. Haunting. --Kirkus (starred 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) This book will explode you into atoms, put you back together, and return the new shape of you to earth. Alive with sensation and rich in thought and feeling, How it Feels to Float intensively explores what it's like to be here now. --Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels A YA The Bell Jar with a ghostly twist, [and an] honest, nuanced portrayal of grief and life with mental illness. . . . A mesmerizing and timely debut. --Bustle Impossibly beautiful, life-affirming, profound. This is not a book; it is a work of art. --Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned Every now and then you pick up a novel and you know you've found something wonderful--a glorious voice, a character you adore. Helena Fox's novel delivers. It is exquisite. Read it. --Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue

A profoundly moving story about grief, loss, and love that will take your breath away. Helena Fox is a writer to be reckoned with. --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces Lyrical and profoundly affecting, providing a nuanced account of the hereditary effects of trauma. Haunting. --Kirkus (starred review) This book will explode you into atoms, put you back together, and return the new shape of you to earth. Alive with sensation and rich in thought and feeling, How it Feels to Float intensively explores what it's like to be here now. --Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels A YA The Bell Jar with a ghostly twist, [and an] honest, nuanced portrayal of grief and life with mental illness. . . . A mesmerizing and timely debut. --Bustle Impossibly beautiful, life-affirming, profound. This is not a book; it is a work of art. --Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned Every now and then you pick up a novel and you know you've found something wonderful--a glorious voice, a character you adore. Helena Fox's novel delivers. It is exquisite. Read it. --Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue

Author Information

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

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