In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary dark coming-of-age narrative and an unsettling tale of body horror, told from an adult perspective on the trials of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies… a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.
Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life, in the intense world of competitive swimming, starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach is 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. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on tales of mermaid folklore, of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Creatures that called sailors to their doom. That dragged them down and drowned them. That feasted on their flesh. The creature that she's always longed to become: the mermaid.
And in this gripping psychological horror, Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine, the feel of it on her skin. 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.