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Chlorine

'Entrances even as it unsettles' – Buzzfeed

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Chlorine

By: Jade Song
Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Imani Parks
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'This fantastically strange, explosive debut novel entrances even as it unsettles. It's so brilliantly written'
BUZZFEED

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. Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction United States World Literature Swimming Merfolk
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I was SO uncomfortable the entire time waiting for something to happen that would cause her to just stay in the water. Couldn't have initicipated what happened at the end. Crazy book but I enjoyed it!

Super strange but enjoyed it

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The perils of the intense world of competitve swimming and the effects and consequences on the young people steeped in chlorine. The narration is brilliant and really compliments a well paced and beautifully written novel that had me going back to listen to some chapters again.

Mesmeric voices, sacrifice and love

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I started having no idea where this was going and felt like by the end I was still at the start. The first half is fine if we ignore the cathy moments, she is so stupid it is annoying. Such an unlikeable character. But when the thing happens you just keep asking yourself wtf? and it gets worse and worse. Do not recommend.

the first half is okay

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