They were the girls who didn’t drown.
In 1983, seven-year-old May and her older sister, Kate, sat in the back of their mother’s car watching the murky churn and roil of the San Francisco Bay. And then they were in its freezing depths. They were the “poor motherless girls” who made it—swimming up and out of the water to become survivors, forever defined by their mother’s inconceivable act.
And as they grow, the ripples of that day become a tide. May is a woman quietly haunted, clinging to a life of safe, solid ground. Kate has become a storm—volatile, self-destructive, and then…missing.
As May searches for her sister, she must confront the wreckage of their shared childhood and the hidden truth of her mother’s final act. Navigating the panic of Kate’s disappearance, May finds an unexpected anchor when Buddy—her high school sweetheart—returns to town years after a severe firefighting injury shattered his identity and their engagement. As they tentatively path a way back to one another, can a second-chance romance bloom between them?
Lyrical, raw, joyfully wry, and achingly sad, Mermaid explores the resilience of the sisterly bond, what it means to decide to live, and the courage it takes to forgive those who could not stay.
Praise for Mermaid
“Michelene Esposito’s Mermaid is a compelling blend of literary fiction, family mystery, and emotional healing… Beautifully written and deeply affecting, it lingers long after the final page.”
—NewInBooks
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Themes: Sisterly bonds, family secrets, surviving trauma, second chances, emotional healing, Bay Area setting.
Tropes: High school sweethearts reunion, injured hero / firefighter, dark family mystery, dual timeline/past trauma.
Read-Alikes: If you loved The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, or Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.
Q: What is Mermaid by Michelene Esposito about?
A: Mermaid is a contemporary literary/women’s fiction novel about two sisters, May and Kate, who survived their mother driving them into the San Francisco Bay in 1983. Years later, when Kate goes missing, May must uncover hidden truths about that day while re-connecting with her former fiancé, Buddy.
Q: Is Mermaid a romance or literary fiction?
A: It is a crossover of emotional family drama, women’s fiction, and second-chance romance.