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The Lifeguard
Not yet published
Expected 12 May 26Laura Kasischke dives back into novels with this thrilling small town mystery,
THE LIFEGUARD
This is a novel about grief and ambition, innocence and blame—a tale that spools out of and around a Midwestern swimming pool one summer afternoon, 1969, and into the future of an America yet to be imagined.
In the town of Mission Hills, Michigan, an elementary school child drowns in the Olympic-sized pool at a summer swim club. By most, but not all, the lifeguard on duty that afternoon—a teenage girl who becomes the town's scapegoat, bearing the weight of their grief and fears—is seen as responsible for the tragedy.
Kasischke weaves together overlapping narratives and shifting perspectives, gradually peeling back the layers of what really happened that day. Through poetic, sensory-rich prose, she explores the liminal spaces between memory and reality, innocence and culpability, childhood and adulthood. The story probes the arbitrary, inexorable nature of fate—how a single moment can alter lives forever, and how the search for answers can reveal unsettling truths about ourselves and those around us.
This is a novel about grief and ambition, innocence and blame—a tale that spools out of and around a Midwestern swimming pool one summer afternoon, 1969, and into the future of an America yet to be imagined.
In the town of Mission Hills, Michigan, an elementary school child drowns in the Olympic-sized pool at a summer swim club. By most, but not all, the lifeguard on duty that afternoon—a teenage girl who becomes the town's scapegoat, bearing the weight of their grief and fears—is seen as responsible for the tragedy.
Kasischke weaves together overlapping narratives and shifting perspectives, gradually peeling back the layers of what really happened that day. Through poetic, sensory-rich prose, she explores the liminal spaces between memory and reality, innocence and culpability, childhood and adulthood. The story probes the arbitrary, inexorable nature of fate—how a single moment can alter lives forever, and how the search for answers can reveal unsettling truths about ourselves and those around us.
248 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 12, 2026
50 people want to read
About the author
Laura Kasischke
46 books410 followersLaura Kasischke is an American fiction writer and American poet with poetry awards and multiple well reviewed works of fiction. Her work has received the Juniper Prize, the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America, the Pushcart Prize, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for Emerging Writers, and the Beatrice Hawley Award. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as several Pushcart Prizes.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 12, 2025
This sad book is full of exquisite sentences and beautiful imagery. In the summer of 1969, on the day three astronauts were rocket-launched to the moon, a 5-year old boy's thoughts are only on the thrilling moment he can jump into the swim club pool his parents belong to. We meet the lifeguard, we see the pool, we are in the little boy's head . . . but, in a snap, we're taken into somebody else's story, inside someone else's head. We come to understand who that head belongs to, and why, as one heartbreaking moment is repeated and relived throughout the story. As the circumstances of what happened that one day at the pool get peeled back and revealed, we come to recognize how one single moment, one regrettable blink of an eye, can transform the lives of many, for the rest of their lives.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I cannot stop thinking about this book. Laura Kasischke’s The Lifeguard is a quietly devastating novel about grief, culpability, and the fragile mechanics of memory. Set in Mission Hills, Michigan, during the summer of 1969, the story unfolds around the drowning of a young boy at a crowded swim club pool, which is a tragedy that ripples outward through time and through the lives of those who witnessed it. Kasischke structures the novel through shifting perspectives and layered recollections, revealing how a single moment can fracture a community and transform an ordinary afternoon into something mythic.
The brilliance of the novel lies in its juxtaposition of national triumph and private catastrophe. As Kasischke writes, “three American astronauts had been launched into space in the direction of the moon,” while chaos quietly builds around the pool where the child disappears beneath the water. The teenage lifeguard—sunburned, adorned with “tiny silver doves in her pierced ears”—becomes the town’s scapegoat, her ordinary gestures rendered tragic in retrospect. “His whole body would be like it felt to be made out of water, free, swimming away and leaving yourself and all the walking and sitting and standing behind you, always stuck on the ground without ever having the wind pick you up and pull you over” is a perfect metaphor not only for the astronauts in space, but of dying, of death, of the hereafter. It’s gorgeous, sad, and thought-provoking.
Kasischke’s prose is superb: sensory, lyrical, and precise. Through a harrowing confluence of small decisions, distractions, and chance, The Lifeguard reveals how history and accident intersect, leaving behind questions that no amount of hindsight can fully answer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for allowing me to read and review this ARC.
The brilliance of the novel lies in its juxtaposition of national triumph and private catastrophe. As Kasischke writes, “three American astronauts had been launched into space in the direction of the moon,” while chaos quietly builds around the pool where the child disappears beneath the water. The teenage lifeguard—sunburned, adorned with “tiny silver doves in her pierced ears”—becomes the town’s scapegoat, her ordinary gestures rendered tragic in retrospect. “His whole body would be like it felt to be made out of water, free, swimming away and leaving yourself and all the walking and sitting and standing behind you, always stuck on the ground without ever having the wind pick you up and pull you over” is a perfect metaphor not only for the astronauts in space, but of dying, of death, of the hereafter. It’s gorgeous, sad, and thought-provoking.
Kasischke’s prose is superb: sensory, lyrical, and precise. Through a harrowing confluence of small decisions, distractions, and chance, The Lifeguard reveals how history and accident intersect, leaving behind questions that no amount of hindsight can fully answer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Hen Press for allowing me to read and review this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. The Lifeguard is the first book by Laura Kasischke that I've read. The Lifeguard herself is everything a teenage boy in 1969 would want her to be - blonde, long tan legs and strawberry lip gloss. Hiding behind her pilot's sunglasses, its hard to know who she is watching, until she blows her whistle at the offending youngster who is disobeying the community pool rules. On the summer day in 1969 that the astronauts were launched in their quest to reach the moon, a smaller but more devastating event takes place at the pool club. Five year old Richie doesn't really care about the launch much to the dismay of his father but he cares about getting to the pool just in time after adult swim to maximize his time in the sun and chlorine. Unfortunately, there is a tragedy that day at the pool, intricately written and described painfully by the author. The lifeguard is blamed for the tragedy and is shamed by the town - her school mates, her church and its difficult for her single mother to cope with the town's reaction. This was a 5-star read for me - very sad, very beautiful and I'm eager to read more by Laura Kasischke.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to @Netgalley for the arc.
Lately, I’ve noticed a renewed interest in books from the 1960s and 1970s. Normally, that isn’t a time period I’m drawn to, but this novel, set in 1969, never felt like a barrier to my enjoyment. Instead, the setting blended naturally into the story and quickly faded into the background.
I’m drawn to dark, emotional stories, and this book did not disappoint. It is deeply sad and heavy, the kind of story that stays with you. The novel is very character driven, which I appreciated, as we move from person to person throughout the book. I especially liked how the perspective even shifts to the boy who drowns, allowing the reader to experience the tragedy from multiple angles.
As a mother myself, I strongly connected with the portrayal of a mother grieving the loss of her son. That grief felt raw, honest, and painfully real, adding a powerful emotional layer to the story. Overall, I found this to be a moving and well-written novel. I gave it 3.5 stars, and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
Lately, I’ve noticed a renewed interest in books from the 1960s and 1970s. Normally, that isn’t a time period I’m drawn to, but this novel, set in 1969, never felt like a barrier to my enjoyment. Instead, the setting blended naturally into the story and quickly faded into the background.
I’m drawn to dark, emotional stories, and this book did not disappoint. It is deeply sad and heavy, the kind of story that stays with you. The novel is very character driven, which I appreciated, as we move from person to person throughout the book. I especially liked how the perspective even shifts to the boy who drowns, allowing the reader to experience the tragedy from multiple angles.
As a mother myself, I strongly connected with the portrayal of a mother grieving the loss of her son. That grief felt raw, honest, and painfully real, adding a powerful emotional layer to the story. Overall, I found this to be a moving and well-written novel. I gave it 3.5 stars, and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2026
Review of advance copy received:
This was a 3.75⭐ read for me. I loved all the character and their development. Each one felt so real, like neighbours in a small town where everyone quietly knows everyone.
I wouldn’t call this book slow- or fast-paced; the story is woven in a way that keeps you locked in. You know from the very beginning what will happen, yet you keep turning the pages, asking yourself: How exactly did it happen? What led to it? Is there more beneath the surface than we’re being told?
I cannot say anything about the ending without spoiling it, but you will start to get a sort of sinking feeling, right around 50-60% of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book. To me, it carried an eerie undercurrent, yet it’s deeply relatable in that existential, human way. We’re all tiny beings living our tiny lives on this giant spinning rock. What might be the best or worst day of my life could be, to someone else, just a random Thursday during which they went to the pool.
This was a 3.75⭐ read for me. I loved all the character and their development. Each one felt so real, like neighbours in a small town where everyone quietly knows everyone.
I wouldn’t call this book slow- or fast-paced; the story is woven in a way that keeps you locked in. You know from the very beginning what will happen, yet you keep turning the pages, asking yourself: How exactly did it happen? What led to it? Is there more beneath the surface than we’re being told?
I cannot say anything about the ending without spoiling it, but you will start to get a sort of sinking feeling, right around 50-60% of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book. To me, it carried an eerie undercurrent, yet it’s deeply relatable in that existential, human way. We’re all tiny beings living our tiny lives on this giant spinning rock. What might be the best or worst day of my life could be, to someone else, just a random Thursday during which they went to the pool.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4⭐
The Lifeguard is a beautifully eerie dive into grief, obsession, and hidden secrets. Liza, a college student working as a lifeguard at a quiet beach town, is trying to piece herself back together after a tragic event. The setting—a serene, almost dreamlike beach—creates an unsettling contrast with the emotional storm Liza is navigating.
The slow burn pacing worked for me, keeping me hooked as I unraveled the mystery of Liza’s past. But I’ll admit, the ending left me a little frustrated. It’s deliberately ambiguous, and while it fits with the novel’s haunting vibe, I was hoping for a bit more closure.
A haunting, atmospheric novel that stays with you long after you’ve finished. If you’re into stories that linger in your mind and explore the darker side of human nature, The Lifeguard is a must-read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
The Lifeguard is a beautifully eerie dive into grief, obsession, and hidden secrets. Liza, a college student working as a lifeguard at a quiet beach town, is trying to piece herself back together after a tragic event. The setting—a serene, almost dreamlike beach—creates an unsettling contrast with the emotional storm Liza is navigating.
The slow burn pacing worked for me, keeping me hooked as I unraveled the mystery of Liza’s past. But I’ll admit, the ending left me a little frustrated. It’s deliberately ambiguous, and while it fits with the novel’s haunting vibe, I was hoping for a bit more closure.
A haunting, atmospheric novel that stays with you long after you’ve finished. If you’re into stories that linger in your mind and explore the darker side of human nature, The Lifeguard is a must-read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
March 3, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this book as an ARC. This review is honest and voluntary.
3.75/5 rounded up. This was a beautiful, but haunting book that took readers through a tale of grief and healing. While the story was heartbreaking, readers will know the tragedy that occurs from the start and this allows grief to take center stage, even as we are taken along the fateful day.
This story was beautifully written and the characters had depth to them. I liked getting to jump around at times, even though it was a bit confusing for the first 10% or so.
While a sad read, I found it profound and reflective. A beautiful piece of fiction that unfortunately centers a tragedy.
3.75/5 rounded up. This was a beautiful, but haunting book that took readers through a tale of grief and healing. While the story was heartbreaking, readers will know the tragedy that occurs from the start and this allows grief to take center stage, even as we are taken along the fateful day.
This story was beautifully written and the characters had depth to them. I liked getting to jump around at times, even though it was a bit confusing for the first 10% or so.
While a sad read, I found it profound and reflective. A beautiful piece of fiction that unfortunately centers a tragedy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I found The Lifeguard to be beautifully written, with a strong sense of atmosphere and thoughtful prose that made it easy to stay engaged. At times, however, the repetition of certain paragraphs and ideas pulled me out of the story, and I wasn’t always sure what purpose the repetition was meant to serve.
The ending tied everything together neatly, which was satisfying, though it leaned a bit saccharine after the tense drama on the preceding pages.. Overall, I appreciated the author’s writing style and the emotional tone of the book, even if some narrative choices didn’t fully land for me.
Thank you to Red Hen Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
The ending tied everything together neatly, which was satisfying, though it leaned a bit saccharine after the tense drama on the preceding pages.. Overall, I appreciated the author’s writing style and the emotional tone of the book, even if some narrative choices didn’t fully land for me.
Thank you to Red Hen Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the eARC of this book! 😊🖤
This book was written in so many different perspectives it was honestly kind of difficult to follow. You are constantly jumping back and forth in time as well as between perspectives that it starts to blend and it’s hard to keep everyone’s timeline straight. It was an interesting read but, a bit challenging to get through. I’m sure that there are people who would absolutely love this book but, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me however, I did finish it and it was well written.
2.5 🌟 (Rounded up to 3 because you can’t do half stars.)
This book was written in so many different perspectives it was honestly kind of difficult to follow. You are constantly jumping back and forth in time as well as between perspectives that it starts to blend and it’s hard to keep everyone’s timeline straight. It was an interesting read but, a bit challenging to get through. I’m sure that there are people who would absolutely love this book but, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me however, I did finish it and it was well written.
2.5 🌟 (Rounded up to 3 because you can’t do half stars.)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The premise of this book was what made me request it from NetGalley, however, it was a struggle to get through. Extremely drawn out with repetitive narratives over and over again. Additionally, confusing povs back and forth timelines made it a battle to read. I'm not sure I even understand what the point of the story was. The only thing I enjoyed was some of the accurate events of the time period. Sorry but I can't recommend this one. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The lifeguard on duty was every young man’s dream and never expected one day to turn your life upside down.
Spending the summer at the pool was Richie’s favorite thing. The same day the space ship launched into space was a day that ruined little Richie’s life.
The lifeguard is blamed and the whole town hates her. This tragic, heart breaking story was a rough read. I cannot imagine reading this if I had kids and thinking about how one day everything can change.
Spending the summer at the pool was Richie’s favorite thing. The same day the space ship launched into space was a day that ruined little Richie’s life.
The lifeguard is blamed and the whole town hates her. This tragic, heart breaking story was a rough read. I cannot imagine reading this if I had kids and thinking about how one day everything can change.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was honestly very disappointed in this book. I had high hopes I guess.
The story itself is heartbreaking.
But the structure of the book drove me absolutely crazy. Lots of going back and forth in time. Lots of stuff that was completely not needed and a lot that seemed to be not explained enough.
It was very hard for me to finish this book, but I did. Mainly because I was hoping it would get better.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The story itself is heartbreaking.
But the structure of the book drove me absolutely crazy. Lots of going back and forth in time. Lots of stuff that was completely not needed and a lot that seemed to be not explained enough.
It was very hard for me to finish this book, but I did. Mainly because I was hoping it would get better.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
February 16, 2026
I give this a 2.5 stars. I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I like a suburban setting. The multiple points of views are also a favorite of mine. I just felt like some of this was repetitive. Not much character development either. I did enjoy Danny and the Lifeguards POV. I wanted more. Thank you Red Hen Press for the ARC for a honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Chilling. Beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews