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The Summer She Was Under Water
It has been twenty years since Sam Pinski, a young novelist, has spent the Fourth of July weekend with her family at their cabin on the Susquehanna River. There, she must confront a chaotic history of mental illness, alcoholism, and physical violence and struggle to find perspective in the pulse of things familiar and respite from the shame of the taboo relationship that courses through her. As she does, a subplot emerges: Excerpts are included from Sam’s metaphoric novel in which a pregnant man tries to solve the mystery of his fertility and absolve himself of his past. Then tragedy strikes the Pinskis and they must draw together, tentatively realizing that they will continue to spin off in their own orbits unless they begin the hard work of forgiveness themselves.
PRAISE FOR THE SUMMER SHE WAS UNDER WATER:
"Jen's second novel is an intense emotional commitment, but a worthwhile one." - Ploughshares
"The intersection of family and sex and dysfunction is where The Summer She Was Under Water makes its bones."-- The Collagist
"The story pulls the reader into a dark and uncomfortable place. This is where Michalski's ability to engage the reader's compassion and sensitivity is most profound." -- The Rumpus
"The result is a stark but absorbing portrait of the complex intersection of love, frustration, forgiveness, and anger that make up this -- or any -- family."-- The Washington Independent Review of Books
"Through Michalski's unusual and but effective structure and her insightful and deeply personal writing, we begin to understand just how much strength it takes for a personal to peel back the layers of a troubled past." -- Baltimore Magazine
The Summer She Was Underwater introduces us to the vivid Pinskis, a family unwilling to be honest about its past and ill-equipped to alter its future. Jen Michalski movingly captures the way mother and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers jab at and dance around each other, alternately trying to soothe and to wound. – Pamela Erens, The Virgins and Eleven Hours
"Jen Michalski is a member of an exclusive club: that very small group of writers who could put out a novel, a novella, a story collection, a cereal box, a greeting card - and I'd read it all. She writes masterful, elegant, controlled works of fiction, yet she's unafraid to write movingly, to write passionate people with problems - the kind of characters who are, let's be honest, the reason we read with such hunger." – Amber Sparks, The Unfinished World and May We Shed These Human Bodies
“Jen Michalski is a writerly heavyweight and with The Summer She Was Underwater, we're seeing her at the very top of her game.” – Nate Brown, editor, American Short Fiction
“There are no easy answers here but instead a family's dysfunction laid bare in all its messiness and heartbreak --and also its moments of occasional, near-accidental grace.” – Katharine Noel, Halfway House
“Jen Michalski has an extraordinary gift for revealing all the crooked tributaries that come together to form the ocean of the self. The Summer She Was Under Water brims with heat and longing and secrets, and yet again Michalski has delivered a story that dazzles and devastates.” – Laura van den Berg, Find Me
PRAISE FOR THE SUMMER SHE WAS UNDER WATER:
"Jen's second novel is an intense emotional commitment, but a worthwhile one." - Ploughshares
"The intersection of family and sex and dysfunction is where The Summer She Was Under Water makes its bones."-- The Collagist
"The story pulls the reader into a dark and uncomfortable place. This is where Michalski's ability to engage the reader's compassion and sensitivity is most profound." -- The Rumpus
"The result is a stark but absorbing portrait of the complex intersection of love, frustration, forgiveness, and anger that make up this -- or any -- family."-- The Washington Independent Review of Books
"Through Michalski's unusual and but effective structure and her insightful and deeply personal writing, we begin to understand just how much strength it takes for a personal to peel back the layers of a troubled past." -- Baltimore Magazine
The Summer She Was Underwater introduces us to the vivid Pinskis, a family unwilling to be honest about its past and ill-equipped to alter its future. Jen Michalski movingly captures the way mother and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers jab at and dance around each other, alternately trying to soothe and to wound. – Pamela Erens, The Virgins and Eleven Hours
"Jen Michalski is a member of an exclusive club: that very small group of writers who could put out a novel, a novella, a story collection, a cereal box, a greeting card - and I'd read it all. She writes masterful, elegant, controlled works of fiction, yet she's unafraid to write movingly, to write passionate people with problems - the kind of characters who are, let's be honest, the reason we read with such hunger." – Amber Sparks, The Unfinished World and May We Shed These Human Bodies
“Jen Michalski is a writerly heavyweight and with The Summer She Was Underwater, we're seeing her at the very top of her game.” – Nate Brown, editor, American Short Fiction
“There are no easy answers here but instead a family's dysfunction laid bare in all its messiness and heartbreak --and also its moments of occasional, near-accidental grace.” – Katharine Noel, Halfway House
“Jen Michalski has an extraordinary gift for revealing all the crooked tributaries that come together to form the ocean of the self. The Summer She Was Under Water brims with heat and longing and secrets, and yet again Michalski has delivered a story that dazzles and devastates.” – Laura van den Berg, Find Me
- GenresFiction
193 pages, Paperback
Published August 9, 2016
3 people are currently reading
1070 people want to read
About the author
Jen Michalski
17 books260 followersJen Michalski is the author of the novels All This Can Be True (Turner/Key Light, June 2025), You'll Be FIne (NineStar Press, 2021), The Summer She Was Under Water (Black Lawrence Press, 2017), and The Tide King (Black Lawrence Press 2013), a couplet of novellas called Could You Be With Her Now (Dzanc Books 2013), and three collections of fiction (The Company of Strangers, 2023; From Here, 2014; and Close Encounters, 2007). Her work has appeared in more than 100 publications, including Poets & Writers, and she's been nominated for the Pushcart Prize seven times. In 2013, she was named as “One of 50 Women to Watch” by The Baltimore Sun and “Best Writer” by Baltimore Magazine. She is editor in chief of the literary weekly jmww.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 3, 2017
I'm probably biased. ;)
January 23, 2018
Here are some observations from my review:
“I thought I knew exactly what happened in the past based on contextual clues, but I was wrong. It’s much more complicated.”
“Michalski easily works in fluidity: lesbian, bi, straight, male, female, both.”
“The Summer She Was Under Water is an emotional giant.”
Review now at Grab the Lapels!
“I thought I knew exactly what happened in the past based on contextual clues, but I was wrong. It’s much more complicated.”
“Michalski easily works in fluidity: lesbian, bi, straight, male, female, both.”
“The Summer She Was Under Water is an emotional giant.”
Review now at Grab the Lapels!
September 11, 2019
Review forthcoming from The Collagist.
November 22, 2016
I found this novel to be moving and deftly crafted. The family gathering at the center of it threatens to be uncomfortable at best, explosive at worst. But because Michalski gets to the heart of the characters and their conflicts with such care and feeling, she offers more than a strife-laden drama. Instead, her novel is a complex exploration of family dysfunction. It is also beautifully structured. The way it moves back and forth in time echoes the main character's struggle to make sense of her past. Here is my full review: http://smallpresspicks.com/the-summer...
December 3, 2016
I am a fan of Michalski's work. This story is visceral, heartbreaking and moves like someone swimming with the tide. LOVED IT! Get a copy!
April 20, 2018
‘Sam is amazed that [her father’s] thick, calloused hands are capable of such gentleness.’
Baltimore, Maryland Author Jen Michalski won the coveted Black Lawrence Press Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The prize won her the publication by Black Lawrence Press for her extraordinary novel THE TIDE KING. This novel and her others - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, FROM HERE, a collection of novellas, COULD YOU BE WITH HER NOW and her editing of and important anthology CITY SAGES: BALTIMORE (which Baltimore Magazine called "Best of Baltimore" in 2010) introduce a sound voice, a writer of distinction and a weaver of spells that cover history, magic, family interactions, fantasy and the subject of immortality. They shine. Jen is the founding editor of the literary quarterly jmww, hosts the monthly reading series Starts Here! in Baltimore, and interviews writers at The Nervous Breakdown.
Jen’s synopsis claries this complex, fascinating novel about the interactions within families – ‘It has been twenty years since Sam Pinski, a young novelist, has spent the Fourth of July weekend with her family at their cabin on the Susquehanna River. There, she must confront a chaotic history of mental illness, alcoholism, and physical violence, and struggle to find perspective in the pulse of things familiar and respite from the shame of the taboo relationship that courses through her. As she does, a subplot emerges: Excerpts are included from Sam's metaphoric novel in which a pregnant man tries to solve the mystery of his fertility and absolve himself of his past. Then tragedy strikes the Pinskis and they must draw together, tentatively realizing that they will continue to spin off in their own orbits unless they begin the hard work of forgiveness themselves.’
But the power of Jen’s writing is what brings our attention to every new publication she presents - distinctive, powerful, lucidly written poetic prose by a writer who understands the power of words, Jen Michalski is carving her niche well.
Baltimore, Maryland Author Jen Michalski won the coveted Black Lawrence Press Big Moose Prize for an unpublished novel. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The prize won her the publication by Black Lawrence Press for her extraordinary novel THE TIDE KING. This novel and her others - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, FROM HERE, a collection of novellas, COULD YOU BE WITH HER NOW and her editing of and important anthology CITY SAGES: BALTIMORE (which Baltimore Magazine called "Best of Baltimore" in 2010) introduce a sound voice, a writer of distinction and a weaver of spells that cover history, magic, family interactions, fantasy and the subject of immortality. They shine. Jen is the founding editor of the literary quarterly jmww, hosts the monthly reading series Starts Here! in Baltimore, and interviews writers at The Nervous Breakdown.
Jen’s synopsis claries this complex, fascinating novel about the interactions within families – ‘It has been twenty years since Sam Pinski, a young novelist, has spent the Fourth of July weekend with her family at their cabin on the Susquehanna River. There, she must confront a chaotic history of mental illness, alcoholism, and physical violence, and struggle to find perspective in the pulse of things familiar and respite from the shame of the taboo relationship that courses through her. As she does, a subplot emerges: Excerpts are included from Sam's metaphoric novel in which a pregnant man tries to solve the mystery of his fertility and absolve himself of his past. Then tragedy strikes the Pinskis and they must draw together, tentatively realizing that they will continue to spin off in their own orbits unless they begin the hard work of forgiveness themselves.’
But the power of Jen’s writing is what brings our attention to every new publication she presents - distinctive, powerful, lucidly written poetic prose by a writer who understands the power of words, Jen Michalski is carving her niche well.
October 26, 2016
Contains spoilers – sorry.
Jen Michalski never shies away from difficult and sometimes downright subjects in her fiction. May-December lesbian relationships, child molestation (both novellas in “Could You Be With Her Now”) or people who never die (“The Tide King”). Most of the action centers around Baltimore, but when she thinks no one is watching, she’ll sneak in heartfelt stories about the Eastern Shore, like “The Substitute,” (in her collection “From Here”) or the last third of “The Tide King.”
Her latest novel, “The Summer She Was Under Water,” has one foot in Baltimore and one in Conowingo Lake, on the northeast corner of this bizarrely-shaped state. People talk about the “Great American Novel,” but what about novels about states? I doubt that there is anybody else out there writing a better “Great Maryland Novel” than Michalski.
This is a novel primarily about incest, not because it’s the solitary subject, but because incest is such an inflammatory topic that it overpowers everything else. Samantha (Sam) is thirty-something first-time novelist teaching at Johns Hopkins. She’s just broken up her engagement with a good guy and has brought her newfound friend Eve to her parents’ cabin on the lake. Along with Sam’s bickering working-class parents is Steve, her charismatic but shiftless older brother. Bad stuff happened when they were teenagers.
This novel has a curious Eugene O’Neill vibe. I’ve never read a story that could so easily be adapted to the stage. It’s dark and edgy, and sometimes dour. It’s unflinching but ultimately realistic look at family dynamics can be difficult to look at. But the characters almost always ring true.
This isn’t a perfect novel. Sometimes the action veers into the melodramatic, particularly when the men get angry and smash things. The ending is problematic. I can imagine Michalski’s dilemma—a tacked on happy-ending would be a cheat given the hard work that she had done to that point. A tragic ending, given the sensitive subject matter, would be borderline irresponsible. She tries to split the difference, which might be most realistic, but is highly unsatisfactory. Just because mediocre novels end with characters growing in a significant way doesn’t mean that it can’t be a legitimate or realistic way to end a literary novel.
But this novel has so many special moments. I was skeptical of the gimmicky novel-within-a-novel, but Michalski has Sam talk about it’s gimmicky-ness, which somehow neutralizes its gimmickiness. What’s left is a clever way for Michalski to explore the Sam/Steve relationship through a different lens and lets the reader compare and contrast the real Sam and Steve with their counterparts. This is the sort of ambition that is found more commonly in Victorian doorstops, not slender independent press novels.
My favorite part is the flashback to the beginning of Sam and Eve’s relationship – the nervousness, the quiet tender moments was really quite touching. I wish she would write more of these types of scenes. Sometimes the most edgy thing is to not be edgy at all.
Jen Michalski never shies away from difficult and sometimes downright subjects in her fiction. May-December lesbian relationships, child molestation (both novellas in “Could You Be With Her Now”) or people who never die (“The Tide King”). Most of the action centers around Baltimore, but when she thinks no one is watching, she’ll sneak in heartfelt stories about the Eastern Shore, like “The Substitute,” (in her collection “From Here”) or the last third of “The Tide King.”
Her latest novel, “The Summer She Was Under Water,” has one foot in Baltimore and one in Conowingo Lake, on the northeast corner of this bizarrely-shaped state. People talk about the “Great American Novel,” but what about novels about states? I doubt that there is anybody else out there writing a better “Great Maryland Novel” than Michalski.
This is a novel primarily about incest, not because it’s the solitary subject, but because incest is such an inflammatory topic that it overpowers everything else. Samantha (Sam) is thirty-something first-time novelist teaching at Johns Hopkins. She’s just broken up her engagement with a good guy and has brought her newfound friend Eve to her parents’ cabin on the lake. Along with Sam’s bickering working-class parents is Steve, her charismatic but shiftless older brother. Bad stuff happened when they were teenagers.
This novel has a curious Eugene O’Neill vibe. I’ve never read a story that could so easily be adapted to the stage. It’s dark and edgy, and sometimes dour. It’s unflinching but ultimately realistic look at family dynamics can be difficult to look at. But the characters almost always ring true.
This isn’t a perfect novel. Sometimes the action veers into the melodramatic, particularly when the men get angry and smash things. The ending is problematic. I can imagine Michalski’s dilemma—a tacked on happy-ending would be a cheat given the hard work that she had done to that point. A tragic ending, given the sensitive subject matter, would be borderline irresponsible. She tries to split the difference, which might be most realistic, but is highly unsatisfactory. Just because mediocre novels end with characters growing in a significant way doesn’t mean that it can’t be a legitimate or realistic way to end a literary novel.
But this novel has so many special moments. I was skeptical of the gimmicky novel-within-a-novel, but Michalski has Sam talk about it’s gimmicky-ness, which somehow neutralizes its gimmickiness. What’s left is a clever way for Michalski to explore the Sam/Steve relationship through a different lens and lets the reader compare and contrast the real Sam and Steve with their counterparts. This is the sort of ambition that is found more commonly in Victorian doorstops, not slender independent press novels.
My favorite part is the flashback to the beginning of Sam and Eve’s relationship – the nervousness, the quiet tender moments was really quite touching. I wish she would write more of these types of scenes. Sometimes the most edgy thing is to not be edgy at all.
February 22, 2017
TW: substance abuse, suicidal ideation, domestic violence, sexual assault
November 7, 2016
Unfortunately this book was just "ok" for me. I read it in one day, but it was a slow go for being only 193 pages. I felt like the editor stopped editing after page 100. Words that were incorrect, wrong names. I've never seen anything like that before. It wasn't that many, but I noticed and it bothered me. Also, the tragedy came a lot later than I thought it would. Almost felt weird where it happened. Maybe for the best and it's just me. Anyway, not very excited about this book.
September 2, 2016
Weird, but good.
August 14, 2016
Review to come
December 5, 2016
Family secrets implode
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The Pinski family spends the summers at their lakeside cabin and Sam invites a girlfriend along. Unbeknownst to her, her mother has also invited her ex-finance Michael. This serves as a catalyst to uncover some long-buried family secrets.
The theme of incest is always a difficult subject to broach and yet Jen Michalski has managed to write a beautiful, lyrical story about an awful taboo. Sam, her brother and mother have also been victims of abuse from their father and each has dealt with this in different ways. Sam’s mom ignores the past, her brother has run away from his past and Sam is stuck in the past.
The reality of dysfunctional families is ever present and the newspapers have a daily litany of horrors, and yet this book handles the dark side of families with compassion and a deep understanding of the complexities.
Her characters are compelling and this is the reason that I was so enthralled with this book.
Sam is such a flawed character, and yet her struggles are so real and evoke so much empathy. She wants to be validated, she wants her brother to acknowledge what he did to her. She understands that she will never have a meaningful relationship until she deals with the past and her struggle to claw her way back from a very dark place is very moving.
Jen Michalski has created such wonderful characters and each one is fully fleshed out and has so many layers. The seemingly simple storyline is the perfect foil to lay bare the truth. Her writing is masterful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Gillian
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The Pinski family spends the summers at their lakeside cabin and Sam invites a girlfriend along. Unbeknownst to her, her mother has also invited her ex-finance Michael. This serves as a catalyst to uncover some long-buried family secrets.
The theme of incest is always a difficult subject to broach and yet Jen Michalski has managed to write a beautiful, lyrical story about an awful taboo. Sam, her brother and mother have also been victims of abuse from their father and each has dealt with this in different ways. Sam’s mom ignores the past, her brother has run away from his past and Sam is stuck in the past.
The reality of dysfunctional families is ever present and the newspapers have a daily litany of horrors, and yet this book handles the dark side of families with compassion and a deep understanding of the complexities.
Her characters are compelling and this is the reason that I was so enthralled with this book.
Sam is such a flawed character, and yet her struggles are so real and evoke so much empathy. She wants to be validated, she wants her brother to acknowledge what he did to her. She understands that she will never have a meaningful relationship until she deals with the past and her struggle to claw her way back from a very dark place is very moving.
Jen Michalski has created such wonderful characters and each one is fully fleshed out and has so many layers. The seemingly simple storyline is the perfect foil to lay bare the truth. Her writing is masterful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Gillian
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
June 13, 2021
It's hard for me to be objective about Jen Michalski, since I admire her so much as a person and an editor. This novel is flawlessly written and concise enough to read over a long summer weekend. Michalski tackles the ultimate taboo subject as it plays out in the history of a working class family. Nothing is easy in this book, which I don't think the Big Five (or whatever number they're on now) could have handled: this is why we need independent presses like Black Lawrence.
November 1, 2016
This book doesn't let anything be easy but the read. Seriously. The prose is strong and elegant, knowing exactly where it's going but not needing to force anything or try to impress. The current is dangerous though, a steady pull with an intense amount of force. This one leaves quite an impression.
September 25, 2018
An intimate look at the complexity of family, forgiveness, trauma, and how we make peace with those who hurt us when they are also the ones closest to us. Michalski's characters are beautifully human; there are no simple heroes or villains here. A truly enriching read.
March 15, 2018
Great characterization, dialogue and crystal clear writing!
April 4, 2018
Received from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for a review
I read this book forever ago and I have it packed away so I can’t even pull out quotes like most book reviewers do. This is another book post that was supposed to be done a year ago, so it’s unprepared and bare bones like the rest I’ve written.
A Brief Plot Discussion
The Summer She Was Under Water is centered around Sam Pinski, a bisexual, depressed, alcoholic writer who is visiting her dysfunctional family for the first time in years. They are happy to meet her but she can still feel the same tension, the dark cloud she had felt there as a child. Despite spending her adult years being a moderately successful writer, she is still a loner who never really had happy, successful relationships and is apprehensive to pursue them further as proven by her ex, Michael and her friend, Eve. While spending time with her family, dipping into the lake, listening to her parents argue and eating cheese burgers, her memories and trauma come back to her in streams that leave her cold and hurting especially when her dysfunctional brother returns.
The Feel
The Summer She Was Under Water is a brave and ambitious novel but reading it felt like I was indeed drowning with Sam’s trauma. And that means that the novel was written right. I enjoyed Michalski’s short story collection, From Here, and have bought all her other books. Just like in From Here, Michalski is not afraid to touch on taboo subjects and she’s not afraid to let her characters bleed for the reader. I think it took most of the year to read this book and I remember I would only read large chunks of it, picking up the book maybe 2-3 times a month. I read it as slowly as possible and I don’t even remember what book I had on the side. I was probably reading Gantz which is not any better regarding depressing content.
Despite the soft, eye pleasing cover, this is a hard novel to get through. The novel contains physical and emotional abuse, as well as incest in Sam Pinski’s flashbacks. It also contains excerpts of Sam Pinski’s novel about a pregnant man which you will find is about her abuser, her older brother. It serves as a metaphor, a sort of vengeful one, where she hopes that her brother is able to feel and carry the pain she has felt in the form of the pain of motherhood. But of course in real life, this is never achieved when she confronts him about the trauma she carried all these years and the novel ends with a scene that made me feel rather odd since it implies forgiveness and moving on, sort of. Rather, it’s a hopeless one, one forced by the need of “Keeping the family together” after tragedy struck.
The Summer She Was Under Water is beautifully written, with sentences I can’t even provide samples of because I packed the book away. I usually assume if there’s more than five dog earred pages then the writing must’ve been pretty nice.
But yet, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I don’t know or remember if it’s because I had a certain expectation that things would improve for Sam. Novels with these kinds of topics usually don’t have resolutions and endings tied with bright bows. I don’t really know if I enjoyed it and I don’t know if there’s a meaning to it other than what was provided with the metaphorical novel Sam left for the reader.
I guess that’s kind of the point of this book? It isn’t something to be enjoyed rather it’s meant for you to think about and let the character study stew into your mind. It let’s you think of the what if and about Sam Pinksi’s fate. Maybe even wonder if there’s a sequel for some reason where Sam has a redemption arc where she gets her life together. But I think it’s better that it remains a mystery floating in the lake she’s in.
Conclusion
The Summer She Was Under Water is important because of its taboo topics but I felt ambivalent about the novel. If you’re into reading about these kinds of character studies, I’d still recommend it because Michalski’s talent still shines in this novel and I haven’t read her other books so I feel like I can’t pick a magnum opus of hers yet. If you want to read her work, I highly suggestFrom Here before touching The Summer She Was Under Water .
Crosspost from Across From Here.
I read this book forever ago and I have it packed away so I can’t even pull out quotes like most book reviewers do. This is another book post that was supposed to be done a year ago, so it’s unprepared and bare bones like the rest I’ve written.
A Brief Plot Discussion
The Summer She Was Under Water is centered around Sam Pinski, a bisexual, depressed, alcoholic writer who is visiting her dysfunctional family for the first time in years. They are happy to meet her but she can still feel the same tension, the dark cloud she had felt there as a child. Despite spending her adult years being a moderately successful writer, she is still a loner who never really had happy, successful relationships and is apprehensive to pursue them further as proven by her ex, Michael and her friend, Eve. While spending time with her family, dipping into the lake, listening to her parents argue and eating cheese burgers, her memories and trauma come back to her in streams that leave her cold and hurting especially when her dysfunctional brother returns.
The Feel
The Summer She Was Under Water is a brave and ambitious novel but reading it felt like I was indeed drowning with Sam’s trauma. And that means that the novel was written right. I enjoyed Michalski’s short story collection, From Here, and have bought all her other books. Just like in From Here, Michalski is not afraid to touch on taboo subjects and she’s not afraid to let her characters bleed for the reader. I think it took most of the year to read this book and I remember I would only read large chunks of it, picking up the book maybe 2-3 times a month. I read it as slowly as possible and I don’t even remember what book I had on the side. I was probably reading Gantz which is not any better regarding depressing content.
Despite the soft, eye pleasing cover, this is a hard novel to get through. The novel contains physical and emotional abuse, as well as incest in Sam Pinski’s flashbacks. It also contains excerpts of Sam Pinski’s novel about a pregnant man which you will find is about her abuser, her older brother. It serves as a metaphor, a sort of vengeful one, where she hopes that her brother is able to feel and carry the pain she has felt in the form of the pain of motherhood. But of course in real life, this is never achieved when she confronts him about the trauma she carried all these years and the novel ends with a scene that made me feel rather odd since it implies forgiveness and moving on, sort of. Rather, it’s a hopeless one, one forced by the need of “Keeping the family together” after tragedy struck.
The Summer She Was Under Water is beautifully written, with sentences I can’t even provide samples of because I packed the book away. I usually assume if there’s more than five dog earred pages then the writing must’ve been pretty nice.
But yet, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I don’t know or remember if it’s because I had a certain expectation that things would improve for Sam. Novels with these kinds of topics usually don’t have resolutions and endings tied with bright bows. I don’t really know if I enjoyed it and I don’t know if there’s a meaning to it other than what was provided with the metaphorical novel Sam left for the reader.
I guess that’s kind of the point of this book? It isn’t something to be enjoyed rather it’s meant for you to think about and let the character study stew into your mind. It let’s you think of the what if and about Sam Pinksi’s fate. Maybe even wonder if there’s a sequel for some reason where Sam has a redemption arc where she gets her life together. But I think it’s better that it remains a mystery floating in the lake she’s in.
Conclusion
The Summer She Was Under Water is important because of its taboo topics but I felt ambivalent about the novel. If you’re into reading about these kinds of character studies, I’d still recommend it because Michalski’s talent still shines in this novel and I haven’t read her other books so I feel like I can’t pick a magnum opus of hers yet. If you want to read her work, I highly suggestFrom Here before touching The Summer She Was Under Water .
Crosspost from Across From Here.
October 7, 2016
I just finished reading The Summer She Was Under Water, and I will be thinking about Michalski's brutal yet big hearted novel for weeks to come, I'm sure. She's a fearless writer, and her humanity and incredible grace allows her to tackle the most difficult subject matter. You'll want to keep reading to discover every detail, secret, regret, and longing of the flawed Pinski family. This taut narrative is also a treatise on forgiveness, and I'm so glad I read it.
October 23, 2021
This book captures the feeling I used to get when I drove through the eastern working class neighborhoods of Baltimore. This is how the city felt before Amazon warehouses became the main employer and the city still had a Natty-Boh hangover but drinking Natty-Boh wasn't yet chic. I couldn't help thinking that the water at the family's Conowingo Lake vacation home might even have been radioactive, but not in a cartoon way like on the Simpsons', just radioactive with family trauma. It did strike me as nostalgic, however, that one could have once been working class, have a totally dysfunctional family, but own a vacation home on a lake. The music of Bruce Springsteen provides an appropriate soundtrack when the Thunder Road cover band is mentioned, but not even Springsteen would be brave enough to tackle some of the themes handled here. Truth is, I've never been a huge Springsteen fan, probably because I enjoy deep dives into family themes, and this novel provides many.
February 16, 2017
"The Summer She Was Under Water" follows Sam as she returns with her family to their summer cabin- plus her friend Eve and her ex-fiance Michael (whom her mother invited). It is written in the third person, but almost would have been better in the first, as we really delve into Sam's mind to explore her familial connections and their pasts. Interspersed between chapters of the present and Sam's memories of the past are sections from Sam's book about a pregnant man.
It's an intriguing book and a relatively short read (as it is only ~200 pages and they go by fast). It is somewhat difficult to figure out when you are in a memory or flashback- I usually had to go back when I got confused to see where it started and ended, but you can eventually figure it out. The book covers a lot of issues confronting their family in a casual way. It's almost more of a collection of thoughts, centered around the weekend they spent at the cabin (the book is sectioned by the day), but it branches out into the past and her book.
I am not sure if I liked it or not, but it's an interesting premise. If nothing else, it's a quick read. Please note that I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.
It's an intriguing book and a relatively short read (as it is only ~200 pages and they go by fast). It is somewhat difficult to figure out when you are in a memory or flashback- I usually had to go back when I got confused to see where it started and ended, but you can eventually figure it out. The book covers a lot of issues confronting their family in a casual way. It's almost more of a collection of thoughts, centered around the weekend they spent at the cabin (the book is sectioned by the day), but it branches out into the past and her book.
I am not sure if I liked it or not, but it's an interesting premise. If nothing else, it's a quick read. Please note that I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.
February 3, 2017
The Summer She Was Under Water (by Jen Michalski) is a beautifully written family drama. At the center of the story is Sam Pinski and her blue collar Baltimorean family, who are all reuniting at their cabin on Conowingo Lake for a 4th of July weekend. Sam is a writer and uses her words to try and exorcise her family demons. There is a story in a story element as we read snippets from Sam's latest book about a pregnant man, Pete Skivins. The story within the novel is as engaging as the novel itself. This book is literary, but still very accessible. I highly recommend it to all my friends, especially those who live in Baltimore. Nobody writes a more accurate picture of middle class Baltimore than Jen Michalski!
October 13, 2016
Jen Michalski's layered story of a woman trying to grow up and both out of and towards her family is written with nuance and power. Especially compelling was the at first hidden tension that steadily asserted itself from within the messy swirls of family dynamics like a noose being tightened. Both in this novel and in Michalski's previous novel, The Tide King, she creates unique, flawed, compelling, and tender characters.
August 21, 2016
Just a masterful book. The characters are exceptionally realized, and the family drama is unique and gripping. Michalski provides a portrait of a person, a family, and a region that will always be relevant. A book that deserves a wide audience, and demands to be re-read.
August 27, 2016
Just finished this excellent book. I "dove" into it, and felt I was in the moment at all times. Nothing distracted me. The characters are well-drawn, the prose is beautiful, and the story is gripping. A great job by a very fine writer!
August 28, 2016
This is beautifully written, risky, uncomfortable, and devastating. Michalski characters feel so real, so flawed, and their situations common.
dnf
December 30, 2016received this from goodreads firstreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review
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Print is too small for my eyes and is giving me a headache so putting it aside for now:(
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Print is too small for my eyes and is giving me a headache so putting it aside for now:(
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews