The Mermaid of Brooklyn

Amy Shearn is the author of How Far Is the Ocean from Here. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota's MFA program. Her work has appeared in The Millions, Poets & Writers, The L Magazine, Opium, Five Chapters, and she writes for Oprah.com and RedbookMag.com. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. Find out more about Amy's books: www.amyshearnwrites.com Facebook.com/amyshearnwrites @amyshearn

'This is an author to read now and to definitely watch in the future' Dallas Morning News 'I absolutely loved this inventive, smartly written tale of a struggling single mother who finds herself seeing her life through new eyes - those of a lusty, fearless and frequently wise mermaid eager to take on all the world has to offer. Insightful and engaging' Jill Smolinski, author of OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION and THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST 'An absorbing, energetically offbeat novel that merits attention' Kansas City Star 'The author possesses a gift for infusing a mundane situation (an abandoned housewife) with the implausible (a mermaid) and building a story that many readers will find intuitive, clever and, on many levels, perfectly believable' Kirkus Reviews 'Amy Shearn has written a fierce and vivacious book about motherhood, astounding in its honesty, fearless in its humor and exploding with love. THE MERMAID OF BROOKLYN is a joyful and exhilarating read' Maria Semple, author of the New York Times bestselling WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? 'As this whimsical modern-day fable from Shearn (How Far is the Ocean From Here) begins, Jenny Lipkin is living in a small apartment in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., and juggling two children and a husband, Harry, addicted to gambling ... There's no doubt that Shearn is gifted, crafting quirky and charming prose, as well as a protagonist who's articulately and believably ambivalent about motherhood ... Shearn deftly paints her novel's familiar (at least to New Yorkers) setting' Publishers Weekly 'Wry, witty and slightly nutty novels about mums on the edge are all over fiction at the moment (Where'd You Go Bernadette being another). I enjoyed this funny, clever, much-praised account of life as a stressed-out Brooklyn mother of toddlers and the unexpectedly surreal resolution of her problems. It's really superbly written; there's no disputing Shearn's talent' Daily Mail