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Sing, I: A Novel
One woman's path to rediscovering herself through music, romance, and a little vigilantism
Inside Half Moon Bay, a sparkling California coastal town, Ester Prynn is dulled and diminished by struggles with work, money, marriage, her senile father, a troubled teenage son, and old guilt she can’t quiet. When a masked gunman robs the convenience store where Ester works, he upends her fraught life and propels her toward passions buried, like singing; desires discovered, like a same-sex infatuation; and wrongs righted, like bringing the violent assailant to justice. But as the armed robber commits more crimes and continues to evade capture, the trauma from the holdup climbs, threatening Ester’s newfound delights and longings and forcing her to contend with her burning regrets and what-ifs. In the reckoning between Ester and these growing, molten upsets, she’s faced with enormous choices and must determine what and who can bring her to her best life.
Advance praise:
“In this beautiful, searing novel, Ethel Rohan deftly maneuvers the aftermath of violence, of a woman losing and finding herself, of a mother remembering who she is. With the gorgeous prose and heart-wrenching detail Rohan is known for, Sing, I is a battle cry drenched in grace. It, quite simply, sings.” —Lindsay Hunter, author of Hot Springs Drive
“Sing, I grips the reader from its early harrowing pages, when protagonist Ester Prynne faces a life or death situation that brings her life choices into sharp relief. As violence mounts in the background, and Ester paradoxically inches towards her truer self, Rohan examines the cost of living in the shadow of both a uniquely American violence and the age-old constrictions that curtail women’s lives with obligation over authenticity—and, ultimately, grapples with how to break free.” —Gina Frangello, author of Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason
“Ethel Rohan’s Sing, I is a narrative marvel. A terrifying robbery at gunpoint in the convenience store where she works forever changes Ester Prynn, in ways big and small. It’s a captivating experience to be inside Ester’s always-working mind as she figures out who she is and who she wants to be.” —Marcy Dermansky, author of Hurricane Girl
“I was enraptured by Sing, I, the story of the cracking open of one woman’s life and her reexamination of the connections within. Ethel Rohan’s writing is as lyrical as a cantata and as soul-stirring as a gospel choir. Romantic, thrilling, and pitch-perfect — it will have you applauding from the first chapter to the very last line.” —Dominic Lim, author of All the Right Notes
“Ethel Rohan’s irresistible, affirming new novel Sing I deftly balances along the axis of stasis and agency as it wrangles with the question of how to live an honest, fully integrated life in our current moment of chaos and constant overwhelm. We are in rock-solid hands with Rohan, a consummate stylist, storyteller and deep humanitarian, who brings her characters to life through wry humor, a big heart, and an insightful eye. You will root for these characters. This is a gratifying and propulsive read. I ate it up!” — Sara Lippmann, author of Lech
“Ester Prynn is haunted, like her almost-namesake, by shame. She is living the same life so many of us are, going through the paces, in a loveless marriage, parenting a struggling kid. When a gunman holds up the store where she works, she knows she must change her life. With great compassion and an eye for the beautiful moments of regular life, Ethel Rohan tells the story of how shame can reveal to us that we aren't being true to ourselves. Rohan is one of our finest writers and this book, like its title, sings.” —Matthew Salesses, author of The Sense of Wonder
“Sing, I hooked me immediately. There is an intense intimacy to Ethel Rohan’s depictions of the physical—from food to bodies to gunmetal. These pages ring with a visceral bond as they bring us Ester Prynn, a narrator who yanks you right into her world, who’s honest and real and impossible not to love.” —Shanthi Sekaran, author of Lucky Boy and writer for NBC’s New Amsterdam
Inside Half Moon Bay, a sparkling California coastal town, Ester Prynn is dulled and diminished by struggles with work, money, marriage, her senile father, a troubled teenage son, and old guilt she can’t quiet. When a masked gunman robs the convenience store where Ester works, he upends her fraught life and propels her toward passions buried, like singing; desires discovered, like a same-sex infatuation; and wrongs righted, like bringing the violent assailant to justice. But as the armed robber commits more crimes and continues to evade capture, the trauma from the holdup climbs, threatening Ester’s newfound delights and longings and forcing her to contend with her burning regrets and what-ifs. In the reckoning between Ester and these growing, molten upsets, she’s faced with enormous choices and must determine what and who can bring her to her best life.
Advance praise:
“In this beautiful, searing novel, Ethel Rohan deftly maneuvers the aftermath of violence, of a woman losing and finding herself, of a mother remembering who she is. With the gorgeous prose and heart-wrenching detail Rohan is known for, Sing, I is a battle cry drenched in grace. It, quite simply, sings.” —Lindsay Hunter, author of Hot Springs Drive
“Sing, I grips the reader from its early harrowing pages, when protagonist Ester Prynne faces a life or death situation that brings her life choices into sharp relief. As violence mounts in the background, and Ester paradoxically inches towards her truer self, Rohan examines the cost of living in the shadow of both a uniquely American violence and the age-old constrictions that curtail women’s lives with obligation over authenticity—and, ultimately, grapples with how to break free.” —Gina Frangello, author of Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason
“Ethel Rohan’s Sing, I is a narrative marvel. A terrifying robbery at gunpoint in the convenience store where she works forever changes Ester Prynn, in ways big and small. It’s a captivating experience to be inside Ester’s always-working mind as she figures out who she is and who she wants to be.” —Marcy Dermansky, author of Hurricane Girl
“I was enraptured by Sing, I, the story of the cracking open of one woman’s life and her reexamination of the connections within. Ethel Rohan’s writing is as lyrical as a cantata and as soul-stirring as a gospel choir. Romantic, thrilling, and pitch-perfect — it will have you applauding from the first chapter to the very last line.” —Dominic Lim, author of All the Right Notes
“Ethel Rohan’s irresistible, affirming new novel Sing I deftly balances along the axis of stasis and agency as it wrangles with the question of how to live an honest, fully integrated life in our current moment of chaos and constant overwhelm. We are in rock-solid hands with Rohan, a consummate stylist, storyteller and deep humanitarian, who brings her characters to life through wry humor, a big heart, and an insightful eye. You will root for these characters. This is a gratifying and propulsive read. I ate it up!” — Sara Lippmann, author of Lech
“Ester Prynn is haunted, like her almost-namesake, by shame. She is living the same life so many of us are, going through the paces, in a loveless marriage, parenting a struggling kid. When a gunman holds up the store where she works, she knows she must change her life. With great compassion and an eye for the beautiful moments of regular life, Ethel Rohan tells the story of how shame can reveal to us that we aren't being true to ourselves. Rohan is one of our finest writers and this book, like its title, sings.” —Matthew Salesses, author of The Sense of Wonder
“Sing, I hooked me immediately. There is an intense intimacy to Ethel Rohan’s depictions of the physical—from food to bodies to gunmetal. These pages ring with a visceral bond as they bring us Ester Prynn, a narrator who yanks you right into her world, who’s honest and real and impossible not to love.” —Shanthi Sekaran, author of Lucky Boy and writer for NBC’s New Amsterdam
- GenresFiction
1 pages, Audio CD
Published June 10, 2025
2745 people want to read
About the author
Ethel Rohan
23 books264 followersEthel Rohan is an award-winning essayist, novelist, and short story writer. Most recently, In the Event of Contact won the Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize, the Eric Hoffer Short Story Collection Prize, and the Gold Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) for Best European Fiction. She has published widely beyond her books, including work in The New York Times, World Literature Today, The Washington Post, The Irish Times, PEN America, Tin House, and The Stinging Fly. For her recent foray into playwriting, she received a residency at Pavilion Theatre Studio, Dublin (2023). Rohan's second novel, Sing, I, is forthcoming from TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press (April 15, 2024). Raised in Ireland and flavored in San Francisco, she currently lives outside London.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 23, 2024
I rarely give books I read two stars, but I will explain. First, the narrator, Ester Prynn is one dimensional and not realistic. The story felt like reading a soap opera. I was hoping for a modern day Hester Prynne, but alas it was not to be. Ester P. lives an ordinary, middle class life, with her husband, and two teenage sons. She works in a convenience store to make money, yet most of the decisions she makes regarding money, don’t mesh with her needing to work. For example, she dines and drinks out A LOT. Her son, Jason, is addicted to playing video games, yet she’s so busy looking for a job and consoling all her friends, she never spends very much time with him.
Second, her husband, Simon says and does nothing a husband would. He’s always there to offer to get carry out, if she’s tired or doesn’t feel like cooking, he always knows what to do and say, in a way NO man I know ever would. Now, one might say, I’m being overly critical. Well, maybe I am. I’m sorry Ethel. I enjoyed your story collection, In The Event of Contact, so very much. But, Sing I, does not make me, the reader, feel like singing, but rather screaming, and tossing your latest book aside, to read the next one in the cue.
Second, her husband, Simon says and does nothing a husband would. He’s always there to offer to get carry out, if she’s tired or doesn’t feel like cooking, he always knows what to do and say, in a way NO man I know ever would. Now, one might say, I’m being overly critical. Well, maybe I am. I’m sorry Ethel. I enjoyed your story collection, In The Event of Contact, so very much. But, Sing I, does not make me, the reader, feel like singing, but rather screaming, and tossing your latest book aside, to read the next one in the cue.
March 2, 2024
https://www.nobhillgazette.com/arts_a...
In that spirit, Sing, I, the second novel from Ethel Rohan, marks a quantum leap from the Irish landscape that the expatriate (after many years in San Francisco, she is currently living in London) has addressed in the story collection In the Event of Contact and the chapbook Out of Dublin. The new book tells the tale of Ester Prynn (the Scarlet Letter reference is definitely intentional), whose life is turned upside down when, as she grapples with her increasingly troubled marriage, a masked gunman robs the Half Moon Bay convenience store where she has been working. Described as “one woman’s path to rediscovering herself through music, romance — and a little vigilantism,” the book portrays her heroine’s gradual empowerment, reinforced by the women’s choral group she joins and her attempts to come to terms with her attraction to a woman she meets when she starts a new job.
The timely narrative of doom loop criminality and Ester’s surprisingly forceful ploys to unmask the robber will surely strike a chord with local readers, but the unfolding of Ester’s odyssey of awakening is the heart of this tale from a writer who is always alert to the delicate intricacies of emotion. To be released in April as the lead title from TriQuarterly Books, Sing, I has already sparked interest for possible television or film adaptation.
In that spirit, Sing, I, the second novel from Ethel Rohan, marks a quantum leap from the Irish landscape that the expatriate (after many years in San Francisco, she is currently living in London) has addressed in the story collection In the Event of Contact and the chapbook Out of Dublin. The new book tells the tale of Ester Prynn (the Scarlet Letter reference is definitely intentional), whose life is turned upside down when, as she grapples with her increasingly troubled marriage, a masked gunman robs the Half Moon Bay convenience store where she has been working. Described as “one woman’s path to rediscovering herself through music, romance — and a little vigilantism,” the book portrays her heroine’s gradual empowerment, reinforced by the women’s choral group she joins and her attempts to come to terms with her attraction to a woman she meets when she starts a new job.
The timely narrative of doom loop criminality and Ester’s surprisingly forceful ploys to unmask the robber will surely strike a chord with local readers, but the unfolding of Ester’s odyssey of awakening is the heart of this tale from a writer who is always alert to the delicate intricacies of emotion. To be released in April as the lead title from TriQuarterly Books, Sing, I has already sparked interest for possible television or film adaptation.
April 7, 2024
I couldn’t put this book down! Rohan is a master at character development. I happily followed Ester, Lily and Crystal throughout and cringed at all the uncomfortable happenings. We’ve all had our moments of doubt and Rohan captures all the angst and messiness of living as our authentic selves.
May 4, 2024
Ethel Rohan's second novel, "Sing, I," is rich in heart and insight. It tells the story of Ester, a convenience store clerk in Half Moon Bay, California, whose world is turned on its head following a violent robbery. The narrative delves into the impact and subtleties of trauma, as well as the consolation and empowerment that come from strong human connections. Music and nature help, too, as “Sing, I” attests.
Rohan’s narrative explores a parent’s diminishment and mortality, a child’s retreat into sullenness and video games, and gender and sexual fluidity. The author isn’t afraid to delve into dark places, but overall, the tone of her novel is affirming—and quite funny at times.
Rohan’s narrative explores a parent’s diminishment and mortality, a child’s retreat into sullenness and video games, and gender and sexual fluidity. The author isn’t afraid to delve into dark places, but overall, the tone of her novel is affirming—and quite funny at times.
April 15, 2024
Outstanding story of a woman trying to figure out how to make a life of meaning. In Half Moon Bay, California, a richly developed set of characters tries to realign their lives after a series of violent holdups in their community. I was immediately drawn into this world and entranced by the realistic dialogue, vivid setting, and strong pacing. It was easy to imagine this as a limited series on Apple TV, MAX or Netflix! I highly recommend this wonderful novel.
April 23, 2024
When Ester is held at gunpoint during a terrifying robbery at work, her life unravels. She is stuck in a loveless marriage, worried about her sullen teenage son who is addicted to gaming, and floundering in meaningless work. The gunman is still at large and committing further acts of violence. Ethel Rohan's second novel moves at a fast pace, with a diverse cast of characters, including a trans woman and a friend's gender non-conforming child, exploring what it means to live life to the fullest. Set in Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco, the characters and the community come to life with vivid details.
June 2, 2024
If you’re looking for a light read with a tidy happy ending for all, this may not be for you. On the other hand, if you want to feel deeply for the characters, experience their challenges and heartaches, this novel will deliver in spades. The book features short chapters without a single extra word, so well written. Leaves the reader contemplating letting life happen v making things happen.
December 25, 2025
A simple but interesting story about a woman whose store is robbed, and the fallout from having a traumatic experience like that. A nice little slice of life during a little breakdown.
May 8, 2024
Holding a handgun and wearing a giraffe mask, the man entered a convenience store. After terrorizing the two female employees, he left “cracking a jubilant laugh.” While Crystal was whisked away to the hospital, Ester was told by her misogynist boss to “B here to open tomorrow r else…No one walks out on me!” As a second robbery occurred, the robber’s “caustic smell refound her.” Likely the same guy…same MO, a handgun and an animal mask. As the robberies increased and the masked gunman got bolder and more violent, Ester, a vigilante of sorts, was determined to unmask the culprit.
Ester Prynn, traumatized by the masked robber and the attitude of her employer, quit her job at Rich Goods, located in the small coastal town of Half Moon Bay near San Francisco. The robbery drudged up her feelings of shame and if-only scenarios. Little did she know that she would embark upon a journey of self-discovery.
Ester felt diminished. She was in an unfulfilling marriage and was unable to emotionally reach her unsocial, often truant middle school son, an addicted gamer. What was me time? She didn’t have any. Free time was spent visiting her dad at the Alzheimer’s wing of a nursing home. “...she imagined packing up and starting over someplace new, where no one knew her. It would never happen.” Could she initiate change, turn things around? It started with an application for a hostess job at a “dated hotel restaurant.”. Startling, unexpected, wonderful new feelings arose.
An opportunity for female bonding occurred with the formation of a choir-no experience necessary. The choir's mission statement: “A sisterhood celebrating the joy and power of raising our voices together as one.” In Ester’s words, “...too much of my life has been about others-pleasing them, disappointing them, looking after them, recovering from them…Somewhere along the way, I lost my I…[the choir called] Sing, I is a salute, and a commitment to putting ourselves and voices front and center.”
The choir increased Ester’s confidence. Many members shared rocky life journeys as well as exchanged humorous stories. “How does anyone else ever know what we do and don’t suffer in silence?” The choir was diverse and all inclusive. Ester and friends “examine[d] deeply held prejudices and hidden desires.”
“Sing, I” by Ethel Rohan is a read focusing on the idea that if you are given lemons, make lemonade. Yes, Ester did feel empowered through the help and guidance of friends and cohorts, however, her choices left this reader disappointed with Ester’s predictability and lack of closure.
Thank you Northwestern University Press/TriQuarterly and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ester Prynn, traumatized by the masked robber and the attitude of her employer, quit her job at Rich Goods, located in the small coastal town of Half Moon Bay near San Francisco. The robbery drudged up her feelings of shame and if-only scenarios. Little did she know that she would embark upon a journey of self-discovery.
Ester felt diminished. She was in an unfulfilling marriage and was unable to emotionally reach her unsocial, often truant middle school son, an addicted gamer. What was me time? She didn’t have any. Free time was spent visiting her dad at the Alzheimer’s wing of a nursing home. “...she imagined packing up and starting over someplace new, where no one knew her. It would never happen.” Could she initiate change, turn things around? It started with an application for a hostess job at a “dated hotel restaurant.”. Startling, unexpected, wonderful new feelings arose.
An opportunity for female bonding occurred with the formation of a choir-no experience necessary. The choir's mission statement: “A sisterhood celebrating the joy and power of raising our voices together as one.” In Ester’s words, “...too much of my life has been about others-pleasing them, disappointing them, looking after them, recovering from them…Somewhere along the way, I lost my I…[the choir called] Sing, I is a salute, and a commitment to putting ourselves and voices front and center.”
The choir increased Ester’s confidence. Many members shared rocky life journeys as well as exchanged humorous stories. “How does anyone else ever know what we do and don’t suffer in silence?” The choir was diverse and all inclusive. Ester and friends “examine[d] deeply held prejudices and hidden desires.”
“Sing, I” by Ethel Rohan is a read focusing on the idea that if you are given lemons, make lemonade. Yes, Ester did feel empowered through the help and guidance of friends and cohorts, however, her choices left this reader disappointed with Ester’s predictability and lack of closure.
Thank you Northwestern University Press/TriQuarterly and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 1, 2024
Ester Prynn, deliberately named after the heroine of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is held up at gunpoint at the convenience store where she works. This traumatic event becomes the catalyst for reassessing her pretty unsatisfactory life, and re-examining what she truly wants and who she truly is. The connection with the original Hester Prynne will only be obvious to those readers familiar with the earlier story, so this connection felt problematic to me. Although the book is enjoyable up to a point and deals with many of the issues current in our contemporary world, my problem with the book is that the author covers just too many bases, rather like a checklist. So what we have here is an unsatisfied married woman, a frankly horrible and sullen teenage son addicted to gaming, a well-meaning but relatively clueless husband (I actually felt sorry for him, just as I do Mr Karenin and Mr Bovary, those other often maligned husbands who try their best), a bigoted friend, a trans friend, an alcoholic friend, a father in a home with dementia, estranged siblings, and to cap it all, a lesbian boss to whom Ester is attracted. Enough already! And then there’s a women only choir, which, naturally, proves redemptive for everyone. So although perfectly readable, and I certainly wanted to know if it panned out as I expected plus it was relatable up to a point, it all felt predictable and the ending frankly unconvincing.
October 12, 2024
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Sing, I is an often melancholy, well rendered character driven story by Ethel Rohan. Released 15th April 2024 by the Northwestern University Press, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
Readable and engaging, it's too well written to be strictly be classified as Chick-Lit, but it will appeal to readers who enjoy character arcs with female protagonists finding themselves and changing their own lives, as well as the way they interact with the people in their orbit. The prose is very good and the author excels at characterization. There are a fair number of unbelievable situations which pop up throughout the story, and Esther's husband is a saint, but overall it's an interesting story, well told.
Four stars. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or a reading club/buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Sing, I is an often melancholy, well rendered character driven story by Ethel Rohan. Released 15th April 2024 by the Northwestern University Press, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
Readable and engaging, it's too well written to be strictly be classified as Chick-Lit, but it will appeal to readers who enjoy character arcs with female protagonists finding themselves and changing their own lives, as well as the way they interact with the people in their orbit. The prose is very good and the author excels at characterization. There are a fair number of unbelievable situations which pop up throughout the story, and Esther's husband is a saint, but overall it's an interesting story, well told.
Four stars. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, home use, or a reading club/buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
August 14, 2024
First, I absolutely hate the stupid title. The lame attempt to explain and justify it falls flat. The author could have come up with something much more appropriate and meaningful. And the choir was a tiny part of the story anyway.
That said, the story is original enough to keep my interest. The MC was annoying in her self-centeredness, though the circumstances justified some of it. I felt sorry for her husband, who clearly cared more than she ever did. Yes, apparently she was never who she thought sge was. I felt there was more to younger son Jason's gaming obsession than was revealed. Allie's feelings and motivations were never clear. It just seemed there were a lot of characters who were never fully formed. Much more could have been said about the pansexual and transgender characters to make them .ore relatable.
An okay book but not one I'll encourage others to read.
That said, the story is original enough to keep my interest. The MC was annoying in her self-centeredness, though the circumstances justified some of it. I felt sorry for her husband, who clearly cared more than she ever did. Yes, apparently she was never who she thought sge was. I felt there was more to younger son Jason's gaming obsession than was revealed. Allie's feelings and motivations were never clear. It just seemed there were a lot of characters who were never fully formed. Much more could have been said about the pansexual and transgender characters to make them .ore relatable.
An okay book but not one I'll encourage others to read.
March 17, 2024
Sing, I begins with a hold up. The horror and mystery of it and subsequent crimes runs throughout the book; however, at its heart the novel is a story about finding one's self and being true to that person. After years of putting others first--sons, father, husband--and losing track of her own desires, Ester Prynn does just this. Rohan's talent sings in Sing, I-- a touching, generous, and worthwhile read that brings the choices we make for ourselves, and those we love, front and center.
May 17, 2024
Ester is a convenience store clerk whose life is upended during a violent robbery. Her marriage has lost its luster and her relationship with her sons is troubled.
Ester is a flawed woman making mistake after mistake,
But she is also a mother doing the best she can, and a character we can’t help but root for. Ester joins a choir hoping to recover her sense of self and finds community that helps her work through her trauma.
An affirming story about family and the power of friendship.
Ester is a flawed woman making mistake after mistake,
But she is also a mother doing the best she can, and a character we can’t help but root for. Ester joins a choir hoping to recover her sense of self and finds community that helps her work through her trauma.
An affirming story about family and the power of friendship.
May 6, 2024
This artful novel starts with an assault that is then processed through the central character's relationships with friends and family. It's full of heartbreak and joy and the uncertainty that precedes a major life change. The threat of the gunman hangs over the story and keeps it taut and moving just as much as does the question of the suitability of our heroine's marriage.
August 2, 2025
Im3.5 I like that the book was set in and the Bay Area (which is what intrigued me to read it) . I think there were redeeming qualities of the book, but it sort of flat for me in the end. The characters could’ve been multi dimensional. Not sure why it didn’t totally work for me.
June 14, 2024
Totally propulsive read. Won't forget Ester Prynn!
July 26, 2024
What a bizarre book. I just kept reading hoping it would improve but it got more and more strange. The main character is just all over the place.
October 13, 2024
Another brilliant book from Ethel Rohan.
February 21, 2025
Charming and quirky all the way through.
September 2, 2025
This story delves into the struggles of the main character and how she tries to resolve them. The story has a range of diverse characters and vivid descriptions of how the main character and her circle of friends and acquaintances views them and interacts with them. I enjoyed reading the book but spotted one error in the beginning: The main character's husband's position is a technical writer, but the description of his work is programming. Technical writers write instructions on how to use software programmers develop, as well as equipment and other products, but they are not programmers. I know because I am a technical writer and have worked in this niche for more than 30 years.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews