Under Water

by Tara Menon

An intense, atmospheric novel about the devastating power of friendship, set against the backdrop of two cataclysmic events.

After Marissa loses her mother at five, the most intimate relationship of her life begins. Her marine biologist father, determined to channel his grief into completing his wife’s research, whisks her across the globe to Thailand. There she meets Arielle, and a fairytale friendship takes hold. During the week, the girls live at the resort owned by Arielle’s parents; on the weekends they join the tight-knit community of researchers on a nearby island. Together the girls discover the fragile wonders of its reefs, forests, and beaches. Together they learn to dive into the deep, holding their breath for minutes at a time, as effortlessly synchronized as the manta rays they come to know by name. Together they learn to swim their way out of danger. But then comes a wave Arielle can’t outpace, leaving Marissa gutted with loss.

Years later, Marissa is back in New York, adrift and haunted by the memory of her friend. Over the course of two fateful days, as another cataclysm approaches the city and the past comes flooding back, she discovers how to sustain herself in a precarious world.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Friendship, Novels

224 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 17, 2026

Reviews

[Tala🦈 (mrs.skywalker.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

bardzo cicha, ale baaardzo mocna lektura

Menon pisze o stracie tak, jak się o niej myśli – powracająco, nielinearnie, z każdej strony naraz. ale to nie tylko historia straty

to też o tym, jak żyje się dalej, kiedy nic już nie jest takie samo. o żałobie, która nie mija, i o przyjaźni, której nikt nie nauczył nas opłakiwać („wciąż ci źle? To była TYLKO jakaś koleżanka, nie wypada jej opłakiwać tyle czasu”), o tym, że przyjaźń może być TĄ relacją w życiu

o naturze, wobec której autorka ma ogromny respekt – cudownie opisuje jej piękno, ale też nie romantyzuje jej, nie robi z niej metafory — to siła, która rządzi światem i nami, daje życie, ale i odbiera

o tsunami, huraganie, żywiole, martwych, pięknych, złożonych mantach, śmieciach na plaży i Nowym Jorku, który w końcu też tonie, ale też o wdzięczności i ciągłej miłości do tego, co wokół nas, nawet po katastrofie

o tym, jak piękno i przemoc mogą istnieć obok siebie

[Julia - my.endless.library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book grabbed my attention from the very first page! The prologue is absolutely crazy but amazing at the same time. The story that follows is beautiful and definitely worth the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

[lys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never once read a novel twice before it’s even published, but I love this book so much that I cannot even put it into words. Took my breath away on the first read, and somehow did even more so on the second. Spectacular, wonderful, genius, etc. etc.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story told in two different times lines about Marissa who is living with the devastating loss of her best friend Arielle.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Andreia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I nicked a proof of this book out of a friend's hand at a Five Guys in Germany. I read the first paragraph and I knew. Serendipity. There were so many little things about this book that tied in with my life (past and present). I even remember listening to a song while reading it and one of the lyrics singing in parallel to the words on the page. "When I close my eyes". There is something so special about this novel. It's not just the writing, the kind of writing that makes you taste and feel and hear and see. It's not just the way it feels like you're reaching into someone's most precious and darkest memories. It's the way it sucks you in like riptide. It forces you to hold your breath as if you're under water. Your eyes sting, you can taste the salt on your tongue. It is both a wonder and petrifying. I loved every sentence, every word and only wish there were more of them.

[miller]

ich hab das gefühl die englische originalfassung hätte mir sprachlich besser gefallen, war manchmal etwas holprig und irgendwie zu gestochen, aber die geschichte hat mich sehr berührt und ich bin großer fan davon trauer verlust etc in freundschaftsdynamiken zu erörtern

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and haunting little book


⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I would recommend this book to just about anyone. This book offers some combination of enthralling plot, good writing, and lasting imagery, emotional impact and/or educational value.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to anyone with interest in the topic matter or genre.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I recognized something of value in this book, and would maybe recommend it to select people, but ultimately it missed the mark for me.

⭐️ ⭐️ I finished this, but would not recommend it.

⭐️ DNF

[Julia Fiedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating, beautiful depiction of the kind of grief that follows you forever. The kind that no one will ever understand unless they experienced it right next to you. Totally couldn’t put it down.

[abi slade · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

pros ✅
- reminiscent of ‘vicky angel’ (but for adults)
- a brilliant example of a book where in the present, not a lot is happening, but you’re engulfed in marissa and her senses and memories
- devastation and natural disasters are always looming, but when they finally happen it still feels like a horrifying shock
- some really poetic bits of prose: “She wanted the sun and the sky to express remorse on behalf of the ocean. But the earth, callously indifferent, refused to mourn with us.”
- it’s rare you get a book that focuses on a totally platonic female friendship, and celebrates the intensity and importance of love between friends without it every broaching something romantic
- had high expectations (this was edited by the same person who edited ‘a little life’) and these expectations were definitely met

cons ❌
- i wanted it to be longer: i wanted to see more of arielle and marissa’s friendship, i wanted more of arielle’s relationship with her parents

[Agatha Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up and I could not put this book down until I was finished. As a lover of the ocean and a New Yorker I was devoured by the duality, the timelines, her nightmares and flashbacks.

I was engulfed by the beautiful details of the ocean as much as I was I was taken fully into Marissa’s love and grief. I saw, felt, tasted every detail of her two days.

A lump formed in my throat as it did in hers. A beautiful novel and an early candidate for one of my favorites of 2026.

Thanks to Bel Canto Books with trusting me with this arc from and for the shop.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review.
I never thought I would want to revist this historical event having seared it into my soul many years ago, but I could not put this book down. I felt so connected to the main characters that I was turning page after page.
Its a dual storyline - before and many years later. You already know what happens so you can just relax and let the story wash over you.
Really a gorgeous story - I loved it.
4.5

[Walker Iversen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graceful, sensually rich, emotionally stirring debut.