Immersions

by Kyle McCarthy

Taut and spellbinding, Immersions follows the aftermath of a celebrated dancer’s abrupt decision to quit her company and join an enclosed convent in France, and her younger sister’s obsessive conviction that her sister’s ex-husband is responsible.

Frances’s older sister Charley was a star of the modern dance world. But just as she was ascending, she fell in love with Johnny, an enigmatic trust fund artist, and married him. A few years into their turbulent marriage, Charley mysteriously leaves her dance company and joins an enclosed convent in Provence. Much to the shock of her family, she changes her name to Sister Anne and cuts off contact with the outside world.

Frances, a dancer herself, grew up in the shadow of her brilliant sister and is suddenly unmoored without her. From their first uneasy meeting, Frances has distrusted Johnny. Now, she is certain he had something to do with her sister’s abrupt abandonment of her art and family. When Frances discovers that Johnny has returned to New York, she reaches out to him, looking for answers and seeking confrontation. The two plunge into an ambiguous intimacy—diving ever deeper, as each tries to unlock the other's secrets. A slender and twisted tale of sexual coming-of-age and of the deep bonds of lust and loyalty, Immersions asks how we are made—and unmade—by desire.

Genres: Contemporary

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 / 5 Stars
The prose in this book was spectacular but I just felt uncomfortable reading parts of this book. I think that was, in fact, the point but I have to be in a particular mood to be open to feeling uncomfortable while reading and I guess I just wasn’t in that mood. In “Immersion,” Frances’ older sister, Charley, was a big star in modern dance until an injury sidelined her. After some time away from dance, she, seemingly out of nowhere, decides to join a nunnery and cuts off contact with everyone. Frances is determined to figure out what led to Charley’s sudden life change, which means getting in contact with Charley’s ex-husband, Johnny. As the two of them reconnect, they form a tenuous relationship, tiptoeing around the subject of Charley and connecting in more ways than they anticipated.

You will probably like this book if you like:
🖤 Beautiful prose
🖤 A messy main character figuring herself out
🖤 Dance as a metaphor for life
🖤 Complicated family and sister relationships
🖤 Exploration of predatory male behavior

I truly cannot underscore enough how exceptional the actual writing was. It was written in one of my favorite styles where Frances addressed the reader as if they were Charley (we are the “you” she was talking to). I loved how much intimacy that created. I was a little sad that we lost this style when we got to “Part 2” and the perspective shifted to third person. I also loved that none of the dialogue was written in a formal way – no quotation marks in sight – because it felt novel and fun. The word choices were exacting and precise. Frances had moments that were casually cruel and moments that were tender, all of which were portrayed so well through the writing.

I just did not love reading about an icky, predatory man no matter what lessons Frances learned through him. Originally, Frances and Johnny had a complicated connection – they felt almost competitive with each other about who knew Charley better but needed each other as a way to hold onto Charley. But then things shifted and I just felt uncomfortable (even though, again, that was probably the point). I wish there had been another twist to Charley’s story or something else behind Johnny’s actions but maybe this is a commentary on how things are as shitty as they seem sometimes? I think this book could also potentially benefit from a content warning (which I think can be done without spoiling anything).

Thank you Zando | Tin House and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: May 5, 2026
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Pre-Read Thoughts: I need a romance book break and this sounds so intriguing. It is giving that show "Sirens" on Netflix and I am ready for whatever "ambiguous intimacy" means.

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

thanks to edelweiss for the arc! 3.5 rounded up, compulsively readable and the main character felt very real and complex but the last third of this book simply did not hold up. the bones are there, the first two thirds are great, and this is absolutely an author to keep your eye on, but the story becomes too on-the-nose for my taste and i think cooking in the editing trenches for longer really would have served this book well. alas

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up solely by the cover, I find the cover to be stunning. When I sat down to read it, it hooked me from the first page and I found myself not able to put it down. Seeing the relationship between Charlie & Frances, two sisters that both love ballet and one another, fall apart due to secrets, omissions & lies was a delicious appetizer to the main course....the relationship between Frances & Johnny. Damn, that relationship was a wild one....full of lies, secrets and them using one another to make justifications about their behavior and their shared love of Charlie. Only complaint I have is I wish I had more from Charlie, but after reading the last page of this book, I know that I wasn't supposed to know more about Charlie, and that added to the gorgeous story in this novel.
I didn't know your game Kyle McCarthy and know I will be looking for more work from you.
Thanks to PRH for the ARC!

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a complex plot that is so well developed that it’s easy to follow and absolutely addicting to read. There is so much mystery behind some of the characters at first but then we get to learn more about them and become hooked on them. Frances was a relatable and fascinating character and I very much enjoyed being in her mind as I read and better understood her motives and could understand how it brings her closer to her sister in a way. I was so consumed by this book and the people in it that I find it hard to move on after I finished. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Book Goblin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a deeply insightful and thoughtful read with sentences crafted together like a dance and plot dramatic but beautifully believable. This is a snippet into the life of a younger sibling uncovering the mystery’s hidden behind a satin cloth.

[Maddie Marriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

every once in a while you need to read a book about a spiraling woman so you can scream NOOOOOO!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!! at the pages

this is one of the best of that genre

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeously intense and taut novel about a woman desperate to figure out why her sister, a star in the dance field, became a nun. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Remi · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m still not entirely sure how i feel about this book, and i think that ambiguity is partly the point.

the writing is undeniably beautiful. the prose is lyrical, fluid, and quietly seductive, pulling me into the story almost without effort. it’s the kind of novel that spirals inward: restrained on the surface, emotionally charged underneath, and very easy to devour despite its discomfort.

Frances’s choices felt morally derailed in a way that made me repeatedly pause and think, like why would someone deliberately entangle themself with their sister’s ex-husband? her behaviour is unsettling, sometimes frustrating, and often difficult to justify. yet, paradoxically, it’s also what keeps the narrative moving. the tension between desire, loyalty, jealousy, and self-erasure is messy, and McCarthy doesn’t smooth it out for reader's comfort.

plot-wise, i didn’t find the revelations particularly surprising. the larger truth behind Charley’s disappearance follows a familiar trajectory, and the novel doesn’t hinge on a shocking reveal so much as on psychological unravelling. if you’re reading for twists, this may feel predictable.

but Immersions is more about obsession, projection, and the way romance, art, familiarity can quietly dismantle a person. even as i questioned the characters’ choices and the ethical implications of their actions, i couldn’t put it down.

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to-read:

an enigmatic trust fund artist...

*thank you to Tin House for the ARC*