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: Fiction, Contemporary

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 5, 2026

About the author

Kyle McCarthy is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, American Short Fiction, and the Harvard Review, and she has received support and grants from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, the Lighthouse Works, and the Elizabeth George Foundation. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely incandescent.

[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

[Tory Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a compulsive read for me! I truly couldn’t put it down. It offers interesting and thought-provoking commentary on obsession, its motivation and its cost. Smart writing, clever character development, and a well-paced plot made this a solid 4-star read for me!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[charlotterider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Zando | Tin House | NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow… this left me spinning. Read the bulk of it in one day. Stunning prose, an alluring plot, and utterly addictive in the kind of way that made my stomach hurt. There’s so much ache in these pages. Part of me wishes that incredible build-up had led to a different—maybe more unhinged—outcome, but I’m also accepting it for what it was: raw, uncomfortable, and beautifully perplexing. Had it caught me in a less wistful mood, it might have angered or put me off more (bc genuinely this girl made some insane decisions lmao), but I couldn’t help but drink it in. And while I’ve read other works with similar undertones, this one felt particularly mystical.

[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

[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.

[Denisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Zando | Tin House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING.

"Immersions" by Kyle McCarthy is a taut, psychologically charged novel that stuck with me long after I finished. I read it in a day because the storyline was so compelling, I had to find out if the protagonist was as messy and selfish as she seemed. Spoiler: she absolutely is, and it's fascinating! The writing is genuinely beautiful, fluid and precise, almost dance-like in its rhythm. I loved the lack of quotation marks, which pulls you directly into the first-person chaos of Frances, our deeply flawed protagonist. It strips away barriers, letting her fragmented thoughts and tangled inner monologue spill out unfiltered as she spirals, trying to figure out why her older sister suddenly retreated to a nunnery. Frances is gloriously messy. At first, you pity her desperation to reconnect with Charley, even through shady means like her queasy, creepy entanglement with Charley's ex-husband, Johnny. That whole dynamic reeks of abuse of power and definitely needs trigger warnings. But as her unaddressed mental fragility spirals, fueled by sibling obsession and massive moral blind spots. You end up resenting her self-destructive choices, even while recognizing how heartbreakingly real they are. The psychological depth and moral ambiguity are what make this book so strong. It explores jealousy, projection, and how we twist ourselves into various shapes to fit ourselves into places that provide lost intimacy. The story doesn't tie up neatly, nor should it, given the wreckage on display, but that lingering unease is exactly what makes it stick. Stunning writing meets queasy, uncomfortable soul. A brilliant, bruising read if you can handle the discomfort.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book telling the story of Frances and her search for answers after her sister, an accomplished ballet-turned-modern dancer, leaves the dance world, her husband, and her family behind to join a convent in France. Her search leads Frances to Charley’s ex-husband Johnny and despite being dazzled at first, Frances quickly learns the truth about him, and begins piecing together the reasons for her sister’s vanishing act from society.

Amongst this, Frances discovers more about herself and what it means to live outside of the shadow of her sister. I loved the writing style of this book, we took the place of Charley (you) throughout the novel, until Part 2 when Charley returns to her family, although only briefly.

I felt like the story was fast paced, brilliantly written and came alive on the page. Frances was a messy main character at parts, although you could feel how easy it was for her to fall under Johnny’s spell, despite her initial indignation towards him. I look forward to reading the next book by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Brittany Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Thanks to NetGalley, Zander, and Tin House for this ARC! **

I have so many mixed feelings about this book but I’ll start with the prose. I’m a sucker for a poetic prose but the more O read Immersions, the more I felt like the prose was waisted or unnecessary in certain scenes or parts of the story.

I felt like a lot happened and also not enough? If that makes sense.

I decided to pick this book up because I thought the synopsis was unique; I would say that was huge factor for me, along with the cover art.

As far as characters, Frances was so insufferable !!!! I will give credit to the McCarthy, if her intention was to make the reader feel uncomfortable** But there were times where I felt like this book was thriller. You have Frances, who is oddly obsessed with her big sister in a way that is terrifying, which we watch unfold in every weird way you could imagine. And maybe that was the point!

I believe I would’ve gone a higher rating if the novel was a hair longer, with more plot development, less over-prose haha.

I’ll end with something I did love and that was the lack of question marks. It made me feel more engulfed and the story, and made narrative fluid!

[Cool · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It was a lot of things- beautifully written, boring, ponderous, frustrating, evocative, meandering...

I selected this ARC because I spent many years of my life as a dancer, and tend to enjoy books about ballet and dancers. But in this book, "ballet" could have been "oil painting" or "playing the violin"- it just didn't matter much to the plot (if there truly WAS a plot, I'm not certain).

As far as I can tell, this was the "plot": A NY woman's once-famous ballet dancer sister flees her life and marriage to a cloistered convent in France. The sister left behind, a dancer herself, begins to assume her missing sister's persona as a way to deal with her grief, including a relationship with her sister's ex-husband. It all sounds very mysterious, but in truth, it's really not.

If you like lyrically written books that are light on plot and heavy on atmosphere, this book is for you.

[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!

[Pascalle Scheltens · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

Although this was very flowy and lyrical is was also not a match for me. The style of writing is interesting though because Frances addresses you as if you were her sister, at least in the first parts.

The relationship between Frances and Johnny is a red flag people can see from miles away.

But the reason my rating isn’t that high is because I missed the feeling of being sucked into the story. I think for me it was too lyrical making it a bit vague and thus making it hard for me to follow along.

[DQ.vball · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I was deeply drawn into this story by the writing, particularly the way it captures Frances’s raw confusion and her desperate need for answers. As she struggles to understand why her sister abandoned dance for a secluded religious life, I felt truly compelled by her search for closure. Her journey leads her to her sister’s charismatic ex-husband, a man who is both nurturing and brutally honest, forcing Frances to confront a difficult reality: we can never fully know the hidden depths of the people we love.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the arc of this novel. All opinions are my own.

3.25 stars.
Frances’ sister Charley has joined a convent after leaving ballet and divorcing her husband. Frances begins a relationship with Charley’s ex as she searches for answers about her sister’s choices.

In my opinion, the story fell a bit flat. It was a very slow build, which isn’t always a bad thing. However, I never felt connected to any of the characters. Also, I wanted more from the ending.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m not sure what my hopes/expectations were, but I’m afraid they just weren’t met. The writing was solid: at times insightful and at times beautiful. For some reason, I simply couldn’t connect with the characters. Some seemed flat, some like caricatures. I get why some readers were enthralled…it just didn’t work for me.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Honestly, this was different than I expected. I love a book revolving around ballet and i did like how this book was written from Frances writing to her older sister, Charley, who is now a nun. Frances wants to feel that closeness to her sister which is what leads her to Johnny. The book is a bit twisted, but overall, i thought this was solid.

[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.

[JXR · 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*