Off the Yoga Mat

by Cheryl J. Fish

With age 40 looming, Nate, Nora, and Lulu find their lives unraveling, their aspirations dashed. Nate, dead broke, in his eighth year of graduate delves hopelessly into yoga. Nate's ex-girlfriend Nora finagles a position in Finland where she tries on men like miniskirts and embraces sisu, the Finnish concept of perseverance, in pursuit of motherhood. And yogi Lulu, Nate’s talented teacher, yearns to get to the bottom of her nightmares of childhood abuse as she travels to her hometown, New Orleans, to care for her ailing mother.
OFF THE YOGA MAT explores jealousy, bends of the body, and the courage to confront traumatic memory. Told in alternating chapters by Nate, Lulu, and Nora, the novel takes the reader on three risky coming-of-middle age journeys through sensuality, emotional evolution, and breathing deep.

282 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2022

About the author

Cheryl J. Fish's debut novel OFF THE YOGA MAT, the story of three characters coming of middle age, was published by Livingston Press/UWA in Oct. 2022. Her short fiction has appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, Cheap Pop, Spank the Carp, Liars League, Boog City and KGB Bar Lit. Her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including Hanging Loose, Maintenant, Terrain, Mom Egg Review, New American Writing, About Place Journal, Reed, Postcard poems, Santa Monica Review, ISLE and Poetics for the More-than-Human-World. Recent books of poetry are CRATER & TOWER, reflecting on trauma and ecology after the Mount St. Helens Volcanic eruption and the terrorist attack of 9/11/01, and THE SAUNA IS FULL OF MAIDS, poems and photographs celebrating Finnish sauna culture, travel, and friendships. Fish has been a Fulbright professor in Finland, visiting professor at Mount Holyoke College, and has spent time in residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts, Ragdale, and Gullkistan. She is professor of English at BMCC/City University of New York and docent lecturer at University of Helsinki. Her website is cheryljfish.com

Reviews

[Amy Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read an advance copy of this first novel by Cheryl J. Fish and found the characters and storyline very compelling! Three lives intersect in 1999, and while the fears of the Y2K crash loom in the background, each character faces a turning point in their own life. Definitely captured the vibe of downtown NYC in the ‘90s, and though I’ve never been to Finland, it was fun to read about one character’s journey there.

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you , @katerockbooktours, @CherylJoyFish, and @livingstonPress for my #gifted copy! I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

I loved this book. It's fun and lighthearted. The characters are well developed and play nicely off one another. The writer did an excellent job of bringing them to life and I found myself immediately engrossed in their stories. In many ways, I felt like the older sister and wanted to give them advice as I identify with hitting 40 only to wonder if I'd ever get past my own childhood traumas. I enjoyed watching how each character grew as the story progressed.

Yoga is one of my favorite ways to calm myself when my stress level is up. This is also what drew me to this book and it did not disappoint. The subplot of emotional healing is powerful and shows that breathing through the stress often brings the clarity we're all searching for. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author!

[Jean Ende · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Off The Yoga Mat by Cheryl J Fish

In her intriguing new novel, “Off The Yoga Mat,” author Cheryl J. Fish redefines identity crises. Her three narrators are each about to become 40, apparently now the age to finally grow up. They each face this coming of age in disparate worlds, corporate, academic and entrepreneurial and in widespread locales, from New Orleans to New York to Finland. But the emotional turmoil is similar and vividly presented.
Whether they’re facing a diabolical tenure committee, trying to uncover childhood trauma or debating the issue of single motherhood, the central characters hold your interest and keep you avidly following their journeys.
In addition to being a good read, this book will teach you the fine points of Finnish sauna culture (it’s not just a steam bath and a cold shower) and the benefits of different types of yoga (you don’t actually have to tie yourself up like a pretzel)
Don’t miss it.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is so wonderful about Cheryl Fish's debut novel is, for me, returning to those years I lived in Brooklyn while going to graduate school. Nate's struggles with his dissertation committee, Nora's desire for a baby before her eggs expired, and Lulu's success as a yoga teacher, despite her traumatic childhood: all three characters will alternatively piss you off, and remind you of who you were or are. Ultimately, they cease struggling against middle age, and successfully continue on to the next stage of their lives, while the reader sighs in relief. This is a well written novel, taking place not just in Brooklyn, but in New Orleans and Finland, too (I loved being there with Nora). Highly recommend.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheryl was kind enough to send me an advance copy of her book. She captured the way it feels to have yoga become a central part of your life and identity. I think yoga devotees will enjoy this novel.

[Georgiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off the Yoga Mat by Cheryl J. Fish.

Nora, Nate, and Lulu are at the magical age of forty, and suddenly questioning their life choices. Nora and Nate have been living together, but Nora wants to take the next step and start a family. Nate can think of nothing but his ABD (all but dissertation) status, and Lulu, a successful yoga studio operator, is haunted by characters from her childhood. All three have trouble connecting with others in ways that are meaningful. Off the Yoga Mat follows these three as they try on lives and decide what really matters to each of them.

The novel is well written from the point of view of the three main characters and covers vast swaths of both emotional ground and geography, from New Orleans to Helsinki, with stops in New York City. The characters are fresh, and–mostly--likeable, but not perfect. You will find yourself screaming at them sometimes, but you will always care. Since each of the narratives are wholly drawn, braided together along the way, there are complete casts of characters for each narrative and the number of characters gets cumbersome in the first half of the book. By the last half, the reader will have straightened it out, and will enjoy the ride toward the conclusion. Ms. Fish has written a coming-of-age novel for the forty-year-olds, which will seem ambitious to those younger, and all too familiar to older readers.This is a debut novel, and I look forward to reading more.

Thanks to Livingston Press and NetGalley for this review copy. The Novel will be released on October 10, 2022.

[Stephanie Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is both a brisk, funny read and a deep dive into three characters facing mid-life transitions as Y2K closes in. Together with Nate, Laura, and Lulu, the reader gets to explore New Orleans, New York, and Finland, and face the specific challenges and triumphs of finding yourself all over again at 40.

[Karen Heuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been thinking about moving to Finland because of this book. Calm, beautiful, straightforward--what a change from America. Finland will make you love this book, as will the characters (my favorite was Lulu), who are looking to find something better, in different way, than where their choices had brought them.

[Nebulous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off the Yoga Mat is an intelligent, refreshing and soulful read. Cheryl J Fish has created three unique and distinct characters whose paths inadvertently cross. Nate, Lulu and Nora are at crossroads in their lives, striving for a breakthrough, wanting and yearning for more. But their pasts haunt them (family and relationship dynamics), and the push and pull between shedding their habits and embracing who they wish to be is realistic and relatable. At times the narrative could get a bit overwhelming as each character had a focus; however, it was highly informative. I was immersed from page one learning about academia, yoga, Finnish culture and the business world. The ending was apt and full of hope and empowerment. Though we time travel back to 1999, there are so many messages that transcend time. This book has left its mark on my head. A 4-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the relatable characters and the sometimes-tangle of their relationships. A pleasurable read.

[Linds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an intriguing and different read. It showed three different characters turning 40 and all that entails in their lives . It was so real and such a engaging read. I definitely recommend reading this book.

[Patti White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut novel is light and engaging, with a structure that reminds me of spangles of light on deep water — the lives of the three main characters flashing on the surface, with jealousy, trauma, and philosophy running just underneath. It is wonderfully evocative of the Y2K era, and I found that both nostalgic and poignant, reading these lives knowing of all that comes next: the horror of 9/11, the surge of information technologies, the hardship of Katrina. I was particularly taken by the sections set in Finland and New Orleans, and would be happy to read more about this author’s sense of those places. I would especially recommend this book for those interested in how we find ourselves in and out of love, as well as those who want to think more about how personal (and historical) trauma works its way through our bodies and our stories.

[Allie Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a DNF. from the start, I didnt like the book. There was info dumping on the first page, and it was so hard to get myself excited to read the next chapter. I had to force myself to keep reading, and I just had to stop.

[WeLoveBigBooksAndWeCannotLie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like yoga?🧘🏻‍♀️
Alyssa and I both like yoga, but we don’t do it very often.
After reading Off the Yoga Mat by Cheryl J. Fish, I feel inspired to get back into it!
Set in 1999 everyone wondered what would happen during Y2K and three New Yorkers are trying to figure out where they want to be in life now that they’re almost 40.
I wasn’t living in the US when Y2K happened, and I remember the genuine fear everyone around the world had about this ominous date.
I love that Nate, Nora and Lulu all had their own stories they were working though, but all connected to each other. I enjoyed reading about their different characters, there was more depth than I originally expected with this cute cover.
Thank you @katerockbooktours for this gifted copy!
Off the Yoga Mat published last month and is available to purchase on our Amazon storefront!🧜🏼‍♀️

[Dorothy Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Fish's debut novel is a fast, fun, at times suspenseful, at other times sexy, read. Its three narrators—Nate, Nora and Lulu—are all at a crossroads in their lives, though they face very different challenges. I didn't expect to find OFF THE YOGA MAT as enjoyable as I did because I'm not super knowledgeable about yoga and these characters aren't, for the most part, ones that I would ordinarily relate to, yet Ms. Fish brings them and their situations to life and I found myself rooting for each one them to find what they hope for. She brings the stories together at the end in a satisfying, non-cliche way, with enough twists and surprises that I stayed engaged until the end. Lots of fun New York City, New Orleans and music references too.

[Gemma Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, this book was really interesting. It delved into the lives of Nora, Nate, and Lulu as they scale through their late 30s at the end of the millennium.

This book deals with many themes such as, breakups, thoughts on child bearing, moving, trauma, and academics.

The reason that I think I did not particularly enjoy this book a lot, although it was an amazing read, was because I didn’t connect with the characters. I have not experienced what they have experienced, and I’m not at that point in my life where I will be experiencing it. These characters did not speak out to me because their experiences were not relevant to my own.

If you are into slow paced romance with characters that are middle aged, this one is for you! Cheryl’s writing is a work of art!

[Karen Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember 1999? Remember how everyone was afraid that the Y2K bug would crash computer systems? In Cheryl J. Fish's "Off the Yoga Mat," you relive that not-so-distant year from the alternating perspectives of three people turning 40 as the millennium approaches: Lulu, a yoga teacher seeking the source of her buried trauma, Nora, who travels from New York to Finland hoping for connection and a chance at motherhood, and Nate, an unemployed academic struggling to finish his dissertation on jealousy while also struggling with jealousy. The novel is fast-paced, witty and generous to all of its characters, who include dumpster-diving freegans in the East Village and employees of the Finnish tech firm Nokia. Give it a read.

[Bethany Mock (bethanyburiedinbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK TOUR

🧘🏼‍♀️Off the Yoga Mat by Cheryl Fish 🧘‍♂️

Pub Date: October 20, 2022

Thank you to @katerockbooktours for my #gifted copy and including me on this tour.

OFF THE YOGA MAT explores jealousy, bends of the body, and traumatic memory. Set in New York City, Finland, and New Orleans, the novel takes readers on a rollicking journey towards love and grace.

OFF THE YOGA MAT follows three characters approaching 40 on a rollicking journey of love, transformation, and jealousy as Y2K approaches. Nate, a graduate student researching jealousy in Darwin and Shakespeare, denies he ever experienced that emotion. In shielding himself from disappointment, he almost misses out on a scintillating romance. After she breaks up with Nate, Nora, fueled by the desire to have a baby, takes a temporary job at Nokia in Finland. She sweats in the sauna, tries on men like miniskirts, and embraces the Finnish concept of sisu: perseverance despite setbacks. Nate's yoga teacher, Lulu, yearns to get to the bottom of her nightmares of childhood abuse. An experiment concocted by Nate's friends to test his ability to withstand jealousy pushes him into a steamy tryst with Lulu. While she aids her ailing mother in New Orleans, Lulu meets a woman who helps her confront her violent past. After they become lovers, Nate (jealous this time) reconnects with Nora at a wedding. Their boozy nostalgic reunion complicates everything.

Thoughts: This was such a fun and relatable book! The cast of characters were so full of personality, color and I quickly became invested in each emotionally. I am right in the same age group, eh hm, and always love to read about others in the same boat.

The yoga is in the title is what initially sucked me in. I find that yoga in my own life is therapeutic and has been transformational in my own mindset therefore it was fun to read about how it helped heal, grow and change the people in this story. This was such a refreshing book! Thank you Cheryl for sharing this story!

[Lisa Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the benefits of practicing yoga and I really want to try a Finnish sauna and experience their lifestyle as it sounds so progressive and relaxed at the same time. The story follows the main characters as they approach turning forty and while I've been there I found it difficult to connect with any of them. They seemed a bit shallow to me and while I wasn't necessarily entertained or drawn into the story it did inspire me to look into trying the hot yoga class at my local health club. I'm looking forward to developing my own daily practice.

Thank you Kate Rock Book Tours for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Wendy Wasdahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Off The Yoga Mat. Though considerably past 40, I found that a revisit to that age and timeframe, Y2K, was a fun dip into the past while now in the surround of a very different and even scarier time. So impressed by the author's ability to create fully realized and distinct characters and make each of their varied worlds and circumstances very rich and particular. Depictions of Yoga studio practice, academia and corporate culture were each specific, believable and fascinating, as were the personal struggles of each character. Not to mention, taking the reader on wonderful explorations of Finland, New Orleans and New York!

[Margarette Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to read a pre-publication copy. No spoilers. I absolutely love this book. Read it in two sittings. The characters felt real to me. Nate especially had resonance for me as we both struggled with academia! The novel is incredibly heartfelt. At turns funny, serious, sexy, set in a certain time yet timeless. Plot has unexpected twists and turns but at its heart it's the story of people wanting to connect with others and their communities. At the end I had that warm feeling really satisfying books give us.

[Jendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three New York intellectuals on the cusp of their 40th birthdays fumble toward maturity as Y2K looms. Every environment in this gentle yet deep novel is fully realized -- from the anarchy of the "freegans" in Tompkins Square Park, to the domestic rituals of Finnish sauna culture, and the Black community of pre-Katrina New Orleans. The protagonists' lives and loves intersect repeatedly, like complex and shifting yoga poses, hopefully leading to a bit more enlightenment by the time we reluctantly bid them goodbye.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and I was invested in the character's and what happened to them. It made me want to continue to read. Themes of becoming a mother in mid-life, pursuing one's career in the academic arena, dealing with childhood trauma to name a few. The chapters in Finland were my favorite. I got a sense of the place, food and way of life there. There was some moments in the end of the book that really took me by surprise. To me the title of Off the Yoga Mat means living a life of mindfulness, purpose and following one's heart.

[Laura’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What should I do? I can't start over."
"Yes, you can. Visualize the sun as you salute it, streaking across the window. It finds you. Again."


"A body could be pliable if trained- taught lovingly how to bend without breaking."

I loved the characters of Nora, Nate and Lulu and their growth throughout the novel. Makes me think so much about the concept of sonder. Really beautiful story about self-discovery, facing fears, and being flexible to the throes of life both on and off the yoga mat.

[Alle Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Off the "Yoga Mat" has a breezy style without loosing its literary quality or language. I particularly enjoy how Fish shows how yoga yoga can assist as well as beacon to define ones life, since I practice tai ch i and feel the same way. Fish make her characters, love, learn, flounder, and try again - in other words, she makes them human. Great ending, too. Exactly what I wanted without being what I expected.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three characters on the cusp of middle age search for emotional connection and meaningful work in this romp through dumpster-diving, Finnish saunas, yoga, toxic graduate school, erotic attraction, and the pursuit of healthy relationships after coming to grips with the past . Fish offers both a light touch and biting observations of self-reinvention, compromise, and creativity as Lulu, Nora, and Nate try to figure out how to adult. A smart and funny read.

[Bonnie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Fish, a poet, did a great job in this novel, threading multiple lives together, showing how people follow their desires and seek to make their lives more meaningful. This is what I wrote about the book, for the back cover: " Cheryl J. Fish's debut novel OFF THE YOGA MAT is smart, soulful, and surprising. I found myself deeply touched by the struggles of her flawed characters as they negotiate work, love, and dumpster diving."

[David Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off The Yoga Mat was such a pleasure to read. The three main characters’ stories intermingle in fascinating ways as Nate, writing a dissertation regarding aspects of jealousy, must confront the real and imagined aspects of his topic in relationships with Nora and Lulu. Similarly, we experience these thoughts and reflections from the two women’s perspectives also which provides for a strong narrative dynamic and a gripping interwoven culmination to their collective journeys.

[Staci Greason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming of Age in Middle Age...

Off the Yoga Mat is an energizing read that explores the complex dynamics of human relationships as we age and the fact that the terrain is constantly shifting. Every age is a coming of age.

Reflective, wry, and heartfelt, the tone and subject matter are reminiscent of the fantastic novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book-but it was so predictable and flat that I had to struggle to finish it. Probably best to borrow rather than buy it.