Let Me Be Like Water

June 1, 2018
A young woman moves to the Brighton seaside to cope with her boyfriend's death in Perry's debut novel.Holly is a 20-something musician reeling from the sudden death of her longtime boyfriend, Sam. Unable to stay in London, surrounded by the remnants of happy memories, she abruptly packs up and moves to Brighton, where she proceeds to spend a lot of time staring at the sea. While doing so she meets Frank, a retired magician with a habit of collecting broken people and who has dealt with a loss himself. Joining Frank at his next book club meeting, Holly is introduced to a new social circle filled with people who either understand her pain or empathize with it as they deal with their own issues, from loss of a child to eating disorders. As she grows closer to her new group of friends, she finds the space to begin to deal with her feelings about losing Sam and explore the possibilities of her new life in Brighton. Perry's last book was a poetry collection (Curious Hands: 24 Hours in Soho, 2015), which comes as no surprise, as the novel is told in a lyrical first-person that wrenches deep within Holly to connect with the reader. Short vignettes jump around from the present to memories of times past as Holly gets herself through, one day at a time. Though there is some discussion of the other characters' difficulties (racism, body image issues, homophobia), ultimately this is Holly's story, told from Holly's point of view, so they are only briefly touched upon. At only a little more than 200 pages, this is a quick read but by no means a light one, each sentence carefully crafted and full of emotion.A beautiful and gut-wrenching exploration of a woman defining herself after a monumental loss.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 4, 2018
Perry’s moving debut follows a woman moving on after a loss by concentrating on the small but important aspects of daily life. Holly has moved to Brighton from London after the death of her boyfriend, Sam. At the beach, Holly randomly meets retired magician Frank and, although he is much older, they form a fast friendship. Holly is flooded by memories of Sam, and Frank provides Holly with a shoulder to cry on, as he can relate to her in a way that many others don’t as he has also experienced the loss of a former lover. When Frank has a stroke, Holly faces a crossroads: will she refuse to get over Sam’s death, or will she find a way to move on? The story unfolds over the course of a year, slowly revealing the details of Holly and Sam’s relationship as she processes her loss. While sections jumping between Holly’s present with Frank and past memories of Sam can be disjointing at first, by the book’s satisfying conclusion, readers will feel they have grown alongside loving and resilient Holly.