Under Water

A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK A VOGUE BEST DEBUT 2026 A stunning and deeply moving novel of grief, loss and female friendship, set against the backdrop of two cataclysmic natural events When six-year-old Marissa loses her mother, she is taken by her father to live on a small Thai island in the Andaman Sea. There, she forms a deep friendship with Arielle and together they explore the fragile wonders of its forests, reefs, and beaches. Holding their breath for minutes at a time, they learn to dive into the deep, as effortlessly synchronized as the manta rays they come to know by name. Then, on Boxing Day 2004, when the Indian Ocean tsunami makes landfall, they are swept up by the first wave and separated. Eight years later, Marissa is living in New York. She spends her days wandering through the city and her nights seeking solace in the beds of strangers. As the city prepares for a devastating storm, Marissa reflects on her past and learns how to sustain herself in a precarious world. Under Water is a story about friendship and grief, but also ecological change and natural disasters. It is a meditation on loss, a tribute to our dying oceans and forests, and a love letter to the disappearing coral reefs. 'The horrors of 2004 are told with verve in this debut about a woman haunted by survivor guilt . . . there are stunning descriptions of island wildlife . . . Tara Menon tells the story with confidence and style' Sunday Times 'The underlying themes of this debut novel could hardly be more relevant' Guardian 'Meditative' Daily Mail 'Menon's dynamic debut...is sure to pull at the reader's heartstrings.' Publishers Weekly 'A remarkable study of grief, set against the backdrop of ecological disaster.' The New World 'Books to Look Out for in 2026' 'A beautifully written novel of grief, friendship and the natural world' Mail on Sunday 'Books to Look Out for in 2026' Author Biography: Tara Menon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Nation, Paris Review and Public Books, where she co-edits the Literary Fiction section. Tara was born in India, grew up in Singapore, spent a decade in New York, and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.