Publisher Description

In this small lakeside town, mothers bake their secrets into moon pies they feed to a silent blue girl. Their daughters have secrets too—that they can't sleep, that they might sleep with a neighbor boy, that they know more than they let on. But when the daughters find the blue girl, everyone's carefully held silences shake loose.Laurie Foos is the author of five previous novels: Before Elvis There Was Nothing, Ex Utero, Portrait of the Walrus by a Young Artist, Twinship, and Bingo Under the Crucifix. She teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Lesley University in Cambridge.

Author Biography

Laurie Foos is the author of five previous novels: Before Elvis There Was Nothing, Ex Utero, Portrait of the Walrus by a Young Artist, Twinship, and Bingo Under the Crucifix. She teaches in the Low-Residency MFA Program at Lesley University in Cambridge and lives just outside of Boston.

Review

"With spare prose and a keen ear for the clipped interactions of people in denial . . . Foos untangles the troublesome knot that binds the families together one kinked strand at a time. Foos effortlessly inserts a humanized sin-eater into the center of a complex, emotionally volatile group of families, creating a work that is haunting and healing in equal measure." —Kirkus Reviews"Foos' prose has an ethereal quality as she describes the person in the woods, and the allure surrounding her always. . . . This novel is not so much a puzzle to be solved as it is an experience to be had. Something to be tasted and consumed, crumbs falling by the wayside along with our useless insecurities." —NPR"Told in alternating points of view, The Blue Girl explores how these relationships both define and confine each of the women. Foos has crafted a surreal story that is suffocating yet utterly compelling." —Shelf Awareness for Readers"Foos has found her way into a different kind of surrealist story, one in which the prose has a rhythmic lilt, one that never rushes, but lingers inside the minds of the characters, uncovers their secrets one by one, and floats on their interweaving narratives." —Newfound Journal"[The Blue Girl] winds beautiful prose with the stark, sorrowful imagery of loss, misunderstanding, and the ever-tightening, close-to-breaking ties of family." —Full Stop"The Blue Girl such an emotionally driven experience is the elegant language and creative use of metaphor. . . . I recommend Laurie Foos' The Blue Girl as a novel that tells a familiar story of grief in a unique way through an incredibly genuine set of female voices."—Blotterature"Laurie Foos is a weird Midas—everything she touches turns strange. . . . Each novel is as hysterical, weird, and heartbreaking as the last." —The Rumpus"Inventively told from six perspectives, Laurie Foos's engaging novel The Blue Girl is a surreal yet very readable account of secrets and despair." —Largehearted Boy"The prose is clean, exacting and approachable, which makes the arrangement of the book—and the swirling vortex of complicated psychologies—even more impressive and heartbreaking." —Star Tribune"Reading Laurie Foos' The Blue Girl is like peering into someone else's dream . . . an entrancing experience." —Nomadic Press"Part fantasy, totally fantastical, this is a book that will give your sweet tooth a twinge of the rottenness . . . and a taste of the dark secrets unsaid, especially those between mothers and daughters." —The Riveter, "Books to Read: Summer 2015""To put it plainly, Laurie Foos has written a stunning novel about despair." —Entropy"If The Blue Girl resists the gratifications of 'realism' and its click-shut resolutions, she goes further by using language to let us experience the desires embedded in our deprivations." —On the Seawall"At turns lyrical, absurd, and heartbreaking, her fabulist novel about this strange blue girl explores the strangeness in all of us." —Memorious Blog"Strangely beautiful . . . Foos's talent for both subtle and fantastical imagery, the novel really feels like an unpredictable and emotional thrill ride." —NewPages"Foos strikes a brilliant balance in acknowledging common similarities while also infusing her novel with overarching themes and big questions, all wrapped up in her fantastical blue girl." —River City Reading"The Blue Girl such an emotionally driven experience is the elegant language and creative use of metaphor. . . . I recommend Laurie Foos' The Blue Girl as a novel that tells a familiar story of grief in a unique way through an incredibly genuine set of female voices."—Blottature"Although the premise is fantastical, Foos grounds it in the relationships (and secrets) within families, especially between mothers and daughters." —BookPage"Laurie Foos has a knack for the surreal with a side of feminism." —Dame Magazine"A strange dark modern day fairy tale . . . dreamlike and sensory." —KAXE Northern Community Radio"The novel deeply understands what it is to be a woman struggling with her role as wife and mother. . . . [It] impresses on its readers the strength that a secret can tangibly and physically carry–enough weight to make up an ingredient in a cake." —Samantha Preddie

Promotional

Endorsements (in hand): Donald AntrimEndorsements (potential): Aimee Bender, Karen Joy Fowler, Karen Russell400+ Galleys by BEA 2014National print and online campaignTargeted bookseller mailingAdvertising: Bookforum, Shelf AwarenessPromotion at: BookExpo America, Winter Institute, ALA AnnualPromotion on Coffee House Press e-newsletter, website, and social media channelsGiveaways on Twitter and GoodreadsSimultaneous print and e-book release, with e-book ISBN to be included on all press materials, author and publisher websites, and whenever print ISBN is listedTargeted publicity to promote author's speaking engagementsPromotion via the author's website: /

Review Quote

"With spare prose and a keen ear for the clipped interactions of people in denial . . . Foos untangles the troublesome knot that binds the families together one kinked strand at a time. Foos effortlessly inserts a humanized sin-eater into the center of a complex, emotionally volatile group of families, creating a work that is haunting and healing in equal measure." --Kirkus "The Blue Girl such an emotionally driven experience is the elegant language and creative use of metaphor . . . I recommend Laurie Foos' The Blue Girl as a novel that tells a familiar story of grief in a unique way through an incredibly genuine set of female voices." --Blotterature "Foos'' prose has an ethereal quality as she describes the person in the woods, and the allure surrounding her always. . . . This novel is not so much a puzzle to be solved as it is an experience to be had. Something to be tasted and consumed, crumbs falling by the wayside along with our useless insecurities." -- NPR.org "Foos has found her way into a different kind of surrealist story, one in which the prose has a rhythmic lilt, one that never rushes, but lingers inside the minds of the characters, uncovers their secrets one by one, and floats on their interweaving narratives." -- Newfound Journal "The prose is clean, exacting and approachable, which makes the arrangement of the book -- and the swirling vortex of complicated psychologies -- even more impressive and heartbreaking." -- Star Tribune "Reading Laurie Foos'' The Blue Girl is like peering into someone else''s dream . . . an entrancing experience." -- Nomadic Press "Part fantasy, totally fantastical, this is a book that will give your sweet tooth a twinge of the rottenness . . and a taste of the dark secrets unsaid, especially those between mothers and daughters." -- The Riveter "The novel deeply understands what it is to be a woman struggling with her role as wife and mother... [It] impresses on its readers the strength that a secret can tangibly and physically carry-enough weight to make up an ingredient in a cake." -- Samantha Preddie "Although the premise is fantastical, Foos grounds it in the relationships (and secrets) within families, especially between mothers and daughters." -- BookPage "Inventively told from six perspectives, Laurie Foos''s engaging novel The Blue Girl is a surreal yet very readable account of secrets and despair." -- Largehearted Boy "If The Blue Girl resists the gratifications of "realism" and its click-shut resolutions, she goes further by using language to let us experience the desires embedded in our deprivations." -- On the Seawall "To put it plainly, Laurie Foos has written a stunning novel about despair." -- Entropy "Foos strikes a brilliant balance in acknowledging common similarities while also infusing her novel with overarching themes and big questions, all wrapped up in her fantastical blue girl." -- River City Reading "Laurie Foos has a knack for the surreal with a side of feminism." -- Dame Magazine "Told in alternating points of view, The Blue Girl explores how these relationships both define and confine each of the women. Foos has crafted a surreal story that is suffocating yet utterly compelling." -- Shelf Awareness for Readers "Strangely beautiful . . . Foos's talent for both subtle and fantastical imagery, the novel really feels like an unpredictable and emotional thrill ride." -- NewPages "[ The Blue Girl ] winds beautiful prose with the stark, sorrowful imagery of loss, misunderstanding, and the ever-tightening, close-to-breaking ties of family." -- Full Stop "A strange dark modern day fairy tale. . . dreamlike and sensory." --KAXE Northern Community Radio "At turns lyrical, absurd, and heartbreaking, her fabulist novel about this strange blue girl explores the strangeness in all of us." -- Memorious Blog

Competing Titles

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Aimee Bender 9780385720960 15.00 Anchor 4/2011 Threats Amelia Gray 9780374533076 14.00 FSG Originals 2/2012 The Isle of Youth Laura van den Berg 9780374177232 14.00 FSG Originals 10/2013 Horse, Flower, Bird Kate Bernheimer 9781566892476 14.95 Coffee House Press 8/2010

Description for Sales People

There's been an uptick in the visibility of work that is both speculative and literary (the successes of Amelia Gray and Aimee Bender are examples) and this book fits nicely within that market--zany, surreal, but ultimately concerned with human relationships. Laurie's books are on the more mainstream side of our list, has generated strong review attention in the past, and those factors, and happily promotes her work. Fans of hers will find lots to like in The Blue Girl. The book is, ultimately, about mothers and daughters, and about the dangers of closing yourself off--these are characters who are relatable, complicated, and sympathetic. There's a thread of nostalgia, and an out of time feeling, that the book conjures up, and that mirrors the current cultural appetite for all things homey (see the resurgence of moon pies in fancy/rustic bakeries, as a fitting example). The novel includes a family with a son on the autism spectrum, making it of special interest to those looking to see more neurodiversity in literature.

Details