Talking Underwater

“Sister” is a sacred word. Cattail Beach is joy. Until one day at its shore, both are lost in a single moment.


Family is life, and Amy has a gentle, happy one. Devoted parents, a loving marriage, two little girls, a fulfilling career and a cherished relationship with her sister. Amy and Heather are more than sisters—best friends, inseparable confidants, co-workers and, finally, mothers.


Cattail, the adored beach near their coastal New England home, is Amy’s place of refuge and the backdrop for their happiest summer memories. But when a mistake there ends tragically, almost destroying everything that Amy holds as sacred, she doesn’t know how she’ll continue, nor mend the rift with her sister that results. Talking Underwater explores the balance between the elation of family summers at the ocean and the ways we navigate unbearable heartache and find news ways of being.

Praise for Talking Underwater:

"Writing in confident, musical prose, Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo weaves a story of youth and what it means to come of age in a world whose perfection cannot last. With their beloved childhood beach as a backdrop, two sisters learn to overcome longing and loss and, ultimately, to find redemption."--NAOMI BENARON, author of RUNNING THE RIFT, winner of the Bellwether Prize for Fiction



"Talking Underwater unfolds with the slow, sinuous rhythms of summer. We taste salt on skin, we smell the ozone of fast moving storms.  Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo is a master at tracing the currents that run beneath the surface of the closest relationships and how sudden riptides can swallow them whole.  By turns tender and tragic, this is the most generous and genuine story of sisterly love I've read in ages."  -- SHERI HOLMAN, author of THE DRESS LODGER and WITCHES ON THE ROAD TONIGHT



“Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo’s Talking Underwater is a searing, heartfelt story of two sisters and the tragedy that tests their lifelong bond. Told with evocative prose, this powerful novel will have you rooting for Amy and Heather to find their way back to each other. Book clubs will love this.” —KRISTYN KUSEK LEWIS, author of SAVE ME and HOW LUCKY YOU ARE 



"Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Talking Underwater is a literary gift, filled with characters you want to spend time with. As a fellow New England author, I especially appreciate her scene settings—which are rich and vivid. Deep family connections and intrigue frame a plot that makes for a definite page-turner. I highly recommend Talking Underwater for anyone looking to devour the next great read."—STEVEN MANCHSTER, #1 bestselling author of THE ROCKIN' CHAIR and TWELVE MONTHS  

“Talking Underwater is Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo’s  searing tale of the testing of two sisters’ strong bond.  The narrative felt so real that it made me cautiously ask if she had been through such a harrowing experience in real life.  She vividly captures the raw emotions.”--BEVERLY  FISHER, author of GRACE AMONG THE LEAVINGS

"With a delicate, but sure, touch, Ms. DeLorenzo creates characters so real you feel you’ve met them before. The cadence of her prose will stay with you, long after you finish the book."--MARY KRUGER, author of KNIT FAST, DIE YOUNG