The Weight of Water

Armed with a suitcase and an old laundry bag filled with clothes, Kasienka and her mother head for England. Life is lonely for Kasienka. At home her mother's heart is breaking and at school friends are scarce. But when someone special swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there might be more than one way for her to stay afloat.

The Weight of Water is a startlingly original piece of fiction; most simply a brilliant coming of age story, it also tackles the alienation experienced by many young immigrants. Moving, unsentimental and utterly page-turning, we meet and share the experiences of a remarkable girl who shows us how quiet courage prevails.

“Poignant, powerful, just perfect” – Cathy Cassidy

“Succinct, with a gentle lyricism, the poems are telling about immigration, prejudice, self-delusion, families and first love, on the way to a life-changing conclusion” – Sunday Times - Book of the Week

“This poetic novel is sheer perfection - for adults as well as for teenagers. Being in Kasienka's head, the reader gains a new understanding of how alienation feels. I loved it” – Irish Examiner

“A compellingly beautiful, utterly seductive debut novel . . . Do not miss it and press it upon your friends and acquaintances” – The Scotsman

“You've entered the young Polish girl's voice with a heartfelt conviction. I felt like I was watching a movie of her life in present time and at the same sharing in what's happening inside her head. What I especially like is that nothing is overstated, but there are so many pregnant issues there – prejudice, migration, language bias – but what's so disarming and charming is the way the girl reveals her inner self with a poetic and resonant simplicity” – John Agard