Not Waving But Drowning is a chronological look at growing up, formed from two
different stories. The first is based on the short story The Most Girl Part of You
by the acclaimed American author, Amy Hempel. In the days after his mother
commits suicide, Big Guy and his best friend, Amy, begin to see each other in
new ways. Dark yet sweet, the story brings rushing back the excitement of those
moments when you know childhood is gone and your real life is just about to
begin.
The second story is less about growing up and more about growing out. Growing
out of old friendships, growing out of your skin and growing out of who you
thought you wanted to be.
Adele is dying to escape Bartow, FL. Driven by the promise of excitement, she moves to New York, leaving
behind her best friend, Sara. Wanting to take up space in the city of her dreams,
but not knowing how, she finds herself racing in all the wrong directions.
Ultimately, she makes an unlikely friendship at her new job that leaves
her wondering if she knows what she wants at all.
Phone conversations chart their summer apart, Sara is stuck at home with her
depressed father, while her best friend lives a seemingly glamorous new life. As
the summer progresses she becomes strangely liberated by the absence of
Adele. Working at a local retirement home, Sylvia, an elderly vixen, takes interest in her and she discovers new life
in her old town.
The prologue and feature are connected by the characters common discovery of
the American Dilemma: the tear between longing for the past and the desire to
explore.
