Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Gail
on the release today of
Falling Through the Night!
Falling Through the Night by Gail Marlene Schwartz
Women’s Fiction & LGBTQ+
Published February 26, 2024 by Demeter Press
Teaching Excellence Award recipient, Gail Marlene Schwartz, gracefully navigates difficult topics in her sapphic, Jewish adult novel Falling Through the Night (Demeter Press, Feb. 25th, 2024). Inspired by Schwartz’s personal experiences (immigration, anxiety, and a close friend’s suicide), Falling Through the Night is a romantic, funny coming-of-age story that explores the complicated journey of healing trauma and learning how to love.
Audrey Meyerwitz, an introverted 30-something adoptee with anxiety, wants nothing more than to fall in love and create a healthy family, but the path to romance isn’t simple. Audrey’s life has been packed with sleepless nights, psychiatrists, and a string of nightmare ex-girlfriends. Determined to ensure that her future is a step in a healthier direction, Audrey lets her best friend Jessica, a recovering alcoholic, sign her up for a queer online dating app. What ensues is Audrey’s scary first step toward her lifelong dream: a strong, loving family.
When Audrey falls for Denise, a French Canadian from Montreal, she finds herself immigrating to Canada and building a new life in Quebec, where she finds community in a collection of queer friends and, eventually, embarks on her dream of starting a family. But when she unearths a secret about her adoptive mother, she must re-evaluate everything she understood about her place in the world.
Funny, honest, and profound, Falling Through the Night is a stirring story about cultivating healthy love from profound alienation: accepting both gains and losses, taking off the blinders of fantasy, and embracing the messiness that defines human nature and imperfect families.
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First lines—"It's Monday morning, and I'm ready for step one. I'm lying in bed, staring at the water stain on the ceiling, the same one that's been there since I rented my place nine months ago. Squinting at it, I play Rorschach, and a new shape emerges: a sperm."
Falling Through the Night was a heart-warming debut novel by a new-to-me author. While Audrey struggles in her life with anxiety and other mental issues, all she really wants is to have someone to love, a family, and stability.
The story walks us through Audrey's steps to get where she wants to be. And it wasn't always easy for her but her drama is what kept the story going for me. I enjoyed watching, and being a part of, Audrey's life as she figures it all out. Her life isn't perfect but she works through her problems and forges ahead.
I enjoyed Falling Through the Night, which gave me a glimpse at a life that is so totally different from my own. I found myself having more understanding and empathy for those who struggle with issues like Audrey and her friends do. This was an eye-opening book for me and one I will be thinking about for awhile.
I received a copy of Falling Through the Night from Books Forward and this is my honest opinion.
Advanced praise for Falling Through the Night
“Schwartz writes in muscular prose when documenting the highs and lows of dating and pregnancy… A sometimes-heartbreaking novel about what it means to be a daughter and a mother.”–Kirkus Reviews
“Author Gail Marlene Schwartz paints a picture of complex human relationships, of family found, formed, and chosen, and of the ways that people find strength and meaning in their lives, despite [their] unexpected turns. The first-person perspective at times gives the book the feel of a memoir, while the dialogue keeps the story moving and makes readers feel like they are in the room with the characters. Despite (or perhaps because of) the sometimes-heavy topics, this is an ultimately hopeful tale, as we see flawed, human characters finding their way, just as we might be doing.”–The Mombian Database of LGBTQ Family Books
Falling Through the Night is a breathtaking debut novel. Audrey is thoroughly relatable as a person dealing with mental health issues who is also full of talent, courage, creativity, and love. A page turner, the book engaged me as both a human with my own struggles but also as a therapist who understands the complexities of early childhood trauma and all the pain involved in healing. Audrey's immigration to Quebec was a wonderful opportunity to experience that culture and the particularities of a young queer artist fumbling and learning as she adapts. A wonderful portrayal of a woman doing the personal work we all need to do to grow. Inspiring, engaging, and ultimately incredibly hopeful.”–Glo Harris, therapist and corporate coach
“The winning combination of Schwartz’s beautifully crafted prose and attention to detail allows the reader to journey with Audrey across two countries in her quest for a new family and a better life. Falling Through the Night shines a light on the ups and downs of anxiety disorder, and spins a story where the LGBTQ protagonist learns to recognize and accept herself, but so does everyone else.”–Lori Shwydky, Publisher, Rebel Mountain Press
Falling Through the Night is a moving look at the ways in which anxiety and family issues intersect. The book is one part magical romance and two parts unflinching account of a queer woman’s messy journey. Audrey’s path is to create a healthy family despite and because of a past shaped by lies and haunted by a mother she never knew. The book could be described as a page-turning beach read, as we are privy to the whirlwind, sweet, and romantic lesbian love story at the heart of this book. But [“Falling Through the Night”] is so much more than that—it is also a deep dive into family, friendship, addiction, and mental health, at times leaving the reader breathless with all the complexity and beauty that is life.”–Dr. Jennifer Marlow, author and Professor of English, College of St. Rose
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About the author
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Gail Marlene Schwartz is a dual citizen, a relationship artist, and an above-average pianist. She is co-author of the books My Sister’s Girlfriend and The Loudest Bark (Rebel Mountain Press) and co-editor of the forthcoming essay collection, Boyhood Reimagined: Stories of Queer Moms Raising Sons (Motina Books). She is a founding editor of Hotch Potch Literature and Art, a collaborative online magazine, and also a freelance editor, writing coach, and writing instructor at the Community College of Vermont.
Gail lives in Montpelier, Vermont with her partner, Erin; she spends every other weekend in Montreal with her best friend, Lucie, and their teenage son, Alexi. You can read more about her at gailmarleneschwartz.com.
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