The Chronology of Water

Back of the Book

This is not your mother's memoir. In The Chronology of Water, Lidia Yuknavitch expertly moves the reader through issues of gender, sexuality, violence, and the family from the point of view of a lifelong swimmer turned artist. In writing that explores the nature of memoir itself, her story traces the effect of extreme grief on a young woman's developing sexuality that some define as untraditional because of her attraction to both men and women. Her emergence as a writer evolves at the same time and takes the narrator on a journey of addiction, self-destruction, and ultimately survival that finally comes in the shape of love and motherhood.

Why You Should Read It

Yuknavitch is confrontational in a vital way—language is a beating heart in her hands as she invites us to observe the organ in reality, the gross visceral mess of it, the gross visceral mess of a woman’s life. The Chronology of Water acts as a narrative conduit for Yuknavitch to pinpoint the source of our discomfort with femininity and the feminine experience, as well as her own. Whilst the memoir, which has enjoyed a rare form of social media virality, has been written off often by those who seem to prefer bounds of the sort of clean, distant narrative refinement of a Rachel Cusk or Jenny Offill, Yuknavitch will be familiar to lovers of Kathy Acker and Virginie Despentes although all the authors mentioned regard their own becoming in equally brutally intimate manners. Yuknavitch’s attempts to reconcile the violence of womanhood with the simplistic expectations of being and personhood makes Chronology a standout that is going to remain resonant for years to come.

Memorable Passage

If I could go back, I'd coach myself. I'd be the woman who taught me how to stand up, how to want things, how to ask for them. I'd be the woman who says, your mind, your imagination, they are everything. Look how beautiful. You deserve to sit at the table. The radiance falls on all of us.

About the Author

Lidia Yuknavitch is a compelling and versatile American author known for her fearless and genre-defying exploration of trauma, identity, and the complexities of the human experience. Born in 1963, Yuknavitch's literary career spans novels, memoirs, and essays, each marked by a distinctive narrative style that combines lyrical prose with a raw and visceral emotional intensity. Her breakthrough memoir, The Chronology of Water, and the dystopian masterpiece The Book of Joan showcase her ability to challenge conventional storytelling and push the boundaries of narrative innovation. Beyond her creative work, Yuknavitch is an influential essayist, addressing topics ranging from feminism to art and activism. Her writing, characterized by a deep empathy for the marginalized and a commitment to breaking literary norms, positions Lidia Yuknavitch as a literary force worth knowing for her transformative impact on contemporary literature and her courageous exploration of the human condition.

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Sophia June