I have a very delicious post for you today, my fishy friends! Not only do I have a scrumptious review, but I also have the author of Fish Out of Water (Natalie Whipple!) here for a Q&A! PLUS there’s a giveaway at the end of the post. EXCITED? YOU SHOULD BE. I am. This is a really really good book, okay?!
Let us dive in. (Har, har…what?! I have license to make fishy puns.)
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Natalie Whipple, sadly, does not have any cool mutations like her characters. Unless you count the ability to watch anime and Korean dramas for hours on end. Or her uncanny knack for sushi consumption.
She grew up in the Bay Area and relocated to Utah for high school, which was quite the culture shock for her anime-loving teen self. But the Rocky Mountains eventually won her over, and she stuck around to earn her degree in English linguistics at BYU. Natalie still lives in Utah with her husband and three kids, and keeps the local Asian market in business with all her attempts to cook Thai curry, Pho, and “real” ramen.
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CAIT: I love how Fish Out of Water is so diverse and packed with interesting facts! Did you draw off any personal experiences when writing about mixed-race families, Alzheimer, Marine Biology, or being seriously good at golf?
NATALIE: There is some of my own personal experience in there! While I don’t look it, I’m part Maori and grew up in a diverse and also not-so-diverse family, depending on which side we’re talking about. FISH is an exaggerated exploration of my own grandmother’s prejudices. The Alzheimer’s aspect came from my mother’s work as an in-home caretaker for people with the disease—some of the stories are even straight from her experiences. And golf? I’m horrible at golf, but my dad and brother have loved it since before I can remember. Because of this, I happen to know quite a bit about the sport and how it fits in the Monterey area where the book takes place.
CAIT: I absolutely adore how you’re honest and open on your blog about behind-the-scenes with publishing and also living with anxiety as a writer. Do you have any advice for we writers on managing self-doubt toward our art?
NATALIE: It’s tricky, because I think self-doubt is as essential as it is dangerous. We need it to edit ourselves and improve our work, but then too much cripples us and makes it impossible to create. For me, I try to compartmentalize my self-doubt, if you will. When I’m drafting, I let myself be messy and confident and tell myself that’s how I make a story. Once I get to editing, I turn on the self-doubt because it helps me clean up the story and make it what it’s supposed to be.So I would say to look at self-doubt not as this horrible thing, but as a double-edged sword that helps you get your work done. That allows me appreciate that aspect of the job.
CAIT: Do you have a favourite quote from Fish Out of Water?
NATALIE: I don’t have a favourite quote, but I do have a favourite scene—and that is what I affectionately call The Oatmeal Scene. There’s a lot Mika learns in that scene, and those were things I had to learn in my life, too.
CAIT: Time for a toughie question…Which is better: Indian or Japanese food?
NATALIE: That’s just mean. I love food. All the food. If I’m dying for something spicy and comforting, then Indian all the way. But I also love sushi and the cleanness of Japanese food. While we’re at it, let’s add Korean and Thai food to this list. I love including food in my books and will likely hit all these at some point in my writing.
CAIT: (I know, I’m awfully cruel. ) So, I’m a huge fan of The Princess Bride and it features hugely in your book. I have to ask…how much of The Princess Bride can you quote?!
NATALIE: Hmm, I would say maybe 25%, honestly. I do love the movie, but I don’t have a knack for remembering a ton of quotes. I wish I could be one of those people who can rattle off quote after quote from hundreds of movies, but alas, I am not. I had to watch The Princess Bride quite a few times to make sure I got all the things I quoted and referenced right. I know, it’s so hard to be a writer sometimes, ha.
I loved how diverse and unique it was! The narrator, Mika, is half-Japanese. Her grandmother has Alzheimer’s. One of Mika’s best friends is Indian. Mika’s hobbies include sand-sculpture and fish-keeping and…OH YEAH…she wants to be a scientist. Can we just say this book is freakishly fantastic?!
It had me hook, line, and sinker. HA HA HA…okay are the puns getting worse or is it just me?
It’s about family and culture and fitting it. I mean DUH. Look at the title! Everyone can relate to being a “fish out of water” at some point in their lives. I loved that! Betty, Mika’s grandmother, is a fish-out-of-water in her own son’s home because she’s always forgetting things/people/food/life-in-general. Mika is a mixed-culture kid and her grandmother Betty is so, so racist to her. Another fish-out-of-water moment.
Then there’s this sharky (oh gosh, stahp, Cait, SPARE US THE FISH PUNS) romance between Mika and her boss’ nephew, the rich brat: Dylan. They have a real hate-on-hate relationship which equals a lot chemistry. They’re fantastic! I shipped them like a turtle to the Pacific Ocean. Like seagulls to chips! Like Dory and Marlin! But you have to admit the puns are GLORIOUS. Dylan might be a brat, but he had a super sweet side, although… um, communication problems.
THERE ARE ALSO PRINCESS BRIDE REFERENCES! Nerd alert! Nerd alert! So. much. win.
It’s cute and entertaining and has a warm fuzzy conclusion. So, yes, I usually read zombies and magic and murder, but this was so REFRESHING. I’m a huge fan of Natalie Whipple too. Her blog is amazing. Her superhero books are the best. The tone for Fish Out of Water is a bit lighter and younger, but it does have smushy moments. And lots of heart. Also goldfish. And a LOT of delicious food. I mean, what’s not to love here?!
Mika Arlington was supposed to spend the summer after her junior year shadowing her marine biologist parents at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but when her estranged grandmother randomly shows up on the doorstep one day, those plans are derailed. Because Grandma Betty isn’t here to play nice—she is cranky, intolerant of Mika’s mixed-race-couple parents, and oh yeah she has Alzheimer’s and is out of money. While Mika’s family would rather not deal with Grandma Betty, they don’t have much choice. And despite Mika’s protests, she is roped into caring for a person that seems impossible to have compassion for. And if that wasn’t hard enough, Mika must train the new guy at her pet shop job who wants to be anywhere else, and help a friend through her own family crisis. Something’s gotta a give, but whichever ball Mika drops means losing someone she loves. Not exactly a recipe for Best Summer Ever—or is it?
Amazon Goodreads Book Depository Hot Key Books
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Thank you to Hot Keys for sponsoring the giveaway! (AUSTRALIAN ONLY.)
Just throwing this out there: I absolutely DESPISE seafood. Which is wrong. Because I’m Greek. And apparently that means that I should love seafood. Pfft. Anyway, great interview! I love Natalie Whipple’s blog SO MUCH. As a writer I GET exactly what she talks about–and in a way it’s nice to know I’m not alone. ^_^ Thanks for the giveaway!! 🙂 Super excited for this one.
OMG Cait,you and your fish puns!:)
This book sounds wonderful!I love how it has an Indian character-as a Sri Lankan myself,it’s the closest I can relate to.
And you ship Dory and Marlin!YAY!I love those two to death.Their scenes are all beautiful and “Just Keep Swimming” is my favourite motivation!
This looks SO cute! I’d love to read it! Thanks so much for the giveaway! Natalie has some cool insight about being a writer, too. I’ll be sure to visit her site.
She’s a super nice author and so down-to-earth too! LOVE HER.
She completely sounds like it! Thanks to you, I read some of her articles and she’s a total inspiration to me as an aspiring writer. I even wrote about it on my blog. I’m definitely going to read Fish Out of Water and (if I love it) push it on everyone I know.
Cait,, tell me: should I temporarily abandon my library hiatus to look up this book? It seems awesome. I come from a mixed race family and I once wrote a short story about a character called Mika (who was a boy, but no matter) so it sounds like I’d connect to this book a lot! I’m a vegatarian so I don’t eat fish and I think that they’re kind of useless, but also cool. Indian food (I don’t know much about Japanese food apart from sushi) but dahl makhani and dosa and paratha and sambar and rajma …. bahout acchha hai (is very good in hindi) Okay, I’ll stop.
Amazing post, as usual 🙂
OMG. YOU JUST MADE ME REALLY HUNGRY. I really love dahl. I love dahl so much my family changed it from saying “We’re having dahl tonight” to “we’re having Cait’s Dahl” which just goes to show how much influence I have. *nods regally* Also: YES DROP EVERYTHING AND TRY AND FIND THIS BOOK.
Love this giveaway! You had me at Princess Bride references!
It’s always a complete win for me, too. 😉
KDRAMAS. HELLO NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR.
Also, Cait(my phone just autocorrected your name to Cake. Very appropriate, I think) Thank you for the plot bunny your phrase ‘riding fish’ gave me. Like I don’t have enough already.
That is appropriate. I like your autocorrect. I LOVE YOUR AUTOCORRECT. Autocorrect and I shall be married in the morning.
I’m gonna call you Cake from now on XD
To answer your giveaway question: I do not like to eat fish. I DO, however, like to look at them. Fascinating, I know. And I love puns, of course 🙂 YAY FOR DIVERSITY. I remember you reviewing another Natalie Whipple book (I THINK? MAYBE) and not enjoying it as much, but this one sounds excellent.
AWFUL PUNS ARE THE BEST. *hi fives* YES. I’ve reviewed, um….3 now? I was dubious about Transparent, loved book 2 (which name escapes me, gosh darnit) and I loved this one. xD
On the general topic of fish – I eat some. We do have a pet fish my daughter has miraculously kept alive for more than a year. Also I would prefer Japanese food.
As far as the book, it sounds cute! Love the review with all the fish jokes. Thanks for the giveaway!
Well done to your daughter! My brother used to own fish…I don’t even know what happened to them, but I guess it wasn’t picnics and rainbows. 0-0
I have a horrible confession, I don’t read all that much YA (DO NOT KILLL ME PLEAASE). However, this sounds fantastic. I love how she tackles serious issues (that surround all of our lives) in a fun and relatable way. I mean, I think most of us have dealt with aged loved ones dealing with memory loss. It is also neat to see an author’s interests so lovingly woven into a novel. Although I am afraid that too many descriptions of scrumptious Asian food is going to have me drooling.
But…but why would you think I’d kill you? COME ON. THIS IS ME. I’m super nice.
*cautiously stows bloodied axe*
You will definitely drool. There is a LOT of good food in here. And it’s really awesome (I think) when books come from a personal level in an author’s life! It adds such a spark. xD
I’ve been wanting to read this book since I read your review on Goodreads. Now I need to get it as soon as possible (as I’m skint and my library doesn’t have it, that probably means that I’ll be able to get my hands on it at some point during the summer). Korean or Japanese food? Can I take a third option? I like chinese food. I’ve never actually tried Korean or Japanese food, but I’d love to try both one day!
Chinese food is divine, so YES, you may cheat and make that option. Ahhh, I hope you do get your hands on it soon BUT I UNDERSTAND. It is rather hard to find books by small presses and I’m a cheap-reader too. *sadface*
Oh Cait, those puns . . . some of the stretches you made were a little fishy. *ba dum tsst* (Well I tried.)
I. Love. Sushi. I want to eat it every day for every meal, including dessert. I am very, very okay with a book including sushi and/or other seafood. Although I might end up getting really hungry while reading it.
I don’t know how this book wasn’t on my radar before, it sounds fantastic! *adds to Goodreads*
(Crap, I’m so sorry, my brain is not behaving today and I started entering the giveaway before noticing the big “AUS ONLY” line on it. >.< Ignore my entries.)
Pfft, THAT was a fintastic pun, my friend. DID YOU SEE THAT?!! FINtastic?!
I am pretty much HORRIBLE at remembering quotes as well. I have a really close friend who spends her time in class filling up notebooks of her favorite quotes from memory… Like the heck, how large is your brain?! xD
I LOVE THE WARM FUZZIES. And cute hate-to-love romances. And diversity. THIS BOOK SHALL BE MINE. *migrates to Aus to join the giveaway*
Fantastic review and interview, Cait! 🙂
Agh, I can’t remember actual quotes…like from books? But movies. YES I CAN DO THE WHOLE THING. Particularly the Princess Bride. Actually, my sister and I went on holiday and only conversed in movie quotes. Because, idek, are we super clever or super insane? JURY IS OUT.
Ah, the glorious fishy puns. Quite fintastic, honestly.
That was horrible.
And I don’t even like seafood!
Anyways, it sounds like a cute book, and I’m disappointed I can’t enter, but I guess the shipping cost to get from Australia to Seattle would be astronomical. So, onto my TBR list it goes. I’ll have to wait for the library to get it in, dang it.
There will be an INT giveaway soon, I PROMISE. xD
Totally Team India on this one! And YES ew tuna x 1000! And salmon! And crab! And basically every other fish/seafood!!! Okay, okay. That might have been a little too much. Um, I remember when we, my elder brother and I, were younger we had an aquarium full of different kinds of fish. I remembering being happy, too. Now, I don’t have a single pet. (But I promise I’m a good person. Here, I have cookies.)
As for the book, that sounds fun. Props to diversity!
My brother used to keep fish…I think they died. AGH THAT SOUNDS REALLY BAD. I’m sure he was a tolerable fish-keeper…I JUST DON’T REMEMBER. >.> I also cannot eat fish. Or seafood in general. I used to like fried calamari rings at the Night Markets in China though, buuuut…I mean, HELLO THEY WERE FRIED. AND ALMOST EVERYTHING IS GOOD FRIED.
O.O China as in CHINA?
PS. I’m sure your brother was a good pet owner. Pets die; it’s just the rule of nature.
YES! CHINA! I went to China for a month. ^-^ Western’s idea of “Chinese food” is rubbish compared to the actual real stuff. Except for Peking Duck in Old Beijing. That was awful. *shudders* The BEST food was the street food. xD
First of all, yes, yes, and YES. I love fish. (Mostry fried) and the author sounds super interesting and sweet. And I loved the fact that she is diverse and can speak from those experiences. (And Japanese food, definitely all the way.) I’m also never in the mood for Indian food although I do have a thing for curry….
I can’t do spicy curry! I can do the wimpy version and I looooove a good curry soup. But. Awk. This book is good and the authors is WONDERFUL.
I hate seafood. And I hate fishing.
…Which is, honestly, kind of ironic because my last name is Fischer…and this has earned me the nickname of Fishy several times. Sigh!
Hehe. I loved the fish puns anyway. 😉
Why thank you. I’m wonderful at awful puns. <-- And also humble. But ohhh I HEAR YA with hating fish. And fishing. I basically hate anything to do with the slimy beasts. No wait. I'll view them calmly from a distance.
Gahhhh why must this only be open to Aussies….. *cries American tears* I really wanna read this! And of course seafood is delicious!
Except for octopus.
Octopus is gross.
*dances Australian-ly in American tears*
HAHA I KID. I KID. I will be having an INT giveaway soon! I PROMISE.
I love fish. Fish and chips all the way!
And great interview Cait, I’ll definitely read the book. Exams are coming up anyways which means (at least, for me) finding and reading great books instead of reading boring compulsory readings and stuff.
Also, I have to admit I’ve never seen The Princess Bride – but tonight this will be remedied. 🙂
Ohhh Fish and Chips is the meal of the heavens. Actually my sister and I were just petitioning for it! (And getting rebuffed, dangit.) Tell me what you think of The Princess Bride! IT’S A GORGEOUS CLASSIC.
Indian food for me. I love all spicy so no question there.
And to be honest, before reading this post, I had no idea about this novel. I read Transparent by this author and wasn’t a fan. But synopsis for Fish Out of Water sounds positively intriguing and definitely something that I would be interested in reading.
Oh, I admire you. I cannot spice. I CANNOT. I’m such a wimp.
She soundsm likev a very inspring and she gonig to make it big, so sad it is AUS only giveway, why.
Because I’m poor and can’t post overseas. 😉
I do like eating fish and salmon is my absolute favorite. Mainly I’m just really happy that this book involves food because we all know that makes books infinitely better. Another reason this book seems awesome is because it involves mixed kids. Yay! I’m a mixed baby, too, and a lot of times when I was little people thought I was adopted, which is kind of funny. Hmmm…maybe I should write about mixed kids now…NO, ANA, NO. YOU ALREADY HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS WAITING IN LINE.
HECK YES FOOD MAKES BOOKS BETTER. You totally should write about mixed kids! PLEASE DO. AT LEAST BLOG ABOUT IT OR SOMETHING. I think there are so many minorities that get overlooked and it’s completely unfair. *stamps foot* My mum was 1/2 Italian, which makes me 1/4, I guess?! I kind of have the Italian looks but no culture. Which is sad. Because pasta.
What, what!? Princess Bride references? Japanese culture?
Skip the blurb. I am there! This book sounds fantastic! The author too. I might have to follow her blog or something.
Actually I have pet a fish before. We went to Sea World in Orlando one year and I loved petting the sting rays. It was the best thing at the whole park! Rays are really cool. My mom and siblings would be ready to move onto to some other attraction, and I was this 21 year old kid, “But Mom! I wanna pet the fish. Can’t I stay? Pleeease?” *cough* Anyways. . .
I don’t think I’ve ever had Indian food. But Japanese is awesome! Especially sushi. I’ve tried making some Japanese food, but some of the ingredients are hard to acquire. :/ But I do like making ginger chicken and fried rice. I might try making sushi, but it sounds time consuming. One of the cool things I love and learned about the Japanese and their food is that while most cultures will snub another cultures’ attempts to replicate/ experiment with it’s cuisine, the Japanese aren’t like that. They like trying new things. For instance, beef teryaki is not a traditional Japanese recipe. They don’t put teriyaki on their beef. But when Americans tried to “Americanise” their teriyaki by putting it on beef, the Japanese were like, “Hey, that sounds like it could be good.” So now they eat beef teriyaki in Japan. XD I’ve noticed a lot of traditional Japanese foods are noted to be adapted from the other cultures surrounding Japan. I think that’s so cool.
Sorry for the long comment. 😛
omg, that is so cool that the Japanese are open to changing food though! YES. Every other country is like “How dare you even suggest we change our recipe, go die miscreant.” So mega-points won for the Japanese. XD Actually sushi is the only real Japanese food I’ve eaten! It’s SUPER easy and fast to make. I don’t eat it with raw fish though. Because…ew. My favourite is the rice with cream cheese and carrot aaaaand that’s probably as untraditional french fries in Japan BUT WHATEVER. IT TASTES GOOD.
Really? I didn’t sushi was easy. Do you have a recipe?
I’ve wanted to read this for SO LONG. Australian only, of COURSE. Agh! I knew something smelled fishy about this giveaway…
HAHAAAH HA HA. YES YOU GET A FISH SANDWICH BECAUSE YOU, TOO, ARE MAKING AWESOME FISH PUNS. *hi fives*
Also sadness. But there will be an INT giveaway coming soon.
Hold on, I have to CHOOSE between Indian and Japanese!? I cannot! I guess, ugh, I like them both, but just if I HAD to eat one right this minute, it would be Japanese. And now I am craving it, thanks. I need ALL the sushi.
Now fish. I eat them. I do not pat them. I lived by a lake growing up, and the fish always scared the bejeezus out of me. I think it is because I came across a few dead ones, and it scared me, but also, they touched me while I was swimming and no one told them they could! I did NOT give any fish permission to touch me. SOme even had the audacity to bite my feet. No thank you! I shall eat you now, NOM NOM.
I don’t even know what I am saying anymore, but I DO want to read this book. Natalie sounds so fabulous, so I am going to assume the book is fabulous too 🙂
I gotta love all the puns Cait! Fish out of the Water sounds like it’s a lovely warm and fuzzy diverse story, and I can definitely appreciate a story with a lot of food hehe. YOU ASKED SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS. I mean Indian or Japanese food? Princess Bride? Great interview & Review!
It is a ridiculously tough question. BUT THAT’S HOW I ROLL. KEEPIN’ IT REAL AND TOUGH. XD
This sounds so awesome! I love the idea, and I hope to read the book very soon! 😀
Now I am really tempted to read this book asap. Everything related to fish keeping makes me interested though 🙂 Can’t wait to know everything about Mika and her life!
I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it!