Dryland, the first novel from Sara Jaffe, former guitarist for Erase Errata, has, much like it’s creator, way more than one thing going on. Starting quietly, simply, as the tale of sophomore Julie being convinced by one of the popular girls to go out for the swim team, Dryland moves on to explore ideas of persistence, of family ties, of sexuality, same-sex experiments and mentorships between opposite sexes, friendships, high-school crushes and so much more. Joining the team already in the shadow of her older brother, a one-time Olympic level swimmer who has moved to Germany, keeping a sure distance from his family, Julie struggles to find a place on the team separate from the expectations placed upon her. Labeled, as Jaffe herself finds funny, as a “sports genre fiction” story, Dryland is instead the story of dedication and finding out for oneself who and what truly matters.
Author Sara Jaffe
Kati Heng: Most people know you as a musician first thanks to Erase Errata, but how long have you been a writer?
Sara Jaffe: I’ve been writing pretty much my whole life. I was one of those kids who was 7 years old and wanted to be a writer. I always played music as well, but it was almost surprising when music became my main thing for a number of years. I think I always sort of knew that writing was what I would ultimately pursue.
