Bind Me Tighter Still - by Lara Ehrlich (Paperback)

About the Book

"The youngest of three siren sisters, Ceto is weary of an existence driven by hunger, no better than a fish. She trades her tail for life on land, marries the first man she meets, and bears a daughter, only to discover that domesticity is just as mundane as sirenhood. In search of something more, she flees with her daughter Naia to the ocean, where she establishes a mermaid burlesque and recreates herself, performing as a siren in a tank built into the limestone cliffs overlooking the sea. She trains more sirens, expanding Sirenland from a roadside attraction to a national sensation she rules without opposition-until Naia, at 15, begins to push back against the world Ceto has created and the role she performs in her mother's shows. A death at Sirenland threatens Ceto's authority and leads Naia to question whether this women-ruled kingdom is truly as empowering as her mother would have her believe. Bind Me Tighter Still explores power and hunger, sacrifice and motherhood, and celebrates the fierceness of female strength in a male-dominated world"--

Book Synopsis

Featured by CHICAGO REVIEW OF BOOKS, one of "12 MUST-READ BOOKS OF SEPTEMBER 2025"

AUTHOR OF AWARD-WINNING, ANIMAL WIFE
WINNER OF CAI EMMONS FICTION AWARD and ERIC HOFFER AWARD
FOREWORD INDIE AWARD FINALIST

"The poetic prose mixed with the intense subject matter creates an undertow that will pull readers in."-Booklist

"A modern-day fairy tale that is both ghastly and beautiful."--Kirkus

Mother and daughter mermaids navigate starting over and finding their place in the world in Lara Ehrlich's debut novel.

The youngest siren sister, Ceto is weary of an existence driven by hunger, no better than a fish. She trades her tail for legs, marries the first man she meets, and bears a daughter--only to find domesticity as suffocating as the sea. Craving more, Ceto flees with her daughter Naia back to the ocean, where she reinvents herself as the star of a mermaid burlesque, performing in a lavish tank carved into the limestone cliffs above the waves.

At Sirenland, Ceto's sensual performances and the erotic allure of her trained sirens transform the seaside attraction into a national sensation--a glittering empire where spectacle, desire, and female power reign. But as Naia comes of age and begins to question her mother's vision, the boundary between empowerment and exploitation grows dangerously thin. When a shocking death rocks Sirenland, Ceto's rule is threatened, and mother and daughter must reckon with the cost of performance on their already tenuous bond.

Bind Me Tighter Still is a lush, provocative exploration of power, sex, sacrifice, and motherhood--a celebration of female strength in a world determined to tame it.

Review Quotes

"With nods to "The Little Mermaid," Ehrlich's lovely sophomore outing (after Animal Wife) again probes themes of womanhood and monstrosity...Fans of feminist fabulism should take note."
-Publishers Weekly

"The poetic prose mixed with the intense subject matter creates an undertow that will pull readers in."
--Booklist

"Packed with simmering female rage and a sense of hunger--both in a physical and metaphorical sense--Ehrlich has crafted a modern-day fairy tale that is both ghastly and beautiful, and that would give The Little Mermaid a run for its money."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A gorgeous, playful, thoughtful novel for feminists, for mothers and daughters, for those of us who grew up on the *other* version of mermaids, and who've thought from time to time that we might prefer to join the sirens rather than tie ourselves to the mast."
--Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You

About the Author

Lara Ehrlich is the author of Animal Wife, a collection of stories about women's transformations from girls into wives, mothers, and monsters. Animal Wife won Red Hen Press's Fiction Award, judged by Ann Hood, and was published by the press in 2020. The collection was the winner of an Eric Hoffer Award and was a Forward Indie Award finalist. Lara's stories have appeared in StoryQuarterly, Hunger Mountain, SmokeLong Quarterly, (f)riction, LitHub, and many other publications, and she has received fellowship and residency support from Bread Loaf Writers Workshop, Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, PEN America, the Midwest Writers Workshop, the Garrett on the Green, and others. Lara has led workshops and panels at Bread Loaf Writers Workshop, Yale Writers Workshop, AWP, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and Story Studio Chicago, among other organizations, and she teaches at the University of Connecticut. Lara is the host of Writer Mother Monster, a conversation series devoted to dismantling the myth of "having it all" and offering writer-moms solidarity, support, and advice. Lara is the founder and director of Thought Fox Writers Den, which builds community and supports writers of all levels with in-person and virtual workshops, coaching, events, and more. She lives in Gales Ferry, Connecticut. www.LaraEhrlich.com