Mermaid Legs - by Beth Graham (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Winner, Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding New Play 2024

Sisters Billie, Ava, and Scarlet start a new tradition of family dinners every second Sunday, rain or shine. But when Billie doesn't show up one night, her sisters have every reason to worry. With a history of self-harm and regularly being on and off her medication, they've become all too familiar with Billie's unpredictable behavior. Now that Billie has disappeared--leaving behind her disastrous apartment, her phone, and a mysterious message--a frantic chase ensues, pushing their unshakable bond to its limits.

From the celebrated author of The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble and co-author of The Drowning Girls, Beth Graham's Mermaid Legs tells the story of a precarious life fluctuating between calm and chaos, and those on the sidelines desperately trying to catch up. A deep dive into the stigmas, challenges, and mysteries of mental illness, this compassionate family saga illuminates the beauty of neurodiversity and the unyielding strength of sisterhood.

Review Quotes

Graham, a witty and clever writer with a sharp ear for minute adjustments in family chemistry, gives us verbal exchanges along fracture lines that widen dangerously, like cracks in the ice you aren't sure are weight-bearing, over a bottomless lake.
--Liz Nicholls, 12thNight

About the Author

Beth Graham is a playwright, actor, and dramaturg. She was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, grew up in Cochrane, Alberta, and now lives in Edmonton with her partner Patrick and their two senior dogs, Lily and Oscar. In 2015, Beth's play The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award. Some of her other plays and collaborations include Pretty Goblins, Weasel, and The Drowning Girls (co-writer). Beth is a graduate of the University of Alberta's BFA acting program.