Jessica Andrews Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Jessica Andrews is a British author of fiction. She writes fictional novels in addition to poetry.

Born in 1992, Andrews spent her childhood growing up in the Sunderland area. Since then she has lived in a wide variety of places. These include such glamorous and well known destinations as London, Paris, Barcelona, Donegal, and Santa Cruz.

Andrews has had her work published in a variety of publications. These include Papaya Press, Shabby Doll House, Caught by the River, Somesuch Stories, AnOther, and The Independent, among various other prestigious publications.

Jessica Andrews does not just write fiction, she teaches it too! Andrews gets involved teaching classes on creative writing as well as literature. On top of that, she is a co-runner of The Grapevine. This is a literary magazine that tries to give platforms to writers that are more independent and not as represented as other mainstream writers may be.

Andrews first came into publication for a full length novel in 2019. This is when the release of her first book, titled Saltwater, occurred and opened her work up to reading audiences everywhere! Others have been singing the praises of the book ever since. This includes Penelope Green, who reviews books for The New York Times. She called the writing ‘voluptuous’ and seemingly able to create everything from sounds to tastes and smells. Green also acknowledged the universal themes of the book, such as a young woman adapting to the world and growing up.

Saltwater is the first fictional book to come out from Andrews. This is a novel that focuses on a variety of themes, but most centrally the one of a young woman growing up and coming of age. It also explores the close relationship of a bond that exists between a mother and a daughter, showcasing all of the beauty of it while also not shying away from the inherent nature of its imperfections.

The relationship between a child and her mother starts at birth, when she is still in the womb. There in the fluid, the first connection is made through their bodies. The two are together in the dark and even though this is how Lucy’s relationship with her mother started, there is now enough distance and space coming up between the two of them that maybe in utero as a child and pregnant as a mother is the closest that they will ever be.

Set in northern England, Lucy has always found that no matter what life threw at her, the one thing she could count on was her mother. They were together through the thick and thin of it from the moment that she was young. Their working class life was broken up by her warm presence. She was loving and comforting, and devoted to her family.

Lucy learns a lot from her mother and how to be a woman as she grew up. Lucy appreciates the life that she has, but she also dreams of a better possible life that’s out there waiting for her. She knows how to be a caretaker and the duty that it carries. Still, she remains close to her mother as she moves forward with her life.

Accepted into university in the city of London, Lucy is a bit different with her upbringing than fellow students in the collegiate setting. She gets through the terms and then graduates, finishing off her schooling with a triumph. Without the rigor of the classes and the structure that it used to provide her, however, she finds herself adrift with not much to do.

The solution is to get away. Lucy takes off to a small house that used to be occupied by her grandfather but now was left empty. The Donegal location was also one known to her mother for being a special place. Lucy makes her life in this small place work and even meets someone, taking on a lover. She falls into love and art and experiences, creating new memories and casting her mind back over the old ones.

Lucy strives to find her own unique place in the reality that she’s found herself in. Can she find and prove herself, both as a woman and also an artist? Can sifting through what she remembers about the past help her to forge a new road into the future? This lyrical and intriguing debut novel from Jessica Andrews is the tale of a daughter paired with her mother and the ways that they connect and support each other through the years.

This first novel is a lyrical success that readers won’t want to put down. Check out Saltwater by Jessica Andrews, a unique new voice in British fiction, and find out for yourself what happens from start to finish.