Beyond the Baths of Stars: A Novel

Summary

A dazzling literary debut that reimagines The Odyssey and asks what power do we have to control our own fate when destiny feels pre-determined and the systems of the world are broken?

"Layers of storytelling run deep in BEYOND THE BATHS OF STARS. Distinctly Diasporic in breadth, Rancy poetically explores the heavy expectations placed on first generation children and the painful in-between-ness with which they must contend. Brave in its honesty and vulnerability, a wonderful debut." — Erin E. Adams, author of JACKAL and ONE OF YOU

Eurick Ulysse is irrevocably trapped: by poverty, by class, and by his immigrant parents’ expectations. Disillusioned by dead-end jobs, unaffordable college aspirations, and the doldrums of his South Florida hood, he resolves to piss his life away getting drunk with his friends on the beach. But the night Eurick drags a delirious and half-drowned Ana María Cortez out of the sea, everything changes.

Carefree, unconventional, and well-to-do, Ana comes from another world. She invites Eurick and his friends out on a wild joyride through the Miami streets, a night replete with casino runs, boat thefts, and strange surreal encounters. Soon, Eurick finds himself rebelling against every constraint that’s ever held him back. It isn’t long before he realizes just how trapped he is, growing more and more desperate to do whatever it takes to escape.

Will one night of freedom allow Eurick to see another kind of life for himself? Or will it show him a future that remains forever out of reach?

"Beyond The Baths of Stars is refreshing, cool, and young, but at no point does it forsake its poetry, lyrical achievement and experimental quality. Schneider K. Rancy is a potent new voice, and a rightful heir to the traditions he inhabits." — Julia Kornberg, author of Berlin Atomized