Rocky Mountain News January 24, 2003 Editor's note: The plight of the first-time novelist is often lamented in today's blockbuster-happy publishing climate. How does a gifted unknown writer gain attention amid the din? It's never easy. But with our ongoing First-Time Novelists series, we hope to help. We offer a roundup of amazing fiction debuts that have been released in the past six months or so, no-miss reads that would be laudable even if written by seasoned pros. They prove that there's a wealth of talented new authors in the wings—if only someone would announce their arrival. For a peek at the best writers you've never heard of, read on. A Mouthful of Air

By Amy Koppelman (MacAdam/Cage, 212 pages, $23).

Author's background: Koppelman's writing has appeared in The New York Observer and Lilith magazine. She lives in New York City with her husband, filmmaker Brian Koppelman, and their two children.

Plot in a nutshell: This is a tragic, touching tale of a privileged young woman desperately trying to regain herself. Julie is just home from a suicide attempt, due to post partum depression and long-harbored familial guilt and anger. From the outside looking in, Julie has an enviable lifestyle: a doting, understanding husband, a nanny, a joyous baby son – yet she feels totally unworthy of any of it. Haunting memories of her father prevent her from believing that her husband can really be a good and faithful man, and, even more importantly, accept her. When Julie becomes pregnant with her second child, she secretly forgoes her anti-depression drugs to breastfeed and bond with her new daughter. Taking her hopeless depression in hand, she tragically betrays those she loves.

Sample of proses: "But what Julie wants to do is walk over to him with her head held high. She wants to tell him that she's happily married, that she loves Ethan, that she's survived. She wants him, her father, to lift her in his arms, to hold her as he had when she was a little girl. She wants him to tell her that it's okay: okay for her to be happily married, to love her husband, to live a life separate from him."

Author reminds me of: Jane Hamilton, in The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World.

Best reason to read: With skillful prose, this cautionary tale, though difficult to read, will stay with. Julie's constant inner dialogue and doubt may seem hauntingly familiar, an indication of Koppelman¹s ability to bring her reader in. – Justin Matott

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