Grabowski's novel unpacks the events surrounding the sudden death of a teen in a small depressed MA town. The story is told through the voices of 10 women - young and old, who are adjacent to, part of, on the periphery, or deeply impacted by the young girl's death. The storytelling is circular - the individual narratives dip in and out of time, going backwards and forwards, moving the plot along while also retelling certain events from different perspectives. There is nothing rudimentary about the very modern tragic story that Grabowski novel unspools, yet it is also a tale as old as time - young girls on the cusp of womanhood, older women reflecting back on their youth. Throughout, I wanted the girls to listen more to the mothers and the mothers to listen more their daughters! Highly recommend for lovers of women-first literary fiction, Thank you to NetGalley, Zando Projects, and SJP Lit for the e-Arc.

In a small town in Massachusetts, the sudden and somewhat mysterious death of a local teenage girl triggers a sense of urgency among ten women to unpack their roles and responsibilities in relation to the death and their respective communities.

I think authors who write literary fiction have the unique skill of sharing stunning observations about the human experience that at once make me feel seen and like I'm learning something about myself for the first time. Grabowski has some knock-out insights and prose and provides an insightful portrait of what it's like to occupy liminal spaces, especially as women in our society. A really wondrous debut.

Interesting story of the death of a young woman told through multiple points of view. Good writing and compelling storytelling.Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Alina Grabowski's intricate debut novel, “Women and Children First'' is a sophisticated and nuanced treatment of the challenges facing families trying to find their way in the rough passageways of 21st Century America.

Life is not easy in a hardscrabble Massachusetts coastal beach town. Everyone knows everyone’s business, of course, and inter-mingling is not always kept on the social and psychological level. It’s the women and girls who do all the heavy lifting (as always). The adults are “faking it until they make it” as parents, educators, and counselors. The teens and pre-teens are forced to grow up fast, with heartwarming resiliency and heartbreaking tragedy the inevitable outcomes. Trust is hard to come by.

While reading, I felt that I should be paying closer attention to details in order to pick up foreshadowing clues about what may have happened with Lucy; “Women and Children First” is a mystery, after all. But I don't because I'm mesmerized by the sentences, especially amused by the clever and (LOL) witty dialog. It’s that well-written. The chapter structure with multiple narrative points-of-view required me to keep a list of characters that evolved into a map of inter-relationships.

I look forward to seeing how this book is marketed (and shelved in school and public libraries). Grabowski has written a mystery that is literary fiction at its core. Well done!

Thanks to SJP Lit and NetGalley for the eARC.

Multiple points of view about the death of a young woman in the town where all the characters reside. Very good writing and an interesting way of storytelling. Four stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.