Becalming is a richly layered tale of a daughter untangling the myths and silences of her family’s past. Wry, intimate, and evocative, the novel spans oceans and decades to ask how memory survives translation—and what we owe to the stories we tell ourselves to stay afloat

~ Weike Wang, author of Chemistry and Rental House

Becalming is an exhilarating, propulsive, rollercoaster of a read, a novel so un-put-downable I devoured it in a weekend. Gosia is an unforgettable character expertly rendered—beautifully flawed, complex, and whip-smart—and watching her navigate the tangled web of adulthood, family, love, and passion is as funny as it is deeply heartfelt. Becalming is an achingly discerning portrayal of the messy business of growing up, feeling lost, and trying to fit in, and a profound exploration on how to survive finding yourself.
~ Ayelet Tsabari, author of Songs for the Brokenhearted

A masterfully woven constellation of funny, complicated, and heartfelt characters who grapple with what it means to be claimed by love and kinship and remind us that no matter how old, we are always coming of age.
~ Carrianne Leung, author of That Time I Loved You

There is nothing calm about Aga Maksimowska’s novel. It is a wild, intoxicating story—equal parts desire and duty—of what it means to be fully human. Gorgeous.
~ Helen Humphreys, author of Followed by the Lark

A richly drawn, sharply observed novel about the alienation of young adulthood and the tumultuous search for a love strong enough to survive disenchantment and despair. 
~ Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation and Weather

A penetrating portrayal of the deceptions we tell ourselves and others, the stories we cling to, and the stories we try to change. Drawn with tight and energetic prose, Maksimowska’s wonderfully complicated characters made me wince and laugh and nod in recognition as they struggle with the impossibility of ever truly knowing others or themselves.
~ Tanis Rideout, author of The Sea Between Two Shores

Full of precise descriptions and insights that read as brilliant and conversational, Maksimowska has created a world both intimate and expansive, that anyone who has ever questioned their life will relate to deeply. A wonderful and essential read.

~ Danila Botha, author of A Place For People Like Us