If I Knew You Were Going to Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go

“A wise, clear look at what it was to be a young woman at a singular time in our country…a beautiful, accomplished book.”—Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in Trucks

It is 1972, and America is losing its innocence. So are the girls of Elephant Beach, a working-class town on the edge of Long Island. Families come here from the city to escape, to protect their kids, but even with the smell of the sea in the air and the quaint bungalow houses lining the streets, trouble can be found if you’re looking for it: drinking and drugs, racial tensions and bar fights, alluring young men back from Vietnam with damage that is not always visible. Soaked in the atmosphere of a once idyllic place undergoing tumultuous change, observant and wise about the struggles young women face, these are beautiful portraits of mothers and daughters, men and women, haves and have-nots that capture the eternal struggle between holding on to what we have, and daring to hope for something more.

READERS GUIDE INSIDEPraise for Judy Chicurel's If I Knew You Were Going to Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go

"Chicurel has the ability to sketch characters so real we can feel their breath on the back of our necks, their voices in our ears, and we come to care deeply about all of them. Her sense of place, and of the 1970s, is indelible.... The writing is clear and lovely.... a novel that brilliantly shines." —The Boston Globe

“[A] beautiful and honest coming-of-age story.… a stunningly evocative portrait of a down-on-its-luck town and its people.” —Booklist, starred review

"Chicurel's perfect pitch for the characters' patter ... is blunt, cynical, often profane and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.... The author's masterful writing makes this short stay in Elephant Beach worthwhile." —Kirkus Reviews

“If I Knew You Were Going to Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go is a startling book of linked stories. This is not just another ‘coming of age’ tale, but a wise, clear look at what it was to be a young woman at singular time in our country. Chicurel’s portrait of a small town in the ’70s speaks volumes about who we are as a culture. ‘Debut collection’ is misleading here. This is a beautiful, accomplished book.” —Katie Crouch, New York Times–bestselling author of Girls in Trucks and Abroad

"A provocative story of unlikely friendships, unmatched compassion and learning to accept downtrodden people for who they are. With prose as clear as glass and words that carry even the most complicated of images, Chicurel reveals her characters’ best moments, their worst moments and moments of which they may only dream. The book reminds us that sometimes, something as simple as a beachfront view is enough to make something beautiful. And other times, the best things are in front of us without our knowing it." —Bookpage

“If I Knew You Were Going to Be This Beautiful, I Never Would Have Let You Go is a dazzling debut collection that brings to mind the books of Richard Price and the films of Martin Scorsese. The characters in the stories burrow deeply under your skin and stay there. Wonderful, vivid, funny, heart-wrenching and authentic. I did not want this book to end.” —Julie Klam, New York Times–bestselling author of Friendkeeping

"A wonderful coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War." —Hannah Beckerman, author of The Dead Wife's HandbookJudy Chicurel’s work has appeared in regional, national, and international publications, including The New York Times, Newsday, and Granta. Her plays have been produced and performed in Manhattan. She lives by the water in Brooklyn, New York.