Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

Boots!

Where would we be without boos?

Where would we be without good?

No to bird.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we be without books?

From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblatt.

This is Bookworm, and today we have a guest who's written a novel.

It's a first novel called The Deeper, the Water, the Uglier,

the Fish.

Her name is Katja Apakina.

This book came out nearly a year ago.

You know, I'm always asking people what they're reading,

and a very common question has been,

have you read the deeper the water, the uglier the fish?

Well, no, I hadn't.

And because I rather like the publisher, which is a press called Two Dollar Radio,

the publisher told me this is the best book they've ever published.

Well, I read it and I became completely absorbed by it. I have to say,

I didn't expect to be. I honestly didn't expect to be. I wouldn't have said it was the kind

of thing I like. It's the kind of thing you guys like, my listeners.

...