Like a Fish Denied a River

As a child, Jere Pfister would dig up her beloved pets and cry out to God, begging Him to bring them back to life. But death was not the only thing she feared. There was also the suffocating weight of secrets: secrets that kept the people she loved from living fully.

In this raw and unflinching memoir, Pfister takes readers on a deeply personal journey through a childhood shadowed by a church and a mother who both claimed to speak only the truth, yet built their foundations on lies. What begins as a child's desperate plea for resurrection becomes a woman's relentless quest for authenticity.

When confronted with the realization that she, too, was hiding behind laughter, masks, and the shame that had been planted in her heart, Pfister made a choice that would change everything. She began to write. She began to tell the truth.

From therapy sessions to stages, from intimate conversations with friends to encounters with renowned playwrights, Pfister courageously excavated the useless shame that had defined her for decades. But her journey toward authentic living began with the most important conversation of all: the one with her husband.

Like a Fish Denied a River is a testament to the transformative power of truth-telling and the courage required to live authentically in a world built on beautiful lies.