Genre:
Contemporary
Contemporary
The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water
by Erin Bartels
| -From Goodreads- When Kendra Brennan moves into her grandfather's old cabin on Hidden Lake, she has a problem and a plan. The problem? An inflammatory letter from A Very Disappointed Reader that's keeping her from writing her next novel as long as its claims go unanswered. The plan? To confront Tyler, her childhood best friend's brother--and the man who inspired the antagonist in her first book--in order to prove to herself that she told the truth as all good novelists should. What she discovers as she delves into the murky past is not what she expected. Facing Tyler isn't easy, but facing the truth of her failed friendship with his sister, Cami, may be the hardest thing she's ever had to do. Award-winning novelist Erin Bartels searches the heart with this lyrical exploration of how a friendship dies, how we can face the unforgivable, and how even those who have been hurt can learn to love with abandon. ISBN-13: 9780800738372 Do any of us know the real truth? I can only imagine how difficult this book was for the author to write. In all honesty, there were times that it wasn't the easiest to read. But it was real. Messily, heart-achingly real. There are many things I'd like to say about The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water but I'm afraid I would give too much of the story away. I will simply do my best. |  This Book received a 4 Bark rating.
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Of the two Erin Bartels books that I've read this one was the most emotion driven. The layers that make up the story are so skillfully intertwined, the past and present building one on the other, creating a multi-faceted gem that sparks thought and introspection on the part of the reader. The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water does not judge and gives no clear one-size-fits-all answers. Instead through fiction Erin Bartels explores the hard to answers questions and little nuances of each person's story.
One of the things I found fascinating about The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water was the format it was written in. Erin Bartels's choice to write the story from the perspective of her heroine writing a series of letters to an absent friend as she traverses and comes to terms with their shared past and uncovers decades of hidden secrets was masterful and a stroke of genius. It allows the story to become personal at a completely different level.
Every year I read one or two stories that are emotionally moving in a way no other reading in that same time period. I strongly suspect that The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water is one of those books for this year. Erin Bartels's sometimes raw storytelling in this book may easily be the catalyst for many to rip off the secrets and shame of the past and allow the balm of healing and forgiveness to do its work. Though, those first steps may be some of the hardest ones to make...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels a 4 Bark rating.
One of the things I found fascinating about The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water was the format it was written in. Erin Bartels's choice to write the story from the perspective of her heroine writing a series of letters to an absent friend as she traverses and comes to terms with their shared past and uncovers decades of hidden secrets was masterful and a stroke of genius. It allows the story to become personal at a completely different level.
Every year I read one or two stories that are emotionally moving in a way no other reading in that same time period. I strongly suspect that The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water is one of those books for this year. Erin Bartels's sometimes raw storytelling in this book may easily be the catalyst for many to rip off the secrets and shame of the past and allow the balm of healing and forgiveness to do its work. Though, those first steps may be some of the hardest ones to make...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels a 4 Bark rating.
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