Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Breath Like Water, which was written by Anna Jarzab, will be swimming into bookstores near you on May 19, 2020. This is one young adult novel you don’t want to miss, if only because it is so relevant to the society we live in today.
Breath Like Water tells the story of Susannah Ramos, a world champion swimmer who finds herself stuck in an inexplicable slowdown. With her athletic career in jeopardy, Susannah fights to regain her high status in her sport, all while dealing with drama from her swim coaches, the normal high school grind, and falling in love with her teammate, Harry Matthews. Plus, Harry has his own battles to face, and as much as Susannah wants to help him, she isn’t able to make as much of a difference as she wishes she could.
Something that I personally loved about this book is the diversity. Maybe it’s just the luck of the draw, but the majority of the books I’ve read have white characters as their protagonists. I loved that Susannah is Latina, and that we got to learn about her heritage. For example, the book uses some basic Spanish when Susannah communicates with her family, and we are invited into Susannah’s home for a holiday tamale party. It was a cool way to learn bits and pieces about the Latina culture. In addition to Susannah, one of her teammates, Amber, is African American. The young women often discuss how the color of their skin means they have to work significantly harder to reach their goals. I also love that the diversity extends to sexuality, and the novel has heterosexual couples and homosexual couples as key characters.
This book also shows plenty of examples of inequality between men and women, mostly in the sport of swimming. When a new female coach is hired at the swim club, it’s a shock to Susannah. When the head coach at the club announces a co-ed meet where the boys and girls will compete against each other, all the swimmers are shaken. Gender inequality in the sport of swimming and in society comes up frequently.
Further, this book dives deep into the world of mental health. Susannah describes herself as a worrier, and shows signs of someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder. She also sometimes finds herself drowning under the pressure her sport places on her shoulders. Her parents eventually find her a therapist to help her cope, and it seems to help. Harry, on the other hand, suffers from Bipolar Disorder and Depression. Every day is a battle for him to cope, but he is terrified to tell anyone because of the stigma that comes with severe mental illness. As Harry lets Susannah into his world, we learn about Bipolar Disorder with her, and what it means to be severely depressed. In subtle ways, Breath Like Water educates the reader on mental health and wellness, and can lead to conversations about mental health in our own society. It also tells the reader that if she suffers from a mental illness, whether her condition is mild or severe, that her feelings are valid and she is not alone.
Breath Like Water also touches on what it means to experience great loss. I think everyone has unfortunately experienced loss of some kind in their life, and can relate to this. Susannah drifts apart from friends, and almost loses Harry in this book. Susannah’s dream is to swim at the Olympics, and it doesn’t work out. Everything she spent years working for seems like it was for nothing, and Susannah has to figure out what to do now and how to cope. The book realistically portrays what it’s like to grieve, but it also shows how to pick yourself up and move on.
I personally really liked that this book didn’t have a perfect, happy ending. Too many stories out there are wrapped up with a nice bow at the end, but that’s not realistic. Life is unfair and unpredictable. For almost the whole book, we are counting down to the Olympic trials with Susannah, and then she fails. I was almost certain she would make a near impossible come-back to secure her spot on the Olympic team, but she doesn’t. Unfortunately, most Olympic hopefuls never actually make it either. Another example is with Harry battling his mental health, he can’t be in a relationship and Susannah and Harry don’t end up together. They do, however, remain good friends. I thought the book was brave to keep the story realistic and honest.
Despite the seriousness of the topics Breath Like Water dives into, the book still leaves me feeling hopeful. Susannah learns to see failure as an intersection, and pursues swimming in a different way after her Olympic dreams are no more. She also pursues new hobbies outside of the water. The strength and courage that Susannah shows throughout the book, from dealing with bullying coaches to injuries, is incredible. If Susannah can accomplish what she did, it makes me feel like I can do anything. Susannah still gets a happy ending, even if it’s not the one she expected. Ultimately, she’s happier because of it.
This book and its themes are relevant whether you are 13 or 30, and it will definitely suck you in on the first page. I read this 414 page book in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t put it down! It made me think a lot about the pursuit of happiness, and finding out who you are, which are both processes that never truly end.
If you would like to pre-order Breath Like Water or learn more, click here.
