I am not a fan of novels about novelists. It feels a little self-serving … and do we trust them to tell the truth? Is being a writer really like writers portray their profession in fiction? I think not.
But I am a fan of Erin Bartels. I thought The Words Between Us was absolutely brilliant, so when I saw The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water available as a review copy, I immediately clicked. With that title and that cover image, wouldn’t you?
Then I read the book description and I wasn’t so sure:
The best fiction simply tells the truth.
But the truth is never simple.
When novelist 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. The plan? To confront Tyler, her childhood best friend’s brother–and the man who inspired the antagonist in her first book. If she can prove that she told the truth about what happened during those long-ago summers, perhaps she can put the letter’s claims to rest and meet the swiftly approaching deadline for her next book.
But what she discovers as she delves into the murky past is not what she expected. While facing Tyler isn’t easy, facing the consequences of her failed friendship with his sister, Cami, may be the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.
Plumb the depths of the human heart with this emotional 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.
But I gave it a go because, well, Erin Bartels. And that cover. And the title.
And I’m glad I did.
The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water was brilliant. It’s a compelling story about a wounded character who doesn’t give up her secrets easily, or the secrets she knows about other people. It’s a multi-layered story that is good on the outside and even better underneath. It’s a (mostly) made-up story that rings true because it’s anchored in truth, in the way real people think and feel and act.
It’s a story that reminds us that our truth is not the only truth, and reminds us that our past makes our present, and sometimes we have o to overcome that past in order to have a future.
What it isn’t is “classic” Christian fiction with nice Christian characters who pray and read their Bibles and go to church. But it is a powerful examination of truth, and it’s a story you won’t soon forget.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Erin Bartels
Erin Bartels is the award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things, The Words between Us, All That We Carried, and The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water (coming January 2022). Her short story “This Elegant Ruin” was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest and her poetry has been published by The Lyric. She lives in the capital city of a state that is 40% water, nestled somewhere between angry protesters on the Capitol lawn and couch-burning frat boys at Michigan State University. And yet, she claims it is really quite peaceful.
You can find The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water online at:
Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
