Breathing Water

by T. Greenwood

Book Overview

Startling and fresh. . .ripe with originality. -- San Diego Union-Tribune Three years after leaving Lake Gormlaith, Vermont, Effie Greer is coming home. The unspoiled lake, surrounded by dense woods and patches of wild blueberries, is the place where she spent idyllic childhood summers at her grandparents' cottage. And it's where Effie's tempestuous relationship with her college boyfriend, Max, culminated in a tragedy she can never forget. Effie had...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758238754
• ISBN13: 9780758238757
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A rare gem of a book

BREATHING WATER is the story of Effie Greer, a young woman who returns to her childhood home to come to terms with her past---a past full of self-loathing, and an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Max.As Effie relives the nightmare of her relationship, she slowly comes to terms with her part in an accident involving Max and resulting in the death of a child, she also finds her chance at vindication.With its skillfull storytelling, well defined characters and its metaphors of violence hidden in lyrical prose, you sometimes find it hard to imagine that this is T.Greenwood's first novel. She is an exceptional talent who delivers an impressive and unforgettable debut novel that should not be overlooked.

A WELL-WRITTEN, INVOLVING READ

I certainly hope that any potential reader that stumbles across this book doesn't make the mistake of pigeonholing it as a 'women's novel' -- the author is a woman, yes, and she's dealing with a subject that affects (too many) women, domestic abuse. This novel is one that should appeal to a broad variety of readers -- anyone who appreciates a well-written, intelligently conceived story that deals so convincingly with such an important topic. The quoted kudos on the back cover (hardback edition) from such luminaries as Larry McMurtry and Howard Frank Mosher should give a clue as to the talent at work here.Greenwood's characterizations are honest and complete -- warts and all, as they say. No character is without flaws, which adds to the overall feeling of believability. The reader might be tempted to chastise Effie Greer for not seperating herself sooner from the man who beats and abuses her -- but here, as in real life, there are many emotions and feelings at play. The abused is torn -- between what she knows in an intellectual sense is the right thing for her to do, and what her emotions are trying to convince her to do, to hang on and hope against hope that 'things will get better'. There are hard decisions to be made in such a situation in 'real life', and they are no easier for Effie to make in this novel.The subject -- and part of the book as well -- is dark, but this work also contains optimism and hope, and is ultimately an uplifting reading experience. Greenwood's other novel, NEARER THAN THE SKY, is equally rewarding. The quality of these two novels gives me cause to look forward to more from this talented writer.

Where Love Sometimes Takes Us...

Breathing Water is a first novel of remarkable depth and sophistication. It is a compelling and ingenious story of a young woman who is in grave trouble. She has, for reasons that are incomprehensible to herself, fallen from a state of childhood grace into an adult world of pain, self-loathing and confusion. A world where good intentions are rewarded with hatred and a caring, loving gesture is reciprocated with violence. A world that presents NO opportunity for escape once it has been entered. Or so it seems to the protagonist, Effie, when we first meet her.This slide from innocence is precipitated by Effie's becoming involved while away at school with a man who is badly damaged psychologically. A man who initially seems attentive, loving and sensitive but quickly reveals an abusive inability to love and a penchant for blaming his partner for this disability. Although the book is situated for the most part in the time after Effie leaves this man, their relationship is developed in a series of retrospective chapters. It is a devastating description of an aberrant attachment that is freighted with tremendous guilt and sorrow. And violence of murderous proportion. An attachment that can only lead in the end to tragedy, remorse and suffering.But as the title suggests, it is possible in a certain sense to be actively, chronically drowning and yet not die. To get to the point where what seems like it would surely kill comes to be the very thing that is paradoxically sustaining. But at what cost? With what consequence? These are the questions that are intensively examined by T. Greenwood in this emotionally rich, bittersweet work of the heart. Breathing Water is a study of loss and redemption. A study of the effect of death on those who survive. And finally, an examination of that terrible state of mind where death has a hold but has not yet conquered the body. It is the path toward freedom from death's premature grip that informs the narrative structure of this splendid, well-constructed tale of love and devotion.

Greenwood gently breaths life into a difficult subject

As a therapist, I am always reluctant to read about abuse and family secrets, but Greenwood's book cover beckoned me, and her story & style did not disappoint. She tackles many aspects of the difficult subject of domestic abuse with language that is both realistic and poetic. She develops her central character, Effie, with human complexity and love. Finally, Greenwood acheives resolution for her character and narrative without resorting to a neat storybook ending. What a coup for a debut novel!

Superbly crafted and emotionally engrossing - a must read!!

T. Greenwood's BREATHING WATER is a superbly crafted novel about Effie Greer, a young woman in her 20s, who has suffered both physically and emotionally as the result of a long-term abusive relationship. The drowning of a young black girl at Effie's granparents' camp on Lake Gormlaith in Vermont propels the story of Effie's struggles with her mind, body and spirit over a period of about five years from 1991 to 1995. Greenwood lures the reader into the pages of BREATHING WATER and places him/her in every scene like a fly on the window who can neither speak nor be easily seen. The reader is drawn into the book by Greenwood's masterful use of descriptive and lyrical language. The characters have been carefully developed and each is an integral part of the story and of Effie's journey to self-realization and, ultimately, survival. I could not put this book down. I was gripped by its powerful themes and sensitive presentation. BREATHING WATER is a sad, tragic, sometimes funny, and heartwarming story which culminates with lots of answers, insights, and questions and finally a tear - mine.