"It’s just me and the water, the truest love story I have ever known."
So I really enjoyed this story! As many of you know, I have a pretty hardcore swimming background, and I get giddy excited for a swimming book! In Breath Like Water, the story is a swimming one for sure, but it also deals a lot with mental health and just growing up in general. So let me tell you all the great stuff about it, and maybe the one thing I had some issues with!
What I Loved:
- ► Swimming, swimming, so much swimming! I adore swimming books! And the author did get quite a bit of the feelings part down! It's such a different kind of sport, and I think the author does that justice. It occupies such a huge part of Susannah's life, which is so accurate for any serious swimmer. You don't see the sunlight in the winters, basically, which the author even mentions! And I appreciated seeing Susannah's commitment to it, because there is just not enough of that in books, especially books with women characters.
- ► Talking about body change impact. This never impacted me personally, but I know so many female athletes who struggled with this, especially in swimming. I was never long nor lean, and at 37 I still have no actual "womanly curves" to speak of, but so many swimmers in their youth have the long, lithe frame that is so easy to get through the water. And as they grow older, things change. And try as they may, their bodies just don't react the same way they used to. This is a huge thing for Susannah, and I loved that the author not only addresses it, but the steps to overcoming it. There's also talk about injury and pushing our bodies too hard, which is a big thing as well.
- ►Sometimes you need to throw the whole coach away. I have said it before, and I'll say it again: I am so, so lucky to have had incredible youth coaches. My age group, high school, and summer coaches were some of the most incredible human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. My college coach was... problematic. Much less problematic than Susannah's coach, but when I look back at why I didn't do as well in college as in high school, it's not a big shock as to part of the problem. Susannah thinks she needs this guy at first, can't be a champion without him, and the trajectory the story takes is quite positive in that regard.
- ►Susannah's family is so supportive! They can clash at times because they don't really understand why Susannah is so all-in to swimming. And this frustrates Susannah, which is understandable. But I couldn't help but think about the flip side- when your parents are over-involved and even though they're coming from a good place, it's stifling. So I really enjoyed seeing this other side of the coin! But they have sacrificed over and over to help Susannah's career, and they are always 100% in her corner, which is kind of the best part. I also love how close she is with her mom!
- ►Big focus on mental health, and being a good support. Susannah's boyfriend is going through some really rough stuff, and I thought the author handled it very delicately and appropriately. This storyline also illustrates how to be a good support system for someone who needs you to be there for them at a low point, and I think that is a lesson many more people need to hear.
The One Thing I Had Issues With:
- ►Oddly enough... the swimming! Not that it was a huge focal point, goodness no! And look- I will say upfront that if you didn't live and die by the water, you're probably not going to notice or care about this whatsoever. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't bug me a bit. I also did read an uncorrected proof, so my hope is that it IS corrected, and this is moot! But since I cannot leave my house to check... here we are. Susannah's main event is the 200 and 400 I.M. Which is the 200/400 (yards or meters, depending on the pool/event) Individual Medley. The book, however, keeps calling it an "Intermediate Medley" and that is just not a thing. It also calls the Medley Relay an "I.M Relay" which isn't a thing because by definition, the I.M. is Individual. Then Susannah says "one thing I refuse to do is grow out my leg hair for the ritual shave before big meets". Okay first of all, that isn't why you do it. It's the whole regular season drag versus reduced drag and increased skin sensitivity taper meet Second, it isn't optional! Especially for an Olympic-caliber athlete. My high school coach made us sign a straight up contract that we would abide by this stuff. Also you cannot put bubbles in a pool, you will ruin the filter. This I know from personally watching some incredibly uninformed people using shampoo in the pool when the showers broke. Just... you can't.
Bottom Line: A lovely story about perseverance, hope, and discovering who we are and who we want to be, I definitely recommend!