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Underwater Breathing
On Yorkshire's gradually-crumbling mud cliffs sits an Edwardian seaside house. In the bathroom, Jacob and Ella hide from their parents' passionate arguments by playing the 'Underwater Breathing' game - until the day Jacob wakes to find his mother and sister gone.
Years later, the sea's creeping closer, his father is losing touch with reality and Jacob is trapped in his past. Then, Ella's sudden reappearance forces him to confront his fractured childhood. As the truth about their parents emerges, it's clear that Jacob's time hiding beneath the water is coming to an end.
Years later, the sea's creeping closer, his father is losing touch with reality and Jacob is trapped in his past. Then, Ella's sudden reappearance forces him to confront his fractured childhood. As the truth about their parents emerges, it's clear that Jacob's time hiding beneath the water is coming to an end.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2018
19 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Parkin
14 books131 followersCassandra Parkin grew up in Hull, and now lives in East Yorkshire. Her short story collection, New World Fairy Tales (Salt Publishing, 2011), won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories and her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.
The Summer We All Ran Away (Legend Press, 2013) was Cassandra's debut novel.
Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. The Beach Hut (Legend Press, 2015) is her second novel.
Visit Cassandra at cassandraparkin.wordpress.com or on Twitter @cassandrajaneuk
The Summer We All Ran Away (Legend Press, 2013) was Cassandra's debut novel.
Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. The Beach Hut (Legend Press, 2015) is her second novel.
Visit Cassandra at cassandraparkin.wordpress.com or on Twitter @cassandrajaneuk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 17, 2018
I'm drowning underwater
In the windows of my mind
Love keeps me chained forever
Life's is cruel and so unkind
I'm drowning underwater
Way beneath the sea
In the quiet and tranquility
The truth I finally see
I finally reach the surface
The windows are thrown wide
The sun cast's her light upon me
And truth walks by my side
Life is for the living
Love she holds the key
Sometimes we have to walk away
In order to be free.
Shirley.
Update.
The Yorkshire coast is gradually losing land to the sea. On the cliff top where Jacob and Ella's parents live there are just two houses left standing. One of the houses is dangerously close to the cliff top and this belongs to Mrs Parker a widow. Mrs Parker is reluctant to make friends with anyone she just isn't the neighbourly type and just wants to be left alone. A short distance away live Ella and Jacob along with their parents.
Jacobs and Ella's parents have a troubled marriage and the children hear them constantly arguing.
Their mother is living in fear of someone finding her but just who is she really running from?
The house has virtually become her prison with fear her jailer. She sleeps all day and young Ella is left alone to her own devices. Just why is she sleeping the day away instead of looking after her young daughter? Then one day everything changes in the blink of an eye when Ella and her mother go missing. Life will never be the same again for Jacob and his father.
This is a story about finding the truth no matter how hard this can be. When everything we believed is not how we perceived it at the time. It's also story about how love was sometimes not meant to be. For Jacob and Ella this will mean they will have to grasp their fears and finally learn how to breath underwater if they are going to live again.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narration was really good and made the story come alive for me. This is the first story I have listened to by this author and it certainly won't be the last.
In the windows of my mind
Love keeps me chained forever
Life's is cruel and so unkind
I'm drowning underwater
Way beneath the sea
In the quiet and tranquility
The truth I finally see
I finally reach the surface
The windows are thrown wide
The sun cast's her light upon me
And truth walks by my side
Life is for the living
Love she holds the key
Sometimes we have to walk away
In order to be free.
Shirley.
Update.
The Yorkshire coast is gradually losing land to the sea. On the cliff top where Jacob and Ella's parents live there are just two houses left standing. One of the houses is dangerously close to the cliff top and this belongs to Mrs Parker a widow. Mrs Parker is reluctant to make friends with anyone she just isn't the neighbourly type and just wants to be left alone. A short distance away live Ella and Jacob along with their parents.
Jacobs and Ella's parents have a troubled marriage and the children hear them constantly arguing.
Their mother is living in fear of someone finding her but just who is she really running from?
The house has virtually become her prison with fear her jailer. She sleeps all day and young Ella is left alone to her own devices. Just why is she sleeping the day away instead of looking after her young daughter? Then one day everything changes in the blink of an eye when Ella and her mother go missing. Life will never be the same again for Jacob and his father.
This is a story about finding the truth no matter how hard this can be. When everything we believed is not how we perceived it at the time. It's also story about how love was sometimes not meant to be. For Jacob and Ella this will mean they will have to grasp their fears and finally learn how to breath underwater if they are going to live again.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narration was really good and made the story come alive for me. This is the first story I have listened to by this author and it certainly won't be the last.
May 8, 2018
Jacob and Ella's parents have purchased a home on the crumbling cliffs of Yorkshire. There is one other home on the cliff, owned by Mrs. Armitage, that sits closer to the edge. Eventually the cliffs will crumble and both homes will fall into the sea. Sounds like a great place to live, right? Add in the "passionate" fights of their parents – and you have two unsettled kids as nothing in their life seems stable. Sixteen-year-old Jacob and six-year-old Ella hide in the bathroom during their parent's fights and practice "breathing underwater." Ella is afraid that their house will one day fall into the sea, so they practice their underwater breathing so that they can survive if the house does crumble into the sea below.
This is an interesting family. Why does Jacob go to school while Ella is home-schooled? Why does Ella's mother sleep for long periods of time? Why does Mrs. Armitage not seem concerned that her home will one day fall into the sea as well? She appears to accept this as she goes about her business each day. She often goes out on her little boat and has an affinity for the sea. Has she been practicing her underwater breathing as well? Why is she not afraid?
Why did Ella and her Mother disappear one night? What secrets did their parents have? How will Ella's re-appearance back into Jacob's life change things? Because she does re-appear about 10 years later -making Jacob around 26 years old and Ella around 16 years old. Think about that when you get towards the end of the book.
There are a lot of secrets in this book and a lot of questions. This book is well-written and is an interesting premise. What happens when you learn the "truth". When you think you know the story of your life, but it turns out you only knew a footnote? It is interesting when one sibling remembers things one way and the other sibling does not. I enjoyed this book but there were parts where I felt underwhelmed and other parts that had some ick factor. There were also parts that shined making this book a hard book to rate. This is one instance where I may change my rating after thinking about the book more. This book did have atmosphere, with the cliffs and the sea below, but I think it would have worked better with a more Gothic feel to it. Perhaps it would have set the mood more for me.
I’m teetering between a 3 and a 3.5 for this one. Right now I will keep it a 3 star rating.
Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
This is an interesting family. Why does Jacob go to school while Ella is home-schooled? Why does Ella's mother sleep for long periods of time? Why does Mrs. Armitage not seem concerned that her home will one day fall into the sea as well? She appears to accept this as she goes about her business each day. She often goes out on her little boat and has an affinity for the sea. Has she been practicing her underwater breathing as well? Why is she not afraid?
Why did Ella and her Mother disappear one night? What secrets did their parents have? How will Ella's re-appearance back into Jacob's life change things? Because she does re-appear about 10 years later -making Jacob around 26 years old and Ella around 16 years old. Think about that when you get towards the end of the book.
There are a lot of secrets in this book and a lot of questions. This book is well-written and is an interesting premise. What happens when you learn the "truth". When you think you know the story of your life, but it turns out you only knew a footnote? It is interesting when one sibling remembers things one way and the other sibling does not. I enjoyed this book but there were parts where I felt underwhelmed and other parts that had some ick factor. There were also parts that shined making this book a hard book to rate. This is one instance where I may change my rating after thinking about the book more. This book did have atmosphere, with the cliffs and the sea below, but I think it would have worked better with a more Gothic feel to it. Perhaps it would have set the mood more for me.
I’m teetering between a 3 and a 3.5 for this one. Right now I will keep it a 3 star rating.
Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
June 15, 2018
This introduces a brother and sister, Jacob and Ella.
Their parents seem to have heated arguments passionate and inflamed while Jacob and Ella practice underwater breathing in one of the bathrooms.
It seems they have selected a home to live in which is on the edge of cliffs which will eventually eat away and destroy their home and even kill them if still living in it. Ella doesn't like living too near where she can look over and see the sea that will eventually take away they're home. Imagine, its scary for us adults let alone a child.
Just who are the parents running away from?
Ella is home schooled by her Mother but her Mom seems to sleep a lot. Ella has taken an unusual friendship with an older lady who is the only other resident near and who herself is even closer to the edge of her house bulking over into the sea but this doesn't seem to faze her new neighbour as much as it does her.
Without giving too much away of this outstanding read, the Mother goes missing, and so does Ella.
Some ten years later Ella returns.
Jacob meanwhile has been the sole carer for his boozy Father who now seems to have some sort of dementia.
There are a heap of hidden gems within the pages of this book which surprised me, I ended up absolutely loving this book and looking for more to read by this author.
Its so cleverly written and so quietly written that as you read along you understand more and more.
Just what secrets are people hiding and as for living on the edge of a cliff, that was so atmospheric indeed.
I HAVE A GIVEAWAY FOR THIS BOOK
ON MY BLOG
UK ONLY
OPEN UNTIL 4TH MAY
https://readalongwithsue.blogspot.co....
Their parents seem to have heated arguments passionate and inflamed while Jacob and Ella practice underwater breathing in one of the bathrooms.
It seems they have selected a home to live in which is on the edge of cliffs which will eventually eat away and destroy their home and even kill them if still living in it. Ella doesn't like living too near where she can look over and see the sea that will eventually take away they're home. Imagine, its scary for us adults let alone a child.
Just who are the parents running away from?
Ella is home schooled by her Mother but her Mom seems to sleep a lot. Ella has taken an unusual friendship with an older lady who is the only other resident near and who herself is even closer to the edge of her house bulking over into the sea but this doesn't seem to faze her new neighbour as much as it does her.
Without giving too much away of this outstanding read, the Mother goes missing, and so does Ella.
Some ten years later Ella returns.
Jacob meanwhile has been the sole carer for his boozy Father who now seems to have some sort of dementia.
There are a heap of hidden gems within the pages of this book which surprised me, I ended up absolutely loving this book and looking for more to read by this author.
Its so cleverly written and so quietly written that as you read along you understand more and more.
Just what secrets are people hiding and as for living on the edge of a cliff, that was so atmospheric indeed.
I HAVE A GIVEAWAY FOR THIS BOOK
ON MY BLOG
UK ONLY
OPEN UNTIL 4TH MAY
https://readalongwithsue.blogspot.co....
July 18, 2018
High on a Yorkshire cliff lives a dysfunctional family. Mother Maggie, father Richard, sixteen year-old son Jacob, and his half-sister, seven year-old Ella. The house, like the family itself, is getting perilously close to destruction due to shore erosion. Jacob, who cares deeply for his little sister, tries his best to distract her from the increasingly volatile arguments and domestic strife between his mother and father. He takes her up to the turret bathroom in the old house where they play games of timing each other as to who can hold their breathe underwater the longest. Jacob wants Ella to be so concentrated on this game that she will not be stressed out by their parents' fighting.
Although Jacob goes to school, Ella does not. She is home-schooled by her mother. This state of affairs leaves the little girl often lonely, bored, and friendless as her mother quite often sleeps during the day. Ella is constantly anxious. She fears the sea - in particular she is afraid that her house will tumble to the sea. One day that Ella is particularly lonely, with her toy pony 'Rainbow Dash' in hand, she visits the dour and solitary next door neighbour, Mrs. Armitage. This lonely and childless woman acts as a sort of surrogate parent for Ella. Much to Mrs. Armitage's denial and distress she comes to care deeply for the little waif. Ella visits become more and more frequent over time. Mrs. Armitage buys special cookies for Ella - and paper and pencils for her many drawings...
"Of course, she hadn't been hoping Ella would visit. She didn't like visitors. But when you found yourself accidentally inviting them anyway, it was best to be prepared."
Mrs. Armitage is a strong, independent woman. She is a widow, and a scuba diver. She lost her husband to the sea when his boat went down off the coast. Now, she finds comfort underwater - the quiet, the solitude...
After one particularly distressful evening of fighting, Ella vanishes, along with her mother... Jacob can never forget his little sister and carries deep regret with him into adulthood.
Then, we fast forward to Jacob a decade later. He now works as a school teacher and he cares for his father. Though not yet sixty years old, Richard suffers from early onset dementia due in part to his excessive drinking. Jacob shares the care of his often confused, paranoid, and sometimes violent father with the woman next door, Mrs. Armitage. He loves his father, but finds himself increasingly resentful, despairing, and full of rage at the state of their lives. His father's unpredictable and abusive behavior is written so realistically that you will weep.
When Ella returns to the house a decade after she left, Jacob is overjoyed. He adores her. Their father seems to have no memory of Ella and refers to her as Jacob's girlfriend. Ella's return marks a turning point in all of their lives.
"Human beings were strong.
They could survive far more pain than they wanted to believe."
When a fierce storm hits the headland, the impact is felt irrevocably by Jacob, Ella, and Mrs. Armitage. For the storm is not only a physical storm - it is an emotional storm as well.
MY THOUGHTS
What a moving and powerful novel! The deeply dysfunctional family and the damaged yet sympathetic neigbour were unforgettable characters. Mrs. Armitage was by far my favourite character and I felt bereft when I finished the book. The writing was beautiful. The atmospheric setting - a crumbling cliff overlooking the North Sea immersed the reader in a foreboding and almost sensual way.
I loved this book. You might not be comfortable with some of the subject matter, but you cannot help but be moved by it. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel directly from Legend Press. This unbiased review is my way of saying thanks.
Although Jacob goes to school, Ella does not. She is home-schooled by her mother. This state of affairs leaves the little girl often lonely, bored, and friendless as her mother quite often sleeps during the day. Ella is constantly anxious. She fears the sea - in particular she is afraid that her house will tumble to the sea. One day that Ella is particularly lonely, with her toy pony 'Rainbow Dash' in hand, she visits the dour and solitary next door neighbour, Mrs. Armitage. This lonely and childless woman acts as a sort of surrogate parent for Ella. Much to Mrs. Armitage's denial and distress she comes to care deeply for the little waif. Ella visits become more and more frequent over time. Mrs. Armitage buys special cookies for Ella - and paper and pencils for her many drawings...
"Of course, she hadn't been hoping Ella would visit. She didn't like visitors. But when you found yourself accidentally inviting them anyway, it was best to be prepared."
Mrs. Armitage is a strong, independent woman. She is a widow, and a scuba diver. She lost her husband to the sea when his boat went down off the coast. Now, she finds comfort underwater - the quiet, the solitude...
After one particularly distressful evening of fighting, Ella vanishes, along with her mother... Jacob can never forget his little sister and carries deep regret with him into adulthood.
Then, we fast forward to Jacob a decade later. He now works as a school teacher and he cares for his father. Though not yet sixty years old, Richard suffers from early onset dementia due in part to his excessive drinking. Jacob shares the care of his often confused, paranoid, and sometimes violent father with the woman next door, Mrs. Armitage. He loves his father, but finds himself increasingly resentful, despairing, and full of rage at the state of their lives. His father's unpredictable and abusive behavior is written so realistically that you will weep.
When Ella returns to the house a decade after she left, Jacob is overjoyed. He adores her. Their father seems to have no memory of Ella and refers to her as Jacob's girlfriend. Ella's return marks a turning point in all of their lives.
"Human beings were strong.
They could survive far more pain than they wanted to believe."
When a fierce storm hits the headland, the impact is felt irrevocably by Jacob, Ella, and Mrs. Armitage. For the storm is not only a physical storm - it is an emotional storm as well.
MY THOUGHTS
What a moving and powerful novel! The deeply dysfunctional family and the damaged yet sympathetic neigbour were unforgettable characters. Mrs. Armitage was by far my favourite character and I felt bereft when I finished the book. The writing was beautiful. The atmospheric setting - a crumbling cliff overlooking the North Sea immersed the reader in a foreboding and almost sensual way.
I loved this book. You might not be comfortable with some of the subject matter, but you cannot help but be moved by it. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel directly from Legend Press. This unbiased review is my way of saying thanks.
May 21, 2018
I'm a big fan of Cassandra Parkin I enjoyed The Beach Hut, Lily's House and The Winter's Child but the story is good but I didn't quite fall in love with this story of Underwater Breathing, as I have in Cassandra's previous novels.
January 20, 2018
Reading this book was like being on a choppy sea myself - A GOOD choppy sea I have to make clear! An emotional, thrilling, and beautiful choppy sea. The backdrop of the ocean, and crumbling homes that might at any moment be swept away, was the perfect backdrop for Jacob and Ella, and their fragile existence in a house on the cliff edge. Ella and Jacob's stepmother disappear one stormy night, leaving behind Jacob and his broken, boozy father to struggle on together. When Ella returns - alone - ten years later, she brings the truth, love, and all the answers. This is a glorious, emotional novel about who we really are, where we belong in the world, and how truly at mercy we are to the events that shape us. I can't recommend it enough.
April 11, 2018
I always get excited when I see a new book from Cassandra Parkin, and justifiably so as this is another superb offering from her. So beautifully written, the enchanting story and characters had me totally captivated.
Ella and Jacob's childhood efforts to avoid their parents conflicts were bought to life through the underwater game they played. I could vividly imagine them in that cold and draughty bathroom, and admired Jacob's attempts to shield his sister from the parental arguments and see that she was cared for. Descriptions of the crumbling cliffs and surrounding coast were just beautiful, as was the overall story. Mrs Armitage, the solitary neighbour who, despite her intentions to the contrary, finds herself becoming involved with the family was such a finely drawn character and definitely my favourite. I loved the unravelling of her story and her part in Ella and Jacob's lives, especially towards the finale, it was so touching. The conclusion was tear inducingly perfect, rounding off a 5 star read that I can't recommend highly enough.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ella and Jacob's childhood efforts to avoid their parents conflicts were bought to life through the underwater game they played. I could vividly imagine them in that cold and draughty bathroom, and admired Jacob's attempts to shield his sister from the parental arguments and see that she was cared for. Descriptions of the crumbling cliffs and surrounding coast were just beautiful, as was the overall story. Mrs Armitage, the solitary neighbour who, despite her intentions to the contrary, finds herself becoming involved with the family was such a finely drawn character and definitely my favourite. I loved the unravelling of her story and her part in Ella and Jacob's lives, especially towards the finale, it was so touching. The conclusion was tear inducingly perfect, rounding off a 5 star read that I can't recommend highly enough.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2018
Did Quentin Blake write a book about Mrs Armitage? I'm afraid I couldn't get her out of my mind the whole time I read this!
As a whole,I liked Mrs Armitage character... her independence and bluntness.
I liked Jacob and Ella.
I enjoyed the way they lived with the ever present danger of parts of their garden and homes falling into the sea.
In fact up till three quarters through,I liked everything about the book.
But then the romance felt wrong,not morally,but for the characters,and then Mrs A became unlike herself....
The ending was too neat....
Definitely preferred the first part.
As a whole,I liked Mrs Armitage character... her independence and bluntness.
I liked Jacob and Ella.
I enjoyed the way they lived with the ever present danger of parts of their garden and homes falling into the sea.
In fact up till three quarters through,I liked everything about the book.
But then the romance felt wrong,not morally,but for the characters,and then Mrs A became unlike herself....
The ending was too neat....
Definitely preferred the first part.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2018
I was looking forward to reading this book after the The Winter’s Child, the author’s previous book was one of my top reads for 2017. I wasn’t disappointed. Jacob, Ella and Mrs Armitage were characters I enjoyed getting to know.
With narrative from 2008 and ‘now’ the reader sees the two children grow and their houses getting closer to the sea. Ella, aged seven, is petrified at the thought of this happening but her relationship with Jacob and her friendship with Mrs Armitage helped her.
I loved the sections that involved young Ella and Mrs Armitage. The author did a brilliant job of making a seven year old character a convincing one and the conversations she had with her older friend were amusing but poignant and I felt both of them enjoyed their friendship.
Ella’s role in ‘now’ wasn’t as prominent. Much of this concerns Jacob and his relationship with his father whose health is poor. It is a much darker side of the novel, a bit worrying at times and I did prefer the lighter alternative.
One of the most fascinating parts of the novel was the level of acceptance that their homes would be lost to the sea. How it seemed perfectly normal that you could suddenly lose most of your garden and eventually your home and just carry on regardless.
A unique and wonderful read.
With narrative from 2008 and ‘now’ the reader sees the two children grow and their houses getting closer to the sea. Ella, aged seven, is petrified at the thought of this happening but her relationship with Jacob and her friendship with Mrs Armitage helped her.
I loved the sections that involved young Ella and Mrs Armitage. The author did a brilliant job of making a seven year old character a convincing one and the conversations she had with her older friend were amusing but poignant and I felt both of them enjoyed their friendship.
Ella’s role in ‘now’ wasn’t as prominent. Much of this concerns Jacob and his relationship with his father whose health is poor. It is a much darker side of the novel, a bit worrying at times and I did prefer the lighter alternative.
One of the most fascinating parts of the novel was the level of acceptance that their homes would be lost to the sea. How it seemed perfectly normal that you could suddenly lose most of your garden and eventually your home and just carry on regardless.
A unique and wonderful read.
May 8, 2018
Underwater Breathing is such a beautiful book. It has a haunting melody that runs throughout, from the very beginning when we meet Jacob and Ella, right until the exquisite ending. The storytelling draws you in, as do these very different characters. All who have their own unique story to tell.
This is a stunning book. The fragility of this family unit is echoed in the fragility of the house, sat on top of a crumbling cliff. At the heart of this home is Jacob. A young man, a teacher, and carer for his ageing and alcoholic father. Jacob has many demons to face, including those of never having come to terms with the disappearance of his baby sister, Ella, two decades previously. His life is dominated by thoughts of his sister, of where she is, if she is still alive. Even when she returns to the family home, there are so many unanswered questions, with Jacob having to unearth the past to make sense of his future.
Throughout the narrative we go backwards and forwards in time. We meet Jacob as a fifteen-year-old, when Ella was only six. We are introduced to the underwater breathing game, and the interaction between the two of them is with heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. In fact, the bond that the two share is incredibly special, as it is born out of Jacob's need to protect his sister from his quarelling parents and alcoholic father.
There are serious issues that are dealt with in this book. Those of loneliness, and what it means to enforce your own loneliness. Family, and the many different types of family unit are touched upon, as well as the responsibility that adult children face in caring for an ageing and ill parent. All of these complex issues and intertwined and made into something quite haunting that deeply touches the soul. On paper it would be easy to assume that this type of story would be somewhat dark and macabre, but there is a surprising lightness and joy to this tale of a lost sibling and a family that is falling apart at the seams. It is a haunting and dazzling read. This book really will stay with me for a long time.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy.
This is a stunning book. The fragility of this family unit is echoed in the fragility of the house, sat on top of a crumbling cliff. At the heart of this home is Jacob. A young man, a teacher, and carer for his ageing and alcoholic father. Jacob has many demons to face, including those of never having come to terms with the disappearance of his baby sister, Ella, two decades previously. His life is dominated by thoughts of his sister, of where she is, if she is still alive. Even when she returns to the family home, there are so many unanswered questions, with Jacob having to unearth the past to make sense of his future.
Throughout the narrative we go backwards and forwards in time. We meet Jacob as a fifteen-year-old, when Ella was only six. We are introduced to the underwater breathing game, and the interaction between the two of them is with heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. In fact, the bond that the two share is incredibly special, as it is born out of Jacob's need to protect his sister from his quarelling parents and alcoholic father.
There are serious issues that are dealt with in this book. Those of loneliness, and what it means to enforce your own loneliness. Family, and the many different types of family unit are touched upon, as well as the responsibility that adult children face in caring for an ageing and ill parent. All of these complex issues and intertwined and made into something quite haunting that deeply touches the soul. On paper it would be easy to assume that this type of story would be somewhat dark and macabre, but there is a surprising lightness and joy to this tale of a lost sibling and a family that is falling apart at the seams. It is a haunting and dazzling read. This book really will stay with me for a long time.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy.
January 21, 2021
3.5 stars.
This was a pretty interesting story, even if it was a tad disturbing. My heart ached for Jacob, he went through so much.
I found the relationship between Jacob and Ella to be strange right from the beginning, although I know it couldn't be helped because of their parents.
As the story went on and things were made clearer, I wasn't shocked by the big reveal at the end and I was happy that was the case because I wanted them to be happy.
Good story, definitely V. C. Andrews like.
This was a pretty interesting story, even if it was a tad disturbing. My heart ached for Jacob, he went through so much.
I found the relationship between Jacob and Ella to be strange right from the beginning, although I know it couldn't be helped because of their parents.
As the story went on and things were made clearer, I wasn't shocked by the big reveal at the end and I was happy that was the case because I wanted them to be happy.
Good story, definitely V. C. Andrews like.
December 9, 2018
This story is very slowly unfolding, and although the writing is excellent, the story did not draw me in. I kept skimming chapters to find out what had happened, but wasn't really invested in the characters to truly enjoy their story.
January 29, 2022
4.5⭐️
July 22, 2021
I have read a few books from Legend Press now, and based on the blurb alone, Underwater Breathing definitely intrigued me the most. Half siblings Jacob and Ella, (and their parents), recently moved to a quiet house which... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...
May 13, 2018
This was a very powerful and beautiful book. If we look at the story in a simple, straight line, we realize it's not that unique or original. However, the different timelines in which it was written, the way the reader gets the information at a leisured pace, the richness of each character is what makes this book a great read.
The background story is harsh, dealing with mental illness and how it can affect a family, nonetheless it is written with elegance and subtleness, so I totally recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a well written story.
The background story is harsh, dealing with mental illness and how it can affect a family, nonetheless it is written with elegance and subtleness, so I totally recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a well written story.
April 29, 2018
Stunning, twisted and compelling. This book had more twists and turns than anything I have read recently. Continually flashing back and forward in time from the night that Jacob's mother and sister disappear from their cliff house, I could not put it down. Jacob and Ella have a game they play when their parents are fighting which is called "underwater breathing", however the theme of water continues to be toyed with throughout the novel. A great read and stunningly written, I was very moved by the relationship that Jake had with his father for whom he had to care.
If you love a good disturbing, dark and twisted book, look no further. You will not regret it.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you love a good disturbing, dark and twisted book, look no further. You will not regret it.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2018
I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley. Jacob and Ella live with their parents in a house that is close to falling into the sea. One night their mother takes Ella and disappears. Jacob is left behind to deal with his father's drinking problem and subsequent brain damage, while searching for his sister. When she turns up 10 years later, he has to deal with memories that he had buried. It was a pretty good book, but I felt disappointed at the ending. This was a 3.5 star book for me, rounding up to 4.
May 10, 2018
A book that gets better the further into it you read, until you reach the point where you can't put it down at all. Some parts I found a little slow, which is the reason that I've put a four star rating instead of five, but that does not mean that I didn't love this book. It's a unique read and Cassandra has the voices of the characters down to a tee. Ella's little thoughts and questions are exactly what you'd hear from someone of her age group and her mother's 'mad' bits of speech are also very well done.
I love how they're slowly watching the cliff edge collapse over the years, knowing that one day it will take both houses with it. I also find it weird that although some of the characters were unlikeable, I somehow liked them. Not an easy thing for an author to achieve.
I didn't expect the twist, or should I say twists, at the end. The death was actually really shocking and the very... wrong thing that happens, strangely doesn't feel wrong. Like, I kind of wanted it to happen by the point it did. It's weird how something people would usually judge as bad can be made so perfect to the reader. Not sure if there's going to be a second book to this one or not, but if there is then I'd love to read it.
I love how they're slowly watching the cliff edge collapse over the years, knowing that one day it will take both houses with it. I also find it weird that although some of the characters were unlikeable, I somehow liked them. Not an easy thing for an author to achieve.
I didn't expect the twist, or should I say twists, at the end. The death was actually really shocking and the very... wrong thing that happens, strangely doesn't feel wrong. Like, I kind of wanted it to happen by the point it did. It's weird how something people would usually judge as bad can be made so perfect to the reader. Not sure if there's going to be a second book to this one or not, but if there is then I'd love to read it.
May 26, 2018
Anything can happen, and often does, in a Cassandra Parkin book. What I find unique about Cassandra Parkin's writing is her ability to turn a normal everyday story into something special and unforgettable with her inimitable hint of ethereal darkness.
Cassandra Parking completely nailed it in Chapter One, in my opinion, as Jacob and Ella are playing their Underwater Breathing game. Jacob is holding his breath underwater in the old bathroom trying to listen only to the steady counting of his sister, Ella, but being interrupted by the disturbing sounds of his parents arguing in the room below. This is not a happy family and the parents are so intent on destroying each other that they don't even notice the effects it is having on their children. I was terrified that something would go wrong during this 'game' that the parents didn't even know their children were playing. It is no surprise therefore that Ella and her Mum run away one night, leaving Jacob with his abusive, alcoholic father.
Jacob never recovered from the loss of his sister; it was like losing half of his heart and it felt as if his life was pointless without Ella. Jacob is sleep deprived and often attacked by his father whose mind is gradually fading to dementia, so Jacob easily conjures the presence of his missing sister but one day she really does appear before him. The joy when Ella returned was immense but I was worried what secrets she would reveal and how she would cope with their father not knowing who she was. At least one constant remains for Ella: strange Mrs Armitage still lives in the house overlooking the sea. The same North Sea that Ella was so frightened of as a child, as the cliffs crumbled and threatened to take theirs and Mrs Armitage's house to a watery grave.
I felt as if the whole essence of the North Sea is written into this book: it's cold, dark, dangerous and cruel, yet beautiful in its tempestuousness. The depth of the characters is outstanding as layer upon layer is peeled away to reveal surprisingly flawed, raw people. I loved the character of Mrs Armitage - she is so mysterious and although she doesn't like people, she really took a shine to young Ella. Mrs Armitage tells it like it is; she was trying to help young Ella overcome her fear of the sea by telling her that her house would crash into the sea before theirs but it must have given Ella nightmares. For me, Mrs Armitage stole the show and I wouldn't have had it any other way; every time I look out over the North Sea I shall be reminded of this fearless, strong, independent woman.
Underwater Breathing is another exceptional, hauntingly beautiful book by Cassandra Parkin, who is fast becoming a firm favourite author of mine. A highly recommended read.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Cassandra Parking completely nailed it in Chapter One, in my opinion, as Jacob and Ella are playing their Underwater Breathing game. Jacob is holding his breath underwater in the old bathroom trying to listen only to the steady counting of his sister, Ella, but being interrupted by the disturbing sounds of his parents arguing in the room below. This is not a happy family and the parents are so intent on destroying each other that they don't even notice the effects it is having on their children. I was terrified that something would go wrong during this 'game' that the parents didn't even know their children were playing. It is no surprise therefore that Ella and her Mum run away one night, leaving Jacob with his abusive, alcoholic father.
Jacob never recovered from the loss of his sister; it was like losing half of his heart and it felt as if his life was pointless without Ella. Jacob is sleep deprived and often attacked by his father whose mind is gradually fading to dementia, so Jacob easily conjures the presence of his missing sister but one day she really does appear before him. The joy when Ella returned was immense but I was worried what secrets she would reveal and how she would cope with their father not knowing who she was. At least one constant remains for Ella: strange Mrs Armitage still lives in the house overlooking the sea. The same North Sea that Ella was so frightened of as a child, as the cliffs crumbled and threatened to take theirs and Mrs Armitage's house to a watery grave.
I felt as if the whole essence of the North Sea is written into this book: it's cold, dark, dangerous and cruel, yet beautiful in its tempestuousness. The depth of the characters is outstanding as layer upon layer is peeled away to reveal surprisingly flawed, raw people. I loved the character of Mrs Armitage - she is so mysterious and although she doesn't like people, she really took a shine to young Ella. Mrs Armitage tells it like it is; she was trying to help young Ella overcome her fear of the sea by telling her that her house would crash into the sea before theirs but it must have given Ella nightmares. For me, Mrs Armitage stole the show and I wouldn't have had it any other way; every time I look out over the North Sea I shall be reminded of this fearless, strong, independent woman.
Underwater Breathing is another exceptional, hauntingly beautiful book by Cassandra Parkin, who is fast becoming a firm favourite author of mine. A highly recommended read.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
January 6, 2023
They looked like a family from family from a holiday brochure. So beautiful that you were compelled to imagine dark secrets, a counterbalance to their seeming perfection.
Cassandra Parkin is *so* my type of author, capturing the conflicted and dark essence of humanity that leaves you questioning your feelings about these characters that you are so intensely drawn into the world of for days after reading.
When we're introduced to Jacob and Ella, they are children clinging to each other for familiarity and comfort as their parents argue into the night, what feels like every night against the looming backdrop of a house that could crumble and fall into the sea at any moment. They are each other's only dependable constant, only one night their mother takes Ella away and both children are left with the gaping hole in their lives of the only person who they could find unconditional happiness and comfort in and this almost leaves their emotional development in stasis, as we discover when they are reunited so many years later.
Each has their own side of the story from the parent that they were left with, a disconnect that seems almost unbridgeable with the years that have passed since they last saw each other and the struggle to reconnect through the conflict of their devotion to one another but pain and frustration felt so richly portrayed.
Lurking in the background of the story is their neighbour Mrs Armitage, a woman who is resolutely determined to live a life of solitude, but ends up drawn into this family in her own blunt and emotionally-detached way which we come to realise may be her penance for the decisions she made in her past or perhaps her determination to tell herself that she doesn't care when that clearly runs counter to her actions is the penance that she is paying? As the adult of the piece, she saw and sees things that it's impossible for Jacob and Ella to comprehend and as a trio, they made such an unlikely and compelling unit.
Did I find the ending a tad needlessly dramatic? A smidgeon, but when a book draws my emotions in in such a way, it's impossible for me not to give it the full 5 stars.
Cassandra Parkin is *so* my type of author, capturing the conflicted and dark essence of humanity that leaves you questioning your feelings about these characters that you are so intensely drawn into the world of for days after reading.
When we're introduced to Jacob and Ella, they are children clinging to each other for familiarity and comfort as their parents argue into the night, what feels like every night against the looming backdrop of a house that could crumble and fall into the sea at any moment. They are each other's only dependable constant, only one night their mother takes Ella away and both children are left with the gaping hole in their lives of the only person who they could find unconditional happiness and comfort in and this almost leaves their emotional development in stasis, as we discover when they are reunited so many years later.
Each has their own side of the story from the parent that they were left with, a disconnect that seems almost unbridgeable with the years that have passed since they last saw each other and the struggle to reconnect through the conflict of their devotion to one another but pain and frustration felt so richly portrayed.
Lurking in the background of the story is their neighbour Mrs Armitage, a woman who is resolutely determined to live a life of solitude, but ends up drawn into this family in her own blunt and emotionally-detached way which we come to realise may be her penance for the decisions she made in her past or perhaps her determination to tell herself that she doesn't care when that clearly runs counter to her actions is the penance that she is paying? As the adult of the piece, she saw and sees things that it's impossible for Jacob and Ella to comprehend and as a trio, they made such an unlikely and compelling unit.
Did I find the ending a tad needlessly dramatic? A smidgeon, but when a book draws my emotions in in such a way, it's impossible for me not to give it the full 5 stars.
June 2, 2019
There are Writers and there are Poets. Some say that all poets are writers but not all writers are poets.
Cassandra Parkin is both a Writer and a Poet.
Reading Underwater Breathing was a delight from beginning to end.
Within the exceptionally well crafted plot is tragedy, angst, tenderness, and plethora of other emotions. Characters are believable.
I loved the way Cassandra Parkin with the eye of a Poet painted scenes, interactions, and explored the overt and subconscious 'games people play'.
Cassandra Parkin has clearly developed observational skills and sixth sense to encompass detail, empathy, people, and places.
I will be reading other books by Cassandra Parkin with relish.
Cassandra Parkin is both a Writer and a Poet.
Reading Underwater Breathing was a delight from beginning to end.
Within the exceptionally well crafted plot is tragedy, angst, tenderness, and plethora of other emotions. Characters are believable.
I loved the way Cassandra Parkin with the eye of a Poet painted scenes, interactions, and explored the overt and subconscious 'games people play'.
Cassandra Parkin has clearly developed observational skills and sixth sense to encompass detail, empathy, people, and places.
I will be reading other books by Cassandra Parkin with relish.
May 16, 2018
Set in Yorkshire, along the rugged coast, where the cliffs are crumbling away and gardens, and fences, and houses are slipping into the sea, this is a story of intense family relationships, with hints of madness and sadness and swirls of darkness that creep into your head whilst reading, and are never really shaken off.
This novel is very cleverly structured. taking place during 2007, 2008 and the present day. In 2007, brother and sister Jacob and Ella are sixteen and six respectively. They've recently moved, with their parents to an old, imposing house at the edge of the cliff. It's a cold house, a damp house and a dark house, much like their family. Their mother and father shout and argue and to shut out the noise, Jacob and Ella submerge themselves in the old tub in the cold bathroom situated in the turret of the house. They try to hold their breath for as long as possible; it's the 'underwater breathing' game.
As the story skips forward one year, we discover that the children's mother has left and taken Ella with her. Jacob is distraught, his father is wild. This is just the beginning of Jacob's life, yet he feels as though he has to stay close to his father.
In the present day, Jacob is a school teacher, just twenty-seven years old, but with weight of the world on his shoulders. His Father's increasingly erratic, dangerous and violent behaviour wears him down. He misses Ella so much, he hides his home life from his colleagues and it's only Mrs Armitage who lives in the nearby house that sees the real happenings behind the closed doors.
Cassandra Parkin's writing is sublime. Her descriptions of Jacob's father and his bizarre and unpredictable behaviour made me cry. Her ability to understand and relate the horrors of a deteriorating brain, for the sufferer and for their carer is so incredibly well done.
The sense of place in Underwater Breathing is wonderful. The cold, wet, stormy Yorkshire coast and the dangers of the cliffs are brilliantly described.
The real beauty of this novel is the messages within it. The reader realises that all is not what it seems, and the characters are perfectly formed, with plenty of flaws, but with so much to love about them. Mrs Armitage is a character who bewitched me; we never quite know, until the very end, anything about her, except what she wants us to know. She's a character that can be trusted, we think, but she's multi layered with secrets of her own.
Underwater Breathing is a beautiful, haunting and poignant story. This author is not frightened of dealing with the darkest of issues and there's some unsettling and uncomfortable themes running throughout. This is Cassandra Parkin's best book yet. Sublime and wonderful and highly recommended by me.
This novel is very cleverly structured. taking place during 2007, 2008 and the present day. In 2007, brother and sister Jacob and Ella are sixteen and six respectively. They've recently moved, with their parents to an old, imposing house at the edge of the cliff. It's a cold house, a damp house and a dark house, much like their family. Their mother and father shout and argue and to shut out the noise, Jacob and Ella submerge themselves in the old tub in the cold bathroom situated in the turret of the house. They try to hold their breath for as long as possible; it's the 'underwater breathing' game.
As the story skips forward one year, we discover that the children's mother has left and taken Ella with her. Jacob is distraught, his father is wild. This is just the beginning of Jacob's life, yet he feels as though he has to stay close to his father.
In the present day, Jacob is a school teacher, just twenty-seven years old, but with weight of the world on his shoulders. His Father's increasingly erratic, dangerous and violent behaviour wears him down. He misses Ella so much, he hides his home life from his colleagues and it's only Mrs Armitage who lives in the nearby house that sees the real happenings behind the closed doors.
Cassandra Parkin's writing is sublime. Her descriptions of Jacob's father and his bizarre and unpredictable behaviour made me cry. Her ability to understand and relate the horrors of a deteriorating brain, for the sufferer and for their carer is so incredibly well done.
The sense of place in Underwater Breathing is wonderful. The cold, wet, stormy Yorkshire coast and the dangers of the cliffs are brilliantly described.
The real beauty of this novel is the messages within it. The reader realises that all is not what it seems, and the characters are perfectly formed, with plenty of flaws, but with so much to love about them. Mrs Armitage is a character who bewitched me; we never quite know, until the very end, anything about her, except what she wants us to know. She's a character that can be trusted, we think, but she's multi layered with secrets of her own.
Underwater Breathing is a beautiful, haunting and poignant story. This author is not frightened of dealing with the darkest of issues and there's some unsettling and uncomfortable themes running throughout. This is Cassandra Parkin's best book yet. Sublime and wonderful and highly recommended by me.
March 19, 2023
Wow. Loved this book. Dangerous love, family secrets, obsession. Two children trying to make sense of their crazy universe. A family that literally go to the ends of the earth in an attempt to keep them all together, for it all to fall apart.
March 30, 2020
A strange and intriguing book which sweeps you along with the story and has unexpected twists along the way. The story of two siblings Jacob and Ella who play the underwater breathing game in an old bathroom when their parents are arguing passionately. One morning Jacob wakes up to find Ella and her mother gone.
Years later we find Jacob struggling to take care of his father. When Ella returns they must look into the past and face the truth of what happened.
A well told story dealing with some difficult and emotive issues.
Years later we find Jacob struggling to take care of his father. When Ella returns they must look into the past and face the truth of what happened.
A well told story dealing with some difficult and emotive issues.
May 21, 2018
I gave up on Cassandra Parkin's Lily's House, as I found it rather dull, but was intrigued by Underwater Breathing. I love coming-of-age novels set in creepy and crumbling houses, and thought I would really enjoy it. It is clearly Parkin's writing which I do not get on with. I found this to be repetitive and overwritten in places, and the first couple of chapters did not have enough intrigue for me to complete the book. The plot here is slow, as is the pacing, and it failed entirely to grab me.
May 18, 2018
Cassandra Parkin is a wonderfully intuitive writer. Her prose is gorgeous and her stories are hauntingly beautiful. I had the pleasure of reading The Winter's Child last year and I loved it, so was really keen to read this, her latest book. In fact, I think Underwater Breathing has much more of an affinity with one of her earlier books, The Beach Hut, which also had a strong brother/sister relationship and a link to the sea.
This time, the brother and sister are Jacob and Ella. When the book opens in 2008, Ella is 7 and Jacob is 10 years older. They live with their parents (although Ella's mother is Jacob's stepmother, he does call her mum) in a house 'at the end of the world'. On the east coast of England, the house is huge, with a bathroom in a turret, and is in great danger, sometime in the not too distant future, of falling into the sea. Ella and Jacob have an unusual relationship. She is devoted to him and, despite the age difference, he dotes on her. But their parents have a difficult relationship and so the youngsters' bond is even stronger.
There are very few characters in this story, but the family's neighbour on the clifftop, Mrs Armitage, plays a huge part in it. She's prickly, hostile, unfriendly at times, but I really liked her no-nonsense style, her way of dealing with things. Jacob and Ella come to rely on her in different ways, not least as a way of escaping their home life.
Parkin's writing style is lyrical, I can think of no other way to describe it. I found that it took a little getting into the story again each time I picked it up and I think it's because it's quite intense. But once I was back in the zone I found myself fully absorbed in the lives of the unusual characters.
The turn the story takes was no surprise to me. I can't say much because of spoilers, but the author managed to make it very obvious without saying anything. I think she's very clever in that respect, definitely showing and not telling.
As for the setting, well it's genius really. The sea is a foreboding presence throughout. Ella is scared of it, there's a constant threat of the cliffs falling and taking the houses with it. But it's also about how water can envelop you, and when it does so there's nothing else around but the sound and sight of the water. In a strange way, what is most to be feared is also a saviour.
Underwater Breathing is quite a read. It's about relationships, love, fear, loss. It's a book of layers, there's a need to explore between the lines. I found it totally engrossing.
This time, the brother and sister are Jacob and Ella. When the book opens in 2008, Ella is 7 and Jacob is 10 years older. They live with their parents (although Ella's mother is Jacob's stepmother, he does call her mum) in a house 'at the end of the world'. On the east coast of England, the house is huge, with a bathroom in a turret, and is in great danger, sometime in the not too distant future, of falling into the sea. Ella and Jacob have an unusual relationship. She is devoted to him and, despite the age difference, he dotes on her. But their parents have a difficult relationship and so the youngsters' bond is even stronger.
There are very few characters in this story, but the family's neighbour on the clifftop, Mrs Armitage, plays a huge part in it. She's prickly, hostile, unfriendly at times, but I really liked her no-nonsense style, her way of dealing with things. Jacob and Ella come to rely on her in different ways, not least as a way of escaping their home life.
Parkin's writing style is lyrical, I can think of no other way to describe it. I found that it took a little getting into the story again each time I picked it up and I think it's because it's quite intense. But once I was back in the zone I found myself fully absorbed in the lives of the unusual characters.
The turn the story takes was no surprise to me. I can't say much because of spoilers, but the author managed to make it very obvious without saying anything. I think she's very clever in that respect, definitely showing and not telling.
As for the setting, well it's genius really. The sea is a foreboding presence throughout. Ella is scared of it, there's a constant threat of the cliffs falling and taking the houses with it. But it's also about how water can envelop you, and when it does so there's nothing else around but the sound and sight of the water. In a strange way, what is most to be feared is also a saviour.
Underwater Breathing is quite a read. It's about relationships, love, fear, loss. It's a book of layers, there's a need to explore between the lines. I found it totally engrossing.
May 2, 2018
I was expecting this to be an unusual book for sure – but I was also anticipating it would take a bit of effort to get into. It didn’t. It’s an exquisite read. I was gripped from the first chapter.
Jake and Ella find themselves inventing extraordinary ways to bring sanity to their family life, to avoid witnessing the strange arguments between their parents, to feel safe in a house which is not only crumbling on the inside but is also built on foundations which are set to collapse down the cliff into the sea. But they can’t stop events happening in a grown-up world and all of a sudden their lives change and the family is ripped apart.
The confusion and mental instability which has been lurking in the earlier chapters takes on a darker twist, and for me this is heightened by the thoughts and actions of their next-door-neighbour Mrs Armitage. On one level she’s an old-fashioned direct woman expecting respect and good manners. On another, she’s a recluse lacking compassion, resenting any outside influence impacting on her own selfish life. She’s a truly fascinating character. And how she came to become so isn’t clear until later.
But as if that isn’t enough to be mulling over, as the pages are quickly turning (because you just know there’s an inevitability of more to come), the plot takes a turn which took me totally by surprise and had me thinking, ‘No, please don’t go down that road ….’. But down we go.
Cassandra Parkin has a great imagination but every ounce of her writing is totally plausible. Sanity and flawed minds merge and part in the way they do in real life. It sounds odd to say that this is a ‘good read’ given the subject matter, but I enjoyed every page. Thank you Cassandra Parkin for writing such a good novel, and to Legend Press for sending me an advance copy for review.
Jake and Ella find themselves inventing extraordinary ways to bring sanity to their family life, to avoid witnessing the strange arguments between their parents, to feel safe in a house which is not only crumbling on the inside but is also built on foundations which are set to collapse down the cliff into the sea. But they can’t stop events happening in a grown-up world and all of a sudden their lives change and the family is ripped apart.
The confusion and mental instability which has been lurking in the earlier chapters takes on a darker twist, and for me this is heightened by the thoughts and actions of their next-door-neighbour Mrs Armitage. On one level she’s an old-fashioned direct woman expecting respect and good manners. On another, she’s a recluse lacking compassion, resenting any outside influence impacting on her own selfish life. She’s a truly fascinating character. And how she came to become so isn’t clear until later.
But as if that isn’t enough to be mulling over, as the pages are quickly turning (because you just know there’s an inevitability of more to come), the plot takes a turn which took me totally by surprise and had me thinking, ‘No, please don’t go down that road ….’. But down we go.
Cassandra Parkin has a great imagination but every ounce of her writing is totally plausible. Sanity and flawed minds merge and part in the way they do in real life. It sounds odd to say that this is a ‘good read’ given the subject matter, but I enjoyed every page. Thank you Cassandra Parkin for writing such a good novel, and to Legend Press for sending me an advance copy for review.
May 11, 2018
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jacob has promised to protect young Ella, even from their own parents. When they argue downstairs, Jacob and Ella practice in Underwater Breathing, and they stay together. Until one day, Jacob wakes up to find his mother and sister gone.
Years have gone by, and Jacob is trapped at home with a father who remembers nothing. When Ella reappears out of the blue, they will both have to face their childhood demons. They might finally realize their childhood was much different than what they remembered. Hidden secrets will resurface from the water, and the puzzle of their lives will be complete - but will they have the courage to face it?
Underwater Breathing is so much more than meets the eye. The author has managed to portray so many aspects of life, so many characteristics of human nature, that it is hardly manageable to describe it. From coping with the loss of loved ones - either alive or dead- to assuming responsibility of one's own actions, the characters of this book has so much to teach the readers. There are a lot of things humans will do or endure for love, and that is clearly seen in the lives of all members of this tragic family. Beautiful metaphors are hidden within this tragic, heartbreaking, but still beautiful tale, with the most magnificent one being the sea devouring a house, and the willingness to move on.
Underwater Breathing is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, a masterpiece of fiction Captivating, engrossing, and wonderfully tragic at the same time. It is absolutely worth the time of every reader, and it is one of these books that a person can read time and again without getting tired. Strongly recommended for all readers.
Jacob has promised to protect young Ella, even from their own parents. When they argue downstairs, Jacob and Ella practice in Underwater Breathing, and they stay together. Until one day, Jacob wakes up to find his mother and sister gone.
Years have gone by, and Jacob is trapped at home with a father who remembers nothing. When Ella reappears out of the blue, they will both have to face their childhood demons. They might finally realize their childhood was much different than what they remembered. Hidden secrets will resurface from the water, and the puzzle of their lives will be complete - but will they have the courage to face it?
Underwater Breathing is so much more than meets the eye. The author has managed to portray so many aspects of life, so many characteristics of human nature, that it is hardly manageable to describe it. From coping with the loss of loved ones - either alive or dead- to assuming responsibility of one's own actions, the characters of this book has so much to teach the readers. There are a lot of things humans will do or endure for love, and that is clearly seen in the lives of all members of this tragic family. Beautiful metaphors are hidden within this tragic, heartbreaking, but still beautiful tale, with the most magnificent one being the sea devouring a house, and the willingness to move on.
Underwater Breathing is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, a masterpiece of fiction Captivating, engrossing, and wonderfully tragic at the same time. It is absolutely worth the time of every reader, and it is one of these books that a person can read time and again without getting tired. Strongly recommended for all readers.
March 15, 2019
Discovering this author as I was feeling slumpy was nothing short of a gift. It is beautifully written, tender and full of kindness.
The narrative switches from 2007, the present day to 2008, where we meet Jacob and Ella, a brother and sister who have a unique bond; unusual but full of love and one which grabs you by the throat. Both live with their parents; though the Mother is Jacob's step-mother. They live by the English coast, with a fear of the sea and their house being swallowed up in it. Mrs Armitage, their neighbour, has her own story and plays a pivotal part in the book. The family surround themselves with mystery; did they leave their old home or were they made to? Jacob in his older years is caring for his father who has severe dementia. Ella is not there, she left with her Mother years earlier. So what happened? Why was only Ella taken and not Jacob? Was the Mother running? If so, from whom?
So many eerie layers of this story are unravelled as we read on. The real beauty of this novel is the messages within it. The reader realises that all is not what it seems, and the characters are perfectly formed, with plenty of flaws, but with so much to love about them. The title comes from the siblings playing a game when they are younger, where in order to shut out their parents arguing and shouting, they submerge themselves in the bathtub and try to hold their breath. Some unsettling and uncomfortable scenes run within it, but overall, I loved the author's haunting writing and totally recommend this one.
Rating: 4.5🌟
P.S. @legendpress thank you for reaching out and sending me a few of your books. We had such great luck with this one, I am keeping my hopes up for the others.
The narrative switches from 2007, the present day to 2008, where we meet Jacob and Ella, a brother and sister who have a unique bond; unusual but full of love and one which grabs you by the throat. Both live with their parents; though the Mother is Jacob's step-mother. They live by the English coast, with a fear of the sea and their house being swallowed up in it. Mrs Armitage, their neighbour, has her own story and plays a pivotal part in the book. The family surround themselves with mystery; did they leave their old home or were they made to? Jacob in his older years is caring for his father who has severe dementia. Ella is not there, she left with her Mother years earlier. So what happened? Why was only Ella taken and not Jacob? Was the Mother running? If so, from whom?
So many eerie layers of this story are unravelled as we read on. The real beauty of this novel is the messages within it. The reader realises that all is not what it seems, and the characters are perfectly formed, with plenty of flaws, but with so much to love about them. The title comes from the siblings playing a game when they are younger, where in order to shut out their parents arguing and shouting, they submerge themselves in the bathtub and try to hold their breath. Some unsettling and uncomfortable scenes run within it, but overall, I loved the author's haunting writing and totally recommend this one.
Rating: 4.5🌟
P.S. @legendpress thank you for reaching out and sending me a few of your books. We had such great luck with this one, I am keeping my hopes up for the others.
May 27, 2018
How long can you hold your breath underwater? That’s what Jacob and Ella do when their parents argue. That was in the past and now in the present Jacob must come to terms with a dad crippled by alcohol induced dementia, a house that is slowly disappearing into the sea and a long lost sister who he desperately wants to find.
Narrated in multiple voices, Parkin has done what she does brilliantly and created a novel full of the most wonderful characters.
I could not help but feel the angst of poor Jacob as he struggled with the burden of a sick Father, and the yearning for a sister he adored. When she finally returned after ten years I just knew that it would perhaps not be the joyous occasion he wanted it to be, that the image he had long held would not be the one that he so desperately wanted.
My thoughts on Ella are of a young woman abandoned by her mother hoping her brother will provide her with the answers she wants. I loved her fragility, and as a young child her fear of the sea and the images the crumbling clifftop evoked in her mind.
Mrs Armitage was a character who intrigued me. She was brusque, matter of fact. a loner who was slowly pulled into the lives of Jacob and Ella. She was a character with a hard exterior, covering herself in a protective shell, impenetrable to all, yet underneath lurked a woman with a heart, a woman who felt herself drawn to Ella, and the lightness she brought into her lonely existence. I felt that she had something to hide and I loved the air of mystery that Parkin surrounded her with, as well using her as a magnet, the one Jacob, Ella and their mother felt somehow drawn to. She was very definitely a character full of surprises.
Parkins’ skill is in using the characters to show how we only see one side, how what we see and believe to be the truth can be so very different from that of someone else. The torment and anguish of both Jacob and Ella as they struggled to rationalise and come to terms with their past was beautifully written, and showcased the rawness of their emotions.
The imagery of a crashing sea, a crumbling cliff face and the wind and rain battering the house was so wonderfully evocative, that I could almost taste the salt and feel the sea spray. I loved the synergy between the ever decreasing closeness of the house’s inevitable demise and the slow building pressure and drama of events, as the tension mounted and truths were revealed.
The prevailing themes of mental illness and dementia are dealt with in a thoughtful and sensitive manner. My heart went out to Jacob as he tried so hard to deal with his father’s dementia, and I shared his frustration, admired his overpowering belief that it was his responsibility to look after his father.
Ella’s Mum’s mental illness was plain for us to see but not so the characters in the novel. Ella too young to young to know what was wrong, and accepting her Mum for who she was as she grew up, knowing no different, and no other mothers with which to compare. Jacob, perhaps sensed something but concentrated on protecting his little sister.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this novel, I loved the characters, the setting, the imagery, in fact everything. It is the second of Parkin’s novels that I have read and Underwater Breathing has proved what an amzing author she is.
Narrated in multiple voices, Parkin has done what she does brilliantly and created a novel full of the most wonderful characters.
I could not help but feel the angst of poor Jacob as he struggled with the burden of a sick Father, and the yearning for a sister he adored. When she finally returned after ten years I just knew that it would perhaps not be the joyous occasion he wanted it to be, that the image he had long held would not be the one that he so desperately wanted.
My thoughts on Ella are of a young woman abandoned by her mother hoping her brother will provide her with the answers she wants. I loved her fragility, and as a young child her fear of the sea and the images the crumbling clifftop evoked in her mind.
Mrs Armitage was a character who intrigued me. She was brusque, matter of fact. a loner who was slowly pulled into the lives of Jacob and Ella. She was a character with a hard exterior, covering herself in a protective shell, impenetrable to all, yet underneath lurked a woman with a heart, a woman who felt herself drawn to Ella, and the lightness she brought into her lonely existence. I felt that she had something to hide and I loved the air of mystery that Parkin surrounded her with, as well using her as a magnet, the one Jacob, Ella and their mother felt somehow drawn to. She was very definitely a character full of surprises.
Parkins’ skill is in using the characters to show how we only see one side, how what we see and believe to be the truth can be so very different from that of someone else. The torment and anguish of both Jacob and Ella as they struggled to rationalise and come to terms with their past was beautifully written, and showcased the rawness of their emotions.
The imagery of a crashing sea, a crumbling cliff face and the wind and rain battering the house was so wonderfully evocative, that I could almost taste the salt and feel the sea spray. I loved the synergy between the ever decreasing closeness of the house’s inevitable demise and the slow building pressure and drama of events, as the tension mounted and truths were revealed.
The prevailing themes of mental illness and dementia are dealt with in a thoughtful and sensitive manner. My heart went out to Jacob as he tried so hard to deal with his father’s dementia, and I shared his frustration, admired his overpowering belief that it was his responsibility to look after his father.
Ella’s Mum’s mental illness was plain for us to see but not so the characters in the novel. Ella too young to young to know what was wrong, and accepting her Mum for who she was as she grew up, knowing no different, and no other mothers with which to compare. Jacob, perhaps sensed something but concentrated on protecting his little sister.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this novel, I loved the characters, the setting, the imagery, in fact everything. It is the second of Parkin’s novels that I have read and Underwater Breathing has proved what an amzing author she is.
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