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A review by meghan_readsbooks
Holding Her Breath: A Novel by Eimear Ryan
4.0
Thank you Mariner Books for the ebook copy of Holding Her Breath via NetGalley. I love literary fiction and I love books set in schools with coming of age themes. This book captures all of those loves and does so in such a wonderful narrative style. There are wonderfully developed themes on relationships (family, friends) and growing up and into a more adult version of oneself; I loved that Beth studied psychology (I am a psych lecturer) as I think that thematically went along with her growth and exploration of identity.
What really stood out for me was the exploration of what it is like to become separate from identities forced upon you (granddaughter of a famous poet) or move away from identities that are no longer accurate/healthy, in this case competitive swimmer. We often fail to realize that by the time young people arrive in college they arrive with a lot of emotional baggage and pressures to be someone they aren't or come with the goal of moving away from high school/past identities. I felt this book indirectly captured this common part of growing up, the desire and need to form new roles and identities and to try to find space away from pressures to be one version of self. The shadow of family identity and mental health are nicely revealed here.
The other standout were some of the relationships portrayed, including her friendship with Sadie and with her grandmother as I like strong female characters and relationships that reflect strength and nurturing. What was also notable were these relationships were about Beth as a person, not her identity as a swimmer or as the granddaughter of famous poet.
This is a strong debut, well developed themes and strong writing and narrative style and an ease in developing interesting, relatable, and dimensional characters. I often felt very present in Beth's world and her thoughts and experiences which is a credit to the writing, the pacing, and the overall sense of presence that Eimear Ryan brings to her writing.
What really stood out for me was the exploration of what it is like to become separate from identities forced upon you (granddaughter of a famous poet) or move away from identities that are no longer accurate/healthy, in this case competitive swimmer. We often fail to realize that by the time young people arrive in college they arrive with a lot of emotional baggage and pressures to be someone they aren't or come with the goal of moving away from high school/past identities. I felt this book indirectly captured this common part of growing up, the desire and need to form new roles and identities and to try to find space away from pressures to be one version of self. The shadow of family identity and mental health are nicely revealed here.
The other standout were some of the relationships portrayed, including her friendship with Sadie and with her grandmother as I like strong female characters and relationships that reflect strength and nurturing. What was also notable were these relationships were about Beth as a person, not her identity as a swimmer or as the granddaughter of famous poet.
This is a strong debut, well developed themes and strong writing and narrative style and an ease in developing interesting, relatable, and dimensional characters. I often felt very present in Beth's world and her thoughts and experiences which is a credit to the writing, the pacing, and the overall sense of presence that Eimear Ryan brings to her writing.