Breathing Underwater

by Abbey Lee Nash

Overview

With one word, Tess’s world could be completely undone:
Epilepsy.

Tess lives for swimming: the feel of the pool's rough edge on her toes, the snap of cold water on her skin, and the push of her limbs ever forward. In the water, she’s truly alive.

Until tragedy strikes. And Tess is left navigating a summer of doctor visits, missed swim practices, a newly distant best friend, and a job stuck behind a counter—not sitting high in the lifeguard chair like every season before.

Instead, her spot goes to new guy Charlie. Although his messy hair and laid-back demeanor catch Tess’s attention, this isn’t really the time. She’s got to focus on getting back in the pool—and on getting back to herself.

Lyrically and sensitively written, Breathing Underwater is a slice-of-life story with depth, exploring topics like epilepsy, inclusivity in student athletics, changing friendships, and the power of love and community. With warmth and wit, Abbey Lee Nash has crafted a moving portrait of a teen girl’s journey to self-acceptance and life on her own terms.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823453863
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	165,004
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Abbey Nash holds an MA in English from Arcadia University. She lives with her husband and two daughters outside of Philadelphia, where she works as a senior marketing writer in the healthcare industry. A former writing teacher, she enjoys leading creative writing workshops, and has presented at SCBWI events, the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as schools and universities. When she’s not writing, or talking about writing, you can find her reading, spending time with her family, or walking her highly opinionated Australian Shepherd. Breathing Underwater is her second novel. You can learn more about her work at www.abbeynash.com.

Editorial Reviews

12/04/2023

Focused and driven 17-year-old competitive swimmer Tess Cooper has worked hard to “construct the Jenga tower of my life with perfect precision,” and the forthcoming summer is no exception. Tess plans to lifeguard at the local pool while training for the race that will determine whether she secures a college athletic scholarship and cement her future swimming career. Instead, a seizure sidelines Tess with an unexpected diagnosis of epilepsy, and shifting dynamics at both home and the pool test her resolve. While Tess’s parents argue about what epilepsy means for her future, best friend and swim teammate Mac withdraws. Tess finds herself reluctantly confiding in Charlie, her hot new neighbor who replaces Tess on the lifeguard stand. Romance adds tension to watertight plotting in this fast-paced, compelling novel from Nash (Lifeline), but it’s the sensitive explorations of life with an invisible disability that anchor this empathetic story. With help from a support group, Tess reconciles her ambition and her diagnosis, and makes space for her emotions, surfacing with a more balanced sense of self that drives the narrative toward a hopeful, satisfying conclusion. Nash’s acknowledgments address the author’s experience with epilepsy. Main characters read as white. Ages 14–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Nash’s characters, flawed and human, grapple with income inequality, divorce, and disability."—Booklist, Starred Review

"A sincere story of approaching a new reality with a competitive edge."—Kirkus Reviews

"Romance adds tension to watertight plotting in this fast-paced, compelling novel from Nash . . . sensitive explorations of life with an invisible disability that anchor this empathetic story."—Publishers Weekly

"Tess’s story is compelling. Her medical visits, uncertainty, and eventual epilepsy diagnosis offer a realistic look at this hidden condition that is both enigmatic and common. The added fact that one in 26 people have epilepsy should make this a must-have for school and public libraries."—School Library Journal

"Breathing Underwater is a compelling story of a perfectionist learning to take life as it comes, all the challenges and the opportunities. A must read for anyone who's had a life-long plan they had to adapt."—Molly Horan, author of Epically Earnest

"An honest, heartfelt portrait of a young athlete willing to put everything on the line to achieve her dreams. But even more, Breathing Underwater is an unflinching look at the courage it takes to forge new paths when everything’s stripped away—and, ultimately, discovering what matters most. I loved it."—Jared Reck, author of A Short History of the Girl Next Door and Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love

From the Publisher

02/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Tess is a 17-year-old with a bright future. Though her family doesn't have much money, she's almost guaranteed a swimming scholarship from her preferred school, particularly if she performs well at nationals. She has caring parents and a loving, if quirky, older sister. Tess is training for nationals when a sudden seizure and hospitalization leave her life filled with uncharacteristic uncertainty. She struggles to navigate her new situation. She must surrender her driver's license and her lifeguarding job while she undergoes testing and evaluation for epilepsy. Her parents disagree over her safety protocols, her best friend and teammate suddenly becomes distant, and she meets a possible new boyfriend at the worst possible time. Written in the first-person, this novel is a short, concentrated look at both competitive swimming and epilepsy. Tess shows the commitment and stress of being a high-level athlete—a stress intensified by her seizure. She is, by turns, frightened, angry, despondent, and determined. With the exception of the requisite high-school mean girl, all of the characters have depth and speak with dialogue that rings true and current but doesn't come off as overly trendy. VERDICT Tess's story is compelling. Her medical visits, uncertainty, and eventual epilepsy diagnosis offer a realistic look at this hidden condition that is both enigmatic and common. The added fact that one in 26 people have epilepsy should make this a must-have for school and public libraries.—Lisa Taylor

School Library Journal

2023-12-16
Tess has her entire life planned out, and it revolves around one thing: swimming.

The water is where Tess thrives. She’s a talented swimmer who never slows down; she’s on track for a college sports scholarship and professional career. But when she has a seizure and receives an epilepsy diagnosis, those careful plans fall apart. Over the course of the summer, there are more surprises in store for Tess, including a romance with new neighbor Charlie and repairing her fractured relationship with her best friend, Mac. Nash allows time for Tess to adjust, exploring the uncertainty following her first seizure as well as the aftermath when her symptoms recur. Her seizures are realistically frightening and unmooring. She has a network of support in her frazzled but loving family members, and her relationships with them, Charlie, and Mac are sweet, if not as fully fleshed out as they could be. While Tess’ journey is heartfelt, readers will wish that the novel explored in greater depth how she progresses beyond total denial and despair. Ultimately, the most interesting dynamic is between Tess and swimming: the dangers it now poses and the overriding passion she must regain and harness to learn once again why she loves it. Her athletic spirit drives her against the odds to find a place for herself in a sport that may no longer have one for her. Main characters read white.

A sincere story of approaching a new reality with a competitive edge. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews