Customer Reviews

Breathing Underwater

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Film and Broadway actor Jon Cryer gives compelling reading to this candid story of a teenager apparently fated to visit upon others the physical violence he has endured.

The setting is sunny, affluent South Florida where to his classmates at Biscayne High School 16-tear-old Nick Andreas appears to have it all. His family is well to do; he's a top athlete and student. The person in his lucky-me armor is his father's hair trigger temper.

Caitlin, Nick's girl, is everything he had hoped for - beautiful, gifted and wild about him. That is, until Nick hits her. She seeks a restraining order against him, and he must attend group counseling. He has lost his reputation, his friends, and his girl.

Once in counseling Nick is forced to turn an objective eye on fellow abusers and observe not only the pain they have inflicted upon others but the harm they have done to themselves. He must stand alone to learn responsibility and the true meaning of manhood.

Gratefully, the author is honest and doesn't make Nick's journey an easy one with a made in Hollywood ending.

- Gail Cooke

It's hard reading a book where the main character is unlikeable, and Nick is most definitely unlikeable. Although the first person narrative makes it a little easier to accept Nick. Flinn has done a good job of not only showing what an abusive relationship is and how it fuels itself (controlling behavior from insecurities preying on someone elses insecurities, reinforced by an I'll do anything if you don't hurt me again response -- to simplify it way too much). But more impressive, she has shown how someone can grow and start to move on -- convincingly. This isn't a "it's for teens so I have to find a silver lining" type ending. Nick has a long way to go at the end of the book. Everything isn't magically better, but there is a plan.

Also Flinn's details, events, background stories of the characters clearly come from her experiences working with people in similar situations. Even her wildest story -- Leo becoming a puppet abuser (i.e. his father is pulling the strings) is very believable, at least to me, because I know someone whose father made him do horrible, abusive things to his sister.

Painful, yet healing book to read, about something that both teens and adults need to be aware of.

Nick Andreas has just been served a restraining order from the person he loves the most in the world. After beating his girlfriend, the sixteen-year-old offender finds himself attending group therapy and writing in a journal about the things he's done. He's the son of an abuser, and it looks like that abuse has surfaced within himself. The question is, can Nick recognize what he's done? More importantly, can he change?

The premise is a complex one. Author Alex Flinn set out to write about an abusive relationship from the abuser's point of view. Now how do you go about doing that, exactly? How do you write a story in which the reader has to simultaneously empathize with and abhor the protagonist? The fact of the matter is, Flinn is so adept with her writing skills that she gets away with it. The result is phenomenal.

The real strength of this story is the way in which the plot arcs and fools the reader. Nick is hardly a reliable narrator (a fact that becomes painfully clear by the end of the story). Yet when he writes in his journal, he feels unaccountably unable to lie about anything that happened. Flinn slowly brings the plot in the journal, and the story of how Nick lives in the aftermath of his own violence, together by the book's end. She does not compromise her position either. As a woman who served as a lawyer trying domestic violence cases and as a volunteer at the Inn Transition facility for battered women and their kids, she knows from whence she speaks. This isn't an author who is speculating on what violence does to families and friends. She knows. Better still, she can write about it.

This isn't a perfect book, I suppose. Some jumps in the plot are implausible. Some characters inconsistent. But what flaws it has only serve to show how strong the story itself is. There is no book on how abusers feel that is as available and accessible to young adults as "Breathing Underwater". You will never regret having read it.

This is an exceptionally compassionate, yet realistic story of one young man's unconscious choice to follow in his father's footsteps, and the consequences it has on his life. A series of physical outbursts against his girlfriend (not to mention ongoing verbal assault) land Nick in court, and he finds himself without the support of family or friends. With the help of a counseling program, and a journal assignment from the judge, Nick tries to figure out how he became a person he neither likes nor understands. Given its subject matter, any success Breathing Underwater achieves almost assures that controversy will follow. That said, it is my opinion that it should be mandatory reading at Junior High level, and stacks of copies should be donated to crisis centers, women's shelters, and child abuse prevention programs everywhere.

This is the best book on dating violence I've seen to date. Flinn has successfully gotten into the mind of the abuser and peels back the layers of his defense mechansims until he finally has to confront his own responsibility in the chaos his violence has caused. This is a book that both teen girls and boys should read. It never preaches, but the dramatic story speaks for itself and makes its points quite clearly. Every school library should have this one.

From a teen reader - I thought that Breathing Underwater was one of the best books I have ever read. The story is basically about a teenage boy who's relationship with his girl friend begins to turn abusive without him realizing it. I really liked the way the author has merged two worlds in the book for the same character. One world is that of his recollections of his growing abusive relationship with his girlfriend in the form of a journal. These thoughts are mixed with his experiences and growing awareness in a court ordered anger management class. The subjects of obesesion and abuse in the book are things that my firends and I experience. This is one of the main reasons I was drawn to this book. My friends and I are glade there is a book that accually tells things the way they really are.I look forward to reading Breaking Point next for the same realism.

The book Breathing Underwater, is about 16-year-old Nick Andrews who is one of those guys who you would think has it all. He is rich, good looking, has little parent supervision, to a 16 year old boy that's everything, he's athletic, and a straight-A student. But what people think isn't always true. Nick and his father wouldn't win family of the year. His father abuses him, and there is nothing he can do about it. He is going out with the prettiest girl in the grade, Caitlin, at least she has been beautiful since she got back from fat camp the summer before. The best part about their relationship is that they are both wild about each other. Everything seems to be going well, until he hits her and she files a restraining order on him. After that he lost everything that was ever important to him; Caitlin, his friends, his respect, and his popularity. He has to take classes and write in a journal of what happened between Caitlin and him; for punishment. He also loses all ways of communication with Caitlin. In his classes he unwillingly learns a part of him that he never knew he had. In the journal Nick writes, he explains everything that happens from the first time he ever saw Caitlin, up to when and why she filled the restraining order on him.

Breathing Underwater was a very good book. My favorite character was Nick. Even though he was abusive I still enjoyed reading about what happened to him on his bumpy road of life. The book was a good story and I found it hard to put it down. I liked the book also because it was a story on something that happens more then people may think it does. And I think this book teaches kids that, sadly, abuse does happen often between couples. The book was also a good story and I found it hard to put it down. I think you should read Breathing Underwater. It is very good and it is the kind of book that every type of person would like!

This was a very powerful book that all teenagers should read. It deals with real life situations and both male and female should understand what is happening in relationships. Nick has a great life except for his overbearing father. Caitlyn has made herself more acceptable to the "in" crowd by losing weight. Now they have found each other and it seems to be the perfect match. Then Nick starts feeling possessive of Caitlyn and reacts in very strange ways. Because she LOVES him, she puts up with very abusive behavior. He even hits her and she forgives him. After he attacks her the second time, he has to go to court. The story is about his rehabilitation and the flashbacks (telling the story) come in the form of a journal he has to write. I found it very moving and can see why so many young people are in dangerous relationships. Hopefully, many people can see themselves in this book and can get help before it is too late. I really liked Alex Flinn and would like to read more of her books.

Breathing Underwater is a book about a young man who has to come to terms with his abusive behavior. Nick Andreas has everything: A great car, a classic mustang, a beautiful girlfriend, and complete control over most of his life. His home life is hell though. His father is very temperamental and hits him all the time.
Nick finally gets up the nerve to ask Caitlin out. Caitlin went to fat camp over the summer and now she looks amazing. Nick and Caitlin begin a whirlwind relationship that seems too good to be true at first. Then Nick starts abusing her. He doesn't hit her right away but he does emotionally abuse her. He makes her stop hanging out with her best friend and tries to control every aspect of her life. If she tries to make her own decisions and Nick doesn't like it he firmly tells her that she needs to find an alternative. The first time he hits her is on their way home from Key West. They had gone on a weekend getaway and Nick was very controlling of her. When she confronts him about it, he is afraid that she will break up with him. He gets very angry and starts driving like a mad man. Then he reaches over and smacks her in the face, HARD! The second time her hits her, he nearly beats her brains out. She sang in the talent show after Nick told her not to. He took her out in the parking lot hit her in the face several times, even punching her. His friends find them in this situation and thus begins Nick's long struggle with reality. Nick is forced to take anger management classes where he learns that he can, indeed, control his temper and put an end to the never ending abuse that his father puts on him. Nick keeps a journal and at the end of it realizes that he was an abusive boyfriend. In the end of the book he finally stands up to his father and begins his new, violence-free, life. This book was a good read but it dealt with some pretty intense issues. There was drinking, sex, and plenty of violence. It is a good book for high school age people but I would not go much younger than that.

Nick A. Miller Place, NY.

I enjoyed reading the book "Breathing Underwater" by Alex Finn and I would recommend it to most readers. It is a fiction book but is not far from reality. It reveals some of life's challenges with teen relationships.

There were a few reasons that I liked the book. Many people can relate to the main character, Nick Andreas, because he has an abusive father. Many people in America can relate to Nick in this way by telling someone about the problem, but he hides the truth. He is asked a question about his family life in one of his family violence classes. He does not tell the truth in the beginning but after class the teacher pulls him aside and knows something is wrong. And the teacher helped him with the problem. People can relate to Nick and if they read this book, then they my get up the courage to tell someone if their parents are abusing them.

Another thing I liked about the book was that the events in this book could and do happen in real life. Nick has an abusive dad, which many boys and girls may have too, and he has issues with his girlfriend. He takes the anger form his father hitting him out on his girlfriend and he abuses her. I don't like to read books in which none of the things going on could happen in reality.

The other thing I liked about this book was that as Nick wrote in a journal about his past actions and problems, he finally realizes that what he did to his girlfriend Caitlin, hurt her very much. At the time he did it, he never thought anything of it, but when he noticed what a few slaps and names could eventually lead to was scary to him. He wished so much that he could go back into the past to change what he had done, but he knew that he could not.

I very much liked to read the book "Breathing Underwater" because it is a reality based book on things that happen in the real world. Many people may learn a valuable lesson about violence by reading this book. I like this book too and I recommend it to all mature readers.