The Art of Not Breathing

March 28, 2016
Alexander debuts with a raw and sensitive novel about loss. During the five years since Elsie's twin brother, Eddie, drowned in the North Sea off Scotland's Black Isle, Elsie and her family have been doing everything they can to escape reality: Elsie's mother drinks, her father is never home, older brother Dillon develops an eating disorder, and Elsie isolates herself. Elsie also endlessly relives the day Eddie died, wondering what more she could have done, until she meets Tay McKenzie. He teaches Elsie to freedive (diving without a breathing apparatus), and Elsie begins to remember the "few black spots" of that day when she is underwater. The more Elsie recalls, the more she realizes that her family and friends have been hiding secrets. Alexander movingly traces the motions of family members trying to piece their lives back together while dealing with personal demons. Candidly written and balanced by notes of humor throughout, Elsie's journey to find the truth shows just how far she's willing to go to bring her family back from the depths of tragedy. Ages 14âup. Agent: Hellie Ogden, Janklow & Nesbit.

January 1, 2016
Since the death of her twin brother, Elsie's family has fallen apart. It's been five years since her twin, Eddie, disappeared beneath the waves in the North Sea off Scotland. His body was never found, and 16-year-old Elsie's family is crumbling. Her father seethes with rage and is absent most of the time; her mother has taken to drinking gin straight from the bottle; and her older brother, Dillon, has stopped eating. Elsie relentlessly relives the day of her brother's drowning, worrying the scab of guilt, but her memories are fragmented, and she struggles to make sense of the nebulous images that haunt her. Elsie's present-tense narration is raw and unflinching as she relates her story and unravels the twists in her recollection. Then she meets bad-boy Tay. He introduces her to pot, sex, and free diving: diving without oxygen. Elsie finds solace in holding her breath as she seeks to find answers--and her twin--in the cold, murky depths. As, bit by bit, clues emerge and Elsie dives deeper and longer, she realizes that it's not just her family that has been keeping corrosive secrets. Narrated in a crisp, unvarnished voice, Elsie's frightening and alluring tale shows that even while in the depths one can reach for light. In a breathtaking setting, this is a fresh and vivid take on the long-term effects of a child's death on a family. (Fiction. 12-18)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-A strong debut novel that tells an intriguing tale of grief and recovery, with just enough romance and reality to appeal to a wide variety of readers. Set in a beachside Scottish town, this tale is about 16-year-old Elsie, who foggily remembers the day her twin brother, Eddie, disappeared. Elsie struggles to recall the event, but her family members refuse to discuss it. Instead, each disappears in their own way. Mum drinks, Dad leaves, and older brother Dillon develops anorexia. With no friends, haunted by memories of Eddie, and virtually a magnet for the town mean girl, Elsie also needs an escape. She skips school to visit a vacant boathouse and surreptitiously indulge in chocolate and cigarettes, until Tay appears. A little messy, a little odd, and totally mysterious, Tay introduces Elsie to free diving (underwater diving, minus breathing gear). Underwater and oxygen deprived, Elsie feels reunited with Eddie. Free diving instills in Elsie confidence and introduces friends and a burgeoning romance with Tay. But when Elsie makes a heartbreaking discovery, she attempts the ultimate free dive. This proves to be the jolt her family needs to begin healing. Alexander covers wide ground with teen issues without any heavy-handedness or didacticism. VERDICT While the compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and page-turning conclusion will attract readers, what will linger most in their minds is the luxurious feel of the water and other details vividly evoked by Alexander's atmospheric writing.-Laura Falli, McNeil High School, Austin, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Since her twin brother's drowning, sixteen-year-old Elsie's family has become nearly unrecognizable in its grief. Elsie retreats to the beach and there encounters bad boy Tay, who teaches her to free dive--an activity that engenders a sense of freedom but also prompts disturbing recollections. Evocative scenes of underwater exploration are as memorable as the examination of loss in this strong debut.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 15, 2016
Grades 9-11 Sixteen-year-old Elsie's developmentally disabled twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, on their birthday. The devastated family has dealt with the loss in different ways: the mother seeks comfort in alcohol; the father distances himself; Elsie's older brother, Dillon, immerses himself in school while developing anorexia; and Elsie keeps Eddie alive by imagining he is still speaking to her and interacting with her. Then Elsie meets charismatic free-diver Tay and begins to explore the world under the same waves that took her brother. Set in a tiny, rural seacoast town in Scotland, Alexander's debut uses the setting to excellent effect while spinning multiple levels of mystery within the many subplots. Of special note is the intriguing description of the silent undersea world. Here Elsie finds the courage to face her fears and break free of her family's dysfunction. Elsie herself is a sympathetic, believable protagonist whose unsentimental narrative voice documents her family's descent as they uncover the truth behind Eddie's death. The British slang will not deter American readers; it's all quite understandable in context.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)