Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn | Teen Ink

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

April 7, 2008
By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

“You hurt her bad. That's all I saw. I didn't know you were hurting too.”
Nick Andreas, a handsome and popular sixteen-year-old is now struggling with the anger in his life. He is brought to court by his ex-girlfriend, Catilin, for hitting her. He is sentenced to group therapy, and asked personally by the judge to write everything in a journal about the past leading up to the “incident.”

Later in group therapy he becomes friends with the other boys who are in the same position. The stories told in the group are harsh and terrible to believe. Even some tragedies happen within the group of boys.
When Nick is trying to not think about reality he turns to writing in his journal. He likes writing in the journal because it reminds him of the good times. In his journal he would write about times with he spent with Catilin, like when he first saw her, and party's they would go to, and the trips they would go on. Also in his journal he would write about his home life with his father. His father would abuse him not only physically but mentally as well.
In the end Nick realized what he has done and finally realizes there is no way for him to get Catilin back, so he gives up. In the process Nick's ex-best friend is told about Nick's hardships and forgives him for hurting Catilin. Also Nick's group therapy leader tells Nick his story and how he got to be in the place he's in. This make Nick look up to his leader.
I was interested in this novel because it's about a kid going through some things that no one should ever have to go through and reading about it made me think about my life in comparison with Nick's, and thinking that this story could happen to anyone which
makes it interesting to read. This book also interested me because it was the high school life from the perspective of a boy, and I am a girl going through high school.


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