Book Review: Christa Parrish's The Air We Breathe

Christa Parrish chose to go a bit deep, and sentimental with this novel, and it makes the character's quite compelling. It's how she chose to capture the story that helps it though, and that she does write quite well without making the characters too dramatic or unrealistic. The switches grow together in a nice way also tying everything together that you've been reading nicely, but at some points it is very slow especially after when you figured out what has been going on.

The only place that Molly feels comfortable at is the museum. She has trouble leaving even when she finds her feelings growing toward a boy in the area of town. Claire has suffered loss that has crippled her too, and while she has found a family she struggles with the failures of her past. These stories flashback to Claire in the past, and a young girl named Hanna, who suffers a devastating loss in front of her eyes. These lives intertwine to help each other heal, and move on, but the struggle is still there, and they are all more connected than they thought.


The book starts out quite interesting because it builds up your curiosity by flashing between stories in the past and future. This is what really builds the whole novel, but it doesn't hold well and you soon figure out what is going to happen as you continue to reading. What makes the characters interesting is more so the traumatic past they have lived through than the characters themselves. Thankfully, unlike a lot of novels of this type Parrish doesn't fall into something that reads as cheesy.

Claire has a lot going on, and I think her situation while very drama filled is also very relatable to people who have suffered loss, or just might be a mother. Molly on the other hand appeals to a different crowd, so you have two people who provided something for one woman or another to relate to because they both represented different ends of a spectrum.

Also, the writing flows very well. It keeps it interesting with slight twists here and there, but by the end you feel like some things are just being wrote just to try to keep it interesting after the most interesting reveals have already been thrown out there. It tries to remain a touching story continually too, while most might appreciate that it also feels a little forced. Some positives though that are reflected are how the mother and daughter need to heal to the tragedy that has struck them, and how something like that can negatively affect two people.

If you're a fan of Christa Parrish then you will be curious to pick up her book, it's good, but you might prefer her previous ones. If you're a new reader then you will probably find this one enjoyable, but others might tell you to begin with another one of her's first. It may get your curiosity regardless to read another of hers since this one is a good novel that tries to be entertaining, but deal with very serious issues at the same time.

Rating 6 of 10.

This book was provided by Bethany House in exchange for a review.