What no one knows-not even his best friend-is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect-on the outside, at least.

The ending scene with Nick's best friend rings a bit hollow, but as Nick's past comes to light, both the circumstances and his owning up to his actions carry heavy emotional weight in this gripping tale. Breathing Underwater Alex Flinn 3.90 8,440 ratings1,124 reviews Like father, like son. Caitlin's insecurity, borne of self-image problems due to a previous weight problem and her beautiful mother's badgering, is also credibly rendered. The correlation between Nick's controlling behavior and his father's abuse is subtle but effective. Gradually, he begins to recognize his own responsibility in how events played out ('Somehow, when I see it on paper, it becomes more real than when it's just in my head'). Breathing Underwater was published in 2001. Set in Miami and told in a split narrative, the novel juxtaposes Nick's journal entries about his past relationship with Caitlin alongside the current challenges of going back to school with his friends turned against him, his counseling sessions and life with his father. Also, Flinn interned at the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office, trying many domestic violence cases, which were later the inspiration for her first novel, Breathing Underwater. HarperCollins, 15.95 (272pp) ISBN 978-0-06-029198-3 'Ever feel like you're breathing underwater, and you have to stop because you're. He is sentenced to six months of counseling and to write 500 words per week in a journal, explaining what happened from the day he met Caitlin to the present. BUY THIS BOOK BREATHING UNDERWATER Alex Flinn. As Flinn's first novel opens, Nick finds himself in court, facing a restraining order by his girlfriend, Caitlin. Breathing Underwater begins with Nick going to court. While his classmates think of him as rich, popular and perfect, they don't know the truth about his turbulent home life with an abusive father.

'Ever feel like you're breathing underwater, and you have to stop because you're gulping in too much fluid?' For 16-year-old Nick Andreas, these words from his violence counselor ring true.

Breathing underwater by alex flinn