Written with a tender touch: My review of "The Air We Breathe" by Christa Parrish

about the book...

From the author of

Home Another Way, Finalist for the 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award for Fiction and

Watch Over Me, Winner of the 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award for Fiction

Molly Fisk Needs the Courage to Face Her Fears.

What She Finds Instead is a Most Unexpected Friendship.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Fisk does not go outside. For so long she has run away from a moment long in the past, but she's not running anymore, she's hiding. Ruled by anxiety, she can only stare out the window of the tiny tourist-town museum she and her mother call home, longing to go outside--to maybe take a walk with the cute boy who works in the pizza place across the street.

Then the chance arrival of a woman Molly knew years ago changes everything.

Back then, Claire Rodriguez was an empty shell. Only in the unique friendship she struck up with a little girl--a silent girl who'd only talk to Claire--did she see the possibility of healing. But one day the girl and her mother vanished, their house left abandoned.

What happened that drove them away? And how can Claire now offer Molly the same chance at finding life anew?

my review....

Writing with a tender touch, author Christa Parrish has penned a novel that will move and inspire you. I dove into the novel uncertain what to expect, as I have not read a novel by this author in the past. I soon became captivated by the story of Molly, heart-broken by the trauma she experienced, and cheering her on as she slowly begins to face the fears and anxieties that have held her captive for so long. I likewise connected with the story of Claire, offering healing from her own experiences of grief and loss, and I loved how the author wove the lives of Claire and Molly together. The characters are created with complete realism, and readers are sure to glimpse bits of their own humanity within the pages of this story. Despite being written with emotion and depth, the story definitely moves along at a good pace and kept me engaged from beginning to end. Christa Parrish has won a new fan in her latest contemporary fiction offering, and I know that I will be keeping my eye out for her next book for sure!

I award this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. Fans of contemporary novels that feature compelling characters and the wonderful freedom that comes from supping of God's grace will be sure to enjoy this novel. Warning: Expect a tear or two!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

about the author...

A winner of Associated Press awards for her journalism, Christa Parrish now teaches literature and writing to high school students, is a homeschool mom, and lives near Saratoga Springs, New York. She is the author of Home Another Way, finalist for the 2009 ECPA Fiction Book of the Year, and Watch Over Me, which won the 2010 ECPA Fiction Book of the Year. Learn more at www.christaparrish.com.

Buy the Book