Eimear Ryan will release her new novel – Holding Her Breath – on the 17th May. Pre-order a copy of the novel here.
Holding Her Breath is a sharply written new novel by Eimear Ryan, it’s a lightly written coming of age story that is the perfect read for the summer of 2021. The story centres around Beth Crowe as she starts at university – shadowed by the ghost of her potential as a competitive swimmer. Free to create a fresh identity for herself, she finds herself among people who adore the poetry of her grandfather, Benjamin Crowe, who died tragically before she was born. She embarks on a secret relationship – and on a quest to discover the truth about Benjamin and his widow, her beloved grandmother Lydia. The quest brings her into an archive that no scholar has ever seen, and to a person who knows things about her family that nobody else knows. The magic of the novel is in the way that the storylines interweave and lattice upon each other.
Above all, this is a powerful story about the complicated relationships within a family. Plot-wise it does not chart new territory, but the writing was propulsive enough for this to be a fast-paced and pithy read that positions Ryan as a novelist that needs to be paid attention to. The relationships have a similar feeling to the emotions contained within Sally Rooney’s books, although the subtleties of the novel need more time to unpack. As a central character, Beth’s characterisation at times needs more nuance and depth in order to elevate the novel to the same commercial ranks. Still, this is a vastly enjoyable read and is an important addition to the ranks of summer’s 2021 reads.
