Name: Breathe
ISBN: 9780312331535

Anne-Sophie Brasme

Rory Mulholland

Nineteen-year-old French prison inmate Charlene Boher relates her lonely childhood, and how her high school friendship with Sarah led to feelings of acceptance, then obsession, and finally hatred.

A Novel

Breathe

I had just watched the movie and found it very well-made with an interesting story and complex characters. This made me want to pick up the book afterwards, which I don’t regret.

There’s so much I want to say but I don’t know where to start. From the first page of the book I was hooked in. The whole book was written in such a humane and raw way. It felt almost like finding someone’s journal from a different time. It was personal, well written and thought provoking

The first thing I noticed was that the Charlene from the book was completely different from the one I saw in the movie. The one in the book was deeply into obsession, and more disturbed than the one in the movie. I personally related to both versions, but the one I related to the most was the book version.

It’s rare that I see myself so much in a fictional character. Usually I only see parts of myself but with Charlene it was almost frightening how much I felt her emotions and reognized her throughts. The atrachment that went over to obsession felt incredibly real. The process of how it happened and the idealisation turning into hate, it all hit a very deep wound in me.

It was painful to see Charlene putting up with Sarah’s behaviour. It’s a specific feeling that hits when you’re so desperate to stay with someone to the point where you’d rather be mistreated than to expect anything from them. I also related to the moment when she stopped  feeling happy with anyone else, even denying herself happiness unless it wasn’t with Sarah. As someone who has been dealing with a lot of attachment issues and at times obsession, I’ve never read any book that decribes it in this way. Insanely human, raw and deeply consuming

There were many thoughts that went through my head while reading it. The fear that I would somehow turn out like Charlene, the pain of being so insanely obsessed with another person to the point where you genuinely feel that life isn’t worth living unless they’re there. Even the steps you take to keep them there, by either accepting anything from them or dedicating your whole life to observing them and focusing on them.

While I related to Charlene’s obsession, I also related to the happiness she started to allow herself to feel when she met Maxine. That safety and warmth. The realisation that it doesn’t have to be so painful and consuming, it can just be calm and genuine. Despite how that turned out and with the way it ended, I really admire Maxine for understanding Charlene the way he did and the loyalty he held even after the murder. I personally related to both sides of these characters. The attachment and belief that being with this person (Sarah) matters more than anything despite the cost. But also the helplessness of trying to get close to someone, knowing you understand them and would love them no matter what but they still shut you out.

I honestly found this book incredible. It has now become one of the few books that really understand me and get parts of me I never thought I would see in another character. Very grateful to have found it and that I got to read it

Lulu Evensen

I had just watched the movie and found it very well-made with an interesting story and complex characters. This made me want to pick up the book afterwards, which I don’t regret.

There’s so much I want to say but I don’t know where to start. From the first page of the book I was hooked in. The whole book was written in such a humane and raw way. It felt almost like finding someone’s journal from a different time. It was personal, well written and thought provoking

The first thing I noticed was that the Charlene from the book was completely different from the one I saw in the movie. The one in the book was deeply into obsession, and more disturbed than the one in the movie. I personally related to both versions, but the one I related to the most was the book version.

It’s rare that I see myself so much in a fictional character. Usually I only see parts of myself but with Charlene it was almost frightening how much I felt her emotions and reognized her throughts. The atrachment that went over to obsession felt incredibly real. The process of how it happened and the idealisation turning into hate, it all hit a very deep wound in me.

It was painful to see Charlene putting up with Sarah’s behaviour. It’s a specific feeling that hits when you’re so desperate to stay with someone to the point where you’d rather be mistreated than to expect anything from them. I also related to the moment when she stopped  feeling happy with anyone else, even denying herself happiness unless it wasn’t with Sarah. As someone who has been dealing with a lot of attachment issues and at times obsession, I’ve never read any book that decribes it in this way. Insanely human, raw and deeply consuming

There were many thoughts that went through my head while reading it. The fear that I would somehow turn out like Charlene, the pain of being so insanely obsessed with another person to the point where you genuinely feel that life isn’t worth living unless they’re there. Even the steps you take to keep them there, by either accepting anything from them or dedicating your whole life to observing them and focusing on them.

While I related to Charlene’s obsession, I also related to the happiness she started to allow herself to feel when she met Maxine. That safety and warmth. The realisation that it doesn’t have to be so painful and consuming, it can just be calm and genuine. Despite how that turned out and with the way it ended, I really admire Maxine for understanding Charlene the way he did and the loyalty he held even after the murder. I personally related to both sides of these characters. The attachment and belief that being with this person (Sarah) matters more than anything despite the cost. But also the helplessness of trying to get close to someone, knowing you understand them and would love them no matter what but they still shut you out.

I honestly found this book incredible. It has now become one of the few books that really understand me and get parts of me I never thought I would see in another character. Very grateful to have found it and that I got to read it

Breathe A Novel

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