The Weight of Water

"Home - Water is another world: A land with its own language. Which I speak fluently." Wow. What a beautifully crafted verse novel. It's simple and perfect and haunting and hopeful. I love the way she weaves identities and relationships and all the girls and women we are and have been. The glue that binds it all --Kasienka's strength and the way Crossan gently treats words.

Finished in one sitting. So beautiful and perfect.

"The Weight of Water" by Sarah Crossan is a book I'm glad I stumbled upon. I requested to read an ARC of this book through Netgalley based on it's premise. A young girl moves to the UK with her mother in search of her father. As an immigrant, she is faced with the struggles of living in a one room home and trouble making friends at school (and the bullying she faces there). But in her search for her father and in face of certain adversities, she comes to learn a lot about herself, her mother and the relationships she can build with meaningful people. I loved the premise and it was so heartfelt. I felt very deeply for Kasienka. But what I wasn't expecting was the form of the story. "The Weight of Water" is presented as a series of narrative poems written by Kasienka. And I was thrilled by this. I never would have read a book like this normally, but now that I have, I absolutely love the idea. Crossan is able to write about the events in Kasienka's life without all the narrative 'padding' many books have. Instead, you have a story that illustrates the pivotal events and feelings that the narrator experiences. Also, it allows the realism of a young girls voice to permeate the page. Overall, "The Weight of Water" is a memorable and moving novel. I'm so glad I came across it!

This is my Second Sarah Crossan book this Month and this is such a poignant read where the Prose writing style really suits it. This a Book that leaves you Screaming but also feeling super proud when you turn the last page as you realise that the journey of our Main Character is continuing but you know she overcame some tough times. We Meet Kasienka and her mother who are two Polish migrants who have arrived in England searching for answers and for the father that left them. Kasienka's Mother is obsessed with the idea that she can bring their family back together and they can all return to Poland. They Walk Down streets in Coventry trying to find him and with each know comes another failure and more heartbreak for Kasienka's Mother. This is not the only problem for Kasienka as she starts a New School she must deal with the bullying and name calling just for being different, for wearing the wrong thing, for saying the wrong thing, or just because they can. However, Kasienka Loves Swimming and it’s her way of escaping and being her own person where she doesn’t get picked on and can let out her frustration out through lengths in the water. “When I am in the water My body moves like a wave: There is a violence to it And a beauty.” This is such an Eye-Opening story that shows life inside our schools and the difficulty faced by so many which should never exist at all, but this book conveys this message in such a refreshing and powerful way that you can help but fall in love with the Characters and settings. This Book deals with a lot in such a short space Kasienka's relationship with her mother, the difficult choices she must make at such a young age, and the exploration of the alienation that many immigrants face. The honesty in Sarah Crossan's writing is a brilliant aspect of this book, as she doesn't skim over the harder parts of life we struggle with at home and at school. The target audience of this book may seem young, but this novel is an excellent read for people of all ages.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

This book ticks every single box. Authenticity, voice, gritty realism, teenage love, an immigration story that rings true, complexity and a verse novel to boot.

Living in America I did not realize that Polish people were treated so horribly in the UK. This book explores immigration, broken family dynamics, first love, bullying, and swimming. This is a novel written in verse and the language is gorgeous, blunt, and so incredibly impactful. There were times reading it I had to stop because of the intensity of emotion I was feeling from this book. It made me smile, frown, gasp, and just be amazed (in both positive and negative ways).