Title: A Breath She Took
Author: Ilan Amit
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A shocking announcement prompts Inbal to just get up and run out of the house
Inbal is an attractive independent woman, a biology researcher who hides the fact that her father disappeared under strange circumstances when she was only ten. He left her, her mother, and her sister struggling in a home turned upside-down. When one morning Inbal’s husband suddenly announces he wants to separate, reality strikes, the walls that she has built around herself all her life begin to crumble, and she runs out of the house and through the city.
But where does she go, and what mysteries does she unravel along the way?
The pointless run gradually becomes a strange voyage toward her past, confronting life-changing secrets, as she tries to unveil the mystery of her father’s disappearance so long ago. This is the story of the tense, strange, and sometimes funny relationship that she has with her sister and mother, both past and present. This is a story about losing one’s old self and finding a stronger, clearer new one.
In “A Breath She Took“, Inbal has struggled her entire life with coming to terms with her past. When she was ten years old, her father disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving her, her mother and her sister behind. Now, Inbal has put up walls all around her, to protect herself from the outside world.
When her husband declares he wants a seperation, the walls around Inbal collapse. Panicking, she runs outside, to the city, seemingly aimlessly running from the terrible truth. However, the run soon becomes a voyage, a trip down memory lane, as she tries to unveil the mystery of her father’s disappearance and comes to terms with the past.
This is a compelling, emotional read about the journey to discover one’s true self, to deal with one’s past, and become a stronger person. I found it very inspiring, and a solid read, but the only downside for me was the lack of action in the present – the journeys into the character’s past are interesting, but they don’t hold enough excitement for the “here and now”.
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