Background
Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn grew up on New York and also in Miami Florida. She studied at the University of Miami and later went on to become a lawyer. During law school Flinn interned at Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, where she tried many domestic violence cases. Her experience there led to her first novel, Breathing Underwater.
Characters
 Nick Andreas
  •  Nick is the main character, and is also a dynamic character. He is a 16 year old football player at his high school in Miami, Florida.
Caitlin McCourt
  • Caitlin is Nick's girlfriend in most of the story. She is the reason Nick goes through all his changes. 
Tom Carter
  • Tom is the star football player at their high school and also Nick's best friend.
 
Breathing Underwater
By: Alex Flinn
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Background
Frame

This is the cover of the book Breathing Underwater.

Conflicts

  • Person vs Person: Nick vs His father -This is one of the main conflicts in this story. Since Nick's dad is abusive it effects Nick's life and how he acts towards others.

  • Person vs Self: Nick vs Self - Nick struggles to avoid his violence issues when it comes to his girlfriend Caitlin.

  • Person vs Society: Nick vs Society -After Nick hits Caitlin his whole group of friends no longer talk to him, including his best friend. Everyone in school knows about it and they all make it hard for Nick to even come to school.



 

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Background

Point of View

First Person

Setting

Miami, Florida

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Miami, Florida

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Plot Line

Exposition

  •  Miami, Florida
  • Constant flashbacks from when Nick and Caitlin were together

Rising Action

  • Nick's father beats him.
  • Nick meets Caitlin and the begin dating.
  • Nick beats Caitlin. Caitlin gets a restraining order and Nick has to go to a domestic violence class.
  • Nick meets Leo in that class.
  • Leo hits his girlfriend.

Climax

  • Nick sees how Leo treats his girlfriend and realizes he was just like him.

Falling Action

  • Mario, the teacher of the class, tells Nick that Leo killed his girlfriend and then killed himself.
  • Mario shares his story to the class about when his wife left him because he hit her.

Resolution

  • Nick sincerely apologizes to Caitlin for the last time and realizes he needs to forget about her and start new. 

  "...I raise my hand. When he acknowledges it, I say, 'I think I know what you've been trying to teach us.'....'It's about being a man, isn't it? A real man....About taking responsibility for your actions....It's about letting go when you really, really want to hold on so bad.'"

"Then I decide I don't care - I've been trying to breathe underwater for too long. It's time to get some fresh air into my lungs."


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Theme

Domestic violence hurts everyone and although it may not be an excuse for one's behavior, it's usually the reason behind it.

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Recommendation

I would highly recommend reading this book. It is a good book for teens because we can relate to some of the things the main character, Nick goes through. It also allows the reader to become aware of the drastic measures of domestic violence.

Created at LetterPop.com