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Swimming Through Clouds
I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.
Senior year kicks off when a Post-it note sparks a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Hoops and homework occupy Lagan Desai until something moves to the top of his list: befriend the new girl.
One Post-it note at a time, Lagan moves past Talia's caution-taped heart, revealing a world where hope seems to lie around the corner...she never turns.
From Award-winning author Rajdeep Paulus comes a story that reminds us that life is battle we don't fight alone.
Senior year kicks off when a Post-it note sparks a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Hoops and homework occupy Lagan Desai until something moves to the top of his list: befriend the new girl.
One Post-it note at a time, Lagan moves past Talia's caution-taped heart, revealing a world where hope seems to lie around the corner...she never turns.
From Award-winning author Rajdeep Paulus comes a story that reminds us that life is battle we don't fight alone.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 25, 2013
9 people are currently reading
911 people want to read
About the author
Rajdeep Paulus
7 books76 followersRajdeep decided to be a writer during her junior year in high school after her English teacher gave her an “F” but told her she had potential. She studied English Literature at Northwestern University, and she writes masala-marinated, Young Adult Fiction, blogging weekly at InSearchofWaterfalls dot com.
When Paulus is not tapping on her Mac, you can find her dancing with her four princesses, kayaking with her hubs, coaching basketball or eating dark chocolate while sipping a frothy, sugar-free latte. She secretly hopes to one day own a laptop that functions under water! Oops. The secret’s out.
When Paulus is not tapping on her Mac, you can find her dancing with her four princesses, kayaking with her hubs, coaching basketball or eating dark chocolate while sipping a frothy, sugar-free latte. She secretly hopes to one day own a laptop that functions under water! Oops. The secret’s out.
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May 24, 2013Debut young adult author Rajdeep Paulus has crafted a story riddled with pain and terrifying uncertainty. Readers, most of whom will have never experienced anything remotely similar to protagonist Talia’s nightmare, will emerge from this story with more compassion for children and teens who are forced to live life with a contrived duality. There are many masks these children must wear depending upon where they are and who can see them.
Talia and her younger brother, Jesse, aren’t just dealing with a father whose moods and whims make their lives tough. They are literally living in danger every day of their lives. The dark sickness of their father is reminiscent of the twisted nature of Dwight, the stepfather in Tobias Wolff’s memoir This Boy’s Life—including forced, inappropriate chores, horrific abuse, and public humiliation. But, while Wolff dreamed constantly of running away and even attempted to leave several times by reaching out to others around him, Paulus’s characters only try once, and the memory of that failure haunts them. They never breathe a word of the atrocious way they live at home—not to teachers, school counselors, neighbors, or law enforcement. Paulus leaves it to us to figure out why, and the reasons are psychological, but not based in a reality that we understand.
Enter a tenacious, stubborn boy named Lagan Desai, who sees Talia at school and for some reason decides his mission will be to pull the new girl out of her self-imposed silence. He does this in the only way possible—through small, unobtrusive gestures of kindness that slowly gain Talia’s trust. As readers might imagine, Talia is not a girl who trusts easily—especially not males. But Lagan sees a spark in her that he wants to nourish, and he does, very sweetly. He’s a character who is able to step around his own popularity and busy-ness and invest a great deal of time in this odd girl who shields her face with hair and every inch of skin with clothes.
This is not a bubble-gum, high school sweetheart kind of story. Lagan shows a maturity rarely seen in high school kids, and, although Paulus never says it outright, she intimates that Lagan’s nature has been honed through a deep faith and a spirituality that has been nurtured. Our nation and our world have experienced such devastation in recent years that the only thing I look for now in people is kindness. I don’t care who you are, who you have been, or who you will be, if you are kind to others, I love you. This is Lagan. He sees in Talia a girl who is suffering in monstrously large ways—inexplicable ways—and his only response is kindness.
It is here that we find the redemption in Paulus’s story, because for so much of the book, we wonder if there will ever be hope for Talia and Jesse. Lagan gives Talia so much through a book about a gardener who whispers hope into her soul and lights a spark that becomes movement. It becomes lightning. It becomes escape. No, we don’t all experience abuse like this, but we all experience hopelessness and paralysis that rob us of abundant life. When someone steps into our mess and holds out a seed, a sliver, of kindness, we feel hope flutter. This, readers, is the message of Swimming Through Clouds.
I recommend this book to older teen readers due to the mature thematic issues and intense scenes of abuse.
Talia and her younger brother, Jesse, aren’t just dealing with a father whose moods and whims make their lives tough. They are literally living in danger every day of their lives. The dark sickness of their father is reminiscent of the twisted nature of Dwight, the stepfather in Tobias Wolff’s memoir This Boy’s Life—including forced, inappropriate chores, horrific abuse, and public humiliation. But, while Wolff dreamed constantly of running away and even attempted to leave several times by reaching out to others around him, Paulus’s characters only try once, and the memory of that failure haunts them. They never breathe a word of the atrocious way they live at home—not to teachers, school counselors, neighbors, or law enforcement. Paulus leaves it to us to figure out why, and the reasons are psychological, but not based in a reality that we understand.
Enter a tenacious, stubborn boy named Lagan Desai, who sees Talia at school and for some reason decides his mission will be to pull the new girl out of her self-imposed silence. He does this in the only way possible—through small, unobtrusive gestures of kindness that slowly gain Talia’s trust. As readers might imagine, Talia is not a girl who trusts easily—especially not males. But Lagan sees a spark in her that he wants to nourish, and he does, very sweetly. He’s a character who is able to step around his own popularity and busy-ness and invest a great deal of time in this odd girl who shields her face with hair and every inch of skin with clothes.
This is not a bubble-gum, high school sweetheart kind of story. Lagan shows a maturity rarely seen in high school kids, and, although Paulus never says it outright, she intimates that Lagan’s nature has been honed through a deep faith and a spirituality that has been nurtured. Our nation and our world have experienced such devastation in recent years that the only thing I look for now in people is kindness. I don’t care who you are, who you have been, or who you will be, if you are kind to others, I love you. This is Lagan. He sees in Talia a girl who is suffering in monstrously large ways—inexplicable ways—and his only response is kindness.
It is here that we find the redemption in Paulus’s story, because for so much of the book, we wonder if there will ever be hope for Talia and Jesse. Lagan gives Talia so much through a book about a gardener who whispers hope into her soul and lights a spark that becomes movement. It becomes lightning. It becomes escape. No, we don’t all experience abuse like this, but we all experience hopelessness and paralysis that rob us of abundant life. When someone steps into our mess and holds out a seed, a sliver, of kindness, we feel hope flutter. This, readers, is the message of Swimming Through Clouds.
I recommend this book to older teen readers due to the mature thematic issues and intense scenes of abuse.
July 17, 2015
Maybe if each person in the whole world contributed one tissue to the pile of mush that has become my life, I would be able to soak up the absolute river that erupted from my eyes after finishing Swimming Through Clouds.
Maybe.
But let’s just leave my mental health and tendency to get too attached to beautiful characters in novels behind for a moment, and cut straight to the point, shall we?
Swimming Through Clouds was phenomenal. It’s been a very long time since an author has stunned me speechless with the combination of an incredible storyline, impeccable writing style, and realistic, lovable characters. I highly doubt many books will be able to live up to the standard that Rajdeep Paulus has set.
I think that if there were one thing that I had to praise the author the most on, it would be her writing. Paulus’ writing was breathtaking. Honestly, if I could write like her, I would write all day, every day, and then gloat about it to every single person that I met. Not that it would earn me any friends, but then again the whole world would probably be in awe of my writing, so…
Anyway, I was completely ensnared within the first paragraph:
“I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.”
After reading those first few lines, I was convinced. I knew straight away that this was not simply the work of another wannabe writer with a simple, catchy idea for a storyline in her head. This was the work of a great novelist, who is able to capture the entire theme of a novel, to completely sum up a tormented soul’s heartache, within a single paragraph. This was the way to grab a reader’s attention, and damn was Rajdeep Paulus doing it all the way to Jupiter and back.
She could make me laugh with the flick of a pinkie finger, cry with the bat of an eyelash, and then absolutely bawl my eyes out right through the last chapter and leading into the epilogue. I don’t know how she did it. But she did. And it was incredible.
It was not only the writing style that impressed me, but also Paulus’ ability to make me feel like I could relate to a girl with whom I shared almost no common ground, and to make me entirely lose all sense of time and place when I was reading. I would tear myself out of Talia’s world to find that the sunlight had long since vanished, my nails had been bitten down to stubs, and that a chunk of the novel had just vanished into thin air. And as I said before, my attachment to her characters has proven to be most worrisome. I loved how they were real. Not “real”. REAL. I didn’t come looking for a plastic Barbie doll that cried when her vampire boyfriend dumped her - I was looking for bittersweet reality. And that’s exactly what I was given. Even though I have never been in a situation anywhere close to Talia’s, I have developed a strong bond with her, and feel like I can relate to her. That is another sign of genius writing at work.
One last thing: as a teenage girl, I have taken it upon myself to decide that – for the sake of the world – all boys now have the responsibility to write romantic sticky notes to girls all day, every day. On second thought, if I could just have a Lagan to lock up in my closet and force to write me sticky notes all day, every day, that’s also acceptable. Maybe those sticky notes can help me to hang on to what remains of my dignity and mental health until the sequel to Swimming Through Clouds is published.
Read more of my reviews and blogs at amybouwer.blogspot.com
Maybe.
But let’s just leave my mental health and tendency to get too attached to beautiful characters in novels behind for a moment, and cut straight to the point, shall we?
Swimming Through Clouds was phenomenal. It’s been a very long time since an author has stunned me speechless with the combination of an incredible storyline, impeccable writing style, and realistic, lovable characters. I highly doubt many books will be able to live up to the standard that Rajdeep Paulus has set.
I think that if there were one thing that I had to praise the author the most on, it would be her writing. Paulus’ writing was breathtaking. Honestly, if I could write like her, I would write all day, every day, and then gloat about it to every single person that I met. Not that it would earn me any friends, but then again the whole world would probably be in awe of my writing, so…
Anyway, I was completely ensnared within the first paragraph:
“I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.”
After reading those first few lines, I was convinced. I knew straight away that this was not simply the work of another wannabe writer with a simple, catchy idea for a storyline in her head. This was the work of a great novelist, who is able to capture the entire theme of a novel, to completely sum up a tormented soul’s heartache, within a single paragraph. This was the way to grab a reader’s attention, and damn was Rajdeep Paulus doing it all the way to Jupiter and back.
She could make me laugh with the flick of a pinkie finger, cry with the bat of an eyelash, and then absolutely bawl my eyes out right through the last chapter and leading into the epilogue. I don’t know how she did it. But she did. And it was incredible.
It was not only the writing style that impressed me, but also Paulus’ ability to make me feel like I could relate to a girl with whom I shared almost no common ground, and to make me entirely lose all sense of time and place when I was reading. I would tear myself out of Talia’s world to find that the sunlight had long since vanished, my nails had been bitten down to stubs, and that a chunk of the novel had just vanished into thin air. And as I said before, my attachment to her characters has proven to be most worrisome. I loved how they were real. Not “real”. REAL. I didn’t come looking for a plastic Barbie doll that cried when her vampire boyfriend dumped her - I was looking for bittersweet reality. And that’s exactly what I was given. Even though I have never been in a situation anywhere close to Talia’s, I have developed a strong bond with her, and feel like I can relate to her. That is another sign of genius writing at work.
One last thing: as a teenage girl, I have taken it upon myself to decide that – for the sake of the world – all boys now have the responsibility to write romantic sticky notes to girls all day, every day. On second thought, if I could just have a Lagan to lock up in my closet and force to write me sticky notes all day, every day, that’s also acceptable. Maybe those sticky notes can help me to hang on to what remains of my dignity and mental health until the sequel to Swimming Through Clouds is published.
Read more of my reviews and blogs at amybouwer.blogspot.com
September 21, 2017
How do I start reviewing this book? It just so happens that I've just read It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover two weeks ago and now THIS.
I love it when people recommend good books, I really do. But it never hurts to pick up books based on your own instincts. I personally think it's challenging and fun. Because 1.) if you end up loving a book that you picked up yourself, you could boast it to the world that you got yourself a really good book, and 2.) if you end up not liking it, at least you only have yourself to blame. Don't be afraid of buying a book you've never heard anything about. Who knows, it might even turn out to be a great one, or your fave read of the year. This happened to me 3x already. I read The False Prince, Still Alice, and I'll Be Yours without a single person telling me to read them, and they're now three of my favorite books of ALL TIME. Same thing applies to Swimming Through Clouds. Look at the number of ratings and reviews and you'll see that not many people have read this piece of gem. And I undeniably want to be one of those few people to put a 5 stars right here and get more people to read the book.
Swimming Through Clouds is a sensitive book. It is the MOST PAINFUL book I've read this year so far. Talia, our main character, got some really seriously damaged family background and her Dad is the absolute worst. It took me a while to get used to the writing style and understand what the hell's going on but when I did (a few pages in), I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was thinking, "Should I be reading this?" and if yes, "Am I going to survive it?" (not literally, of course). I'm warning you now, this book will make you cringe A LOT of times. There were moments when I felt like I needed to close my eyes and breathe for a full minute before continuing, because the scenes were very triggering.
Lagan and the post-its were what made me smile from time to time. It's like I'm Talia and I find it difficult to open up and socialize with people. It's like I'm engulfed in her protective cocoon as well; that a single thing can happen anytime and that cocoon might break and bring about all the worst-case scenarios. Every minute I'm reading I felt frightened for Talia and Jess's lives. There'll be times when you'd want to strangle Talia's Dad (if only you can do that to a fictional character) and just get over with it. But you're there seeing the story unfolds and you're just caught off guard.
I loved Lagan and Talia. It was kind of refreshing to see them interacting with each other and helping each other through such tough (what an understatement) times. I especially loved Lagan for being exactly as he was. I need a Lagan in my life (I believe we all do).
It was too brutal at times. By the last 2-3 chapters, I was pretty sure my heart was somewhere near the opening of my mouth already (it was THAT intense) and I couldn't not continue. Dang, I was so afraid, I needed to know what happens next right away!
I can't even tell you guys how many times I cried while reading this book. Seven? Ten? Twelve? That doesn't even include the many times I flinched at sentences and felt nauseous. When I finished it, I just wanted to hug anyone to push all the pain away. Basically, I wanted to hug the author for making me feel such powerful emotions and thank her for all the cucumber slices, picnics by the oak tree, and post-it notes.
I have no doubt that this book will forever affect me, both in good ways and not. You can just imagine how excited I was when I found out that there's a sequel. I'm terrified and happy at the same time.
Read at your own risk. And again, let me be that person who keeps saying, "Read a book no one's told you about" or better yet, "Read a book you never thought you'd read".
I love it when people recommend good books, I really do. But it never hurts to pick up books based on your own instincts. I personally think it's challenging and fun. Because 1.) if you end up loving a book that you picked up yourself, you could boast it to the world that you got yourself a really good book, and 2.) if you end up not liking it, at least you only have yourself to blame. Don't be afraid of buying a book you've never heard anything about. Who knows, it might even turn out to be a great one, or your fave read of the year. This happened to me 3x already. I read The False Prince, Still Alice, and I'll Be Yours without a single person telling me to read them, and they're now three of my favorite books of ALL TIME. Same thing applies to Swimming Through Clouds. Look at the number of ratings and reviews and you'll see that not many people have read this piece of gem. And I undeniably want to be one of those few people to put a 5 stars right here and get more people to read the book.
Swimming Through Clouds is a sensitive book. It is the MOST PAINFUL book I've read this year so far. Talia, our main character, got some really seriously damaged family background and her Dad is the absolute worst. It took me a while to get used to the writing style and understand what the hell's going on but when I did (a few pages in), I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was thinking, "Should I be reading this?" and if yes, "Am I going to survive it?" (not literally, of course). I'm warning you now, this book will make you cringe A LOT of times. There were moments when I felt like I needed to close my eyes and breathe for a full minute before continuing, because the scenes were very triggering.
Lagan and the post-its were what made me smile from time to time. It's like I'm Talia and I find it difficult to open up and socialize with people. It's like I'm engulfed in her protective cocoon as well; that a single thing can happen anytime and that cocoon might break and bring about all the worst-case scenarios. Every minute I'm reading I felt frightened for Talia and Jess's lives. There'll be times when you'd want to strangle Talia's Dad (if only you can do that to a fictional character) and just get over with it. But you're there seeing the story unfolds and you're just caught off guard.
I loved Lagan and Talia. It was kind of refreshing to see them interacting with each other and helping each other through such tough (what an understatement) times. I especially loved Lagan for being exactly as he was. I need a Lagan in my life (I believe we all do).
It was too brutal at times. By the last 2-3 chapters, I was pretty sure my heart was somewhere near the opening of my mouth already (it was THAT intense) and I couldn't not continue. Dang, I was so afraid, I needed to know what happens next right away!
I can't even tell you guys how many times I cried while reading this book. Seven? Ten? Twelve? That doesn't even include the many times I flinched at sentences and felt nauseous. When I finished it, I just wanted to hug anyone to push all the pain away. Basically, I wanted to hug the author for making me feel such powerful emotions and thank her for all the cucumber slices, picnics by the oak tree, and post-it notes.
I have no doubt that this book will forever affect me, both in good ways and not. You can just imagine how excited I was when I found out that there's a sequel. I'm terrified and happy at the same time.
Read at your own risk. And again, let me be that person who keeps saying, "Read a book no one's told you about" or better yet, "Read a book you never thought you'd read".
May 10, 2014
I am absolutely in love with this book. It's a perfect mix of intensity and cuteness that just worked. If you've seen my other reviews, there were only a handful of other books that were worth a five star rating in my opinion. Every aspect of this book appealed to me; there wasn't a single part I didn't like. All the characters were so deep and realistic. The ones that you were supposed to love were loved to death, and the ones you were supposed to hate were hated with a fiery passion. And the romance wasn't overwhelming, like I thought it would be. Talia didn't just fall into Lagan's arms the chance she got, there was a slow and steady growth, which I enjoyed. The book really played with your emotions, some parts made me physically cringe, others made me cry, while others made me laugh and squeal with excitement. I really do recommend it to everyone, just with a fair warning it covers some pretty dark themes at times.
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Full Review
June 16, 2013
I absolutely cannot falter this book! I spent most of my time trying to scream at Talia to realise things that she just didn't, and I think that really showed how sheltered she is in a sense, because she doesn't understand what's actually happened although she's older than I am and I saw it clearly before it was even shown as clear as day. Although It's different when you're on the inside. I hated her dad (obviously), but Rajdeep's portal of him was ingenious to say the least. I loved how she gave little hints to what had forced Talia's mother to marry her father but Talia herself didn't realise what had happened and so Rajdeep never stated it outright.
Lagan (pronounced la - gone) was breath taking! Seriously all the sticky notes (post its to you american friends :P) were adorable, even before Talia had first had lunch with him I was already sold on him. I thought that it was a brilliant idea of Rajdeep's to make the sticky notes a huge part of their relationships because I think it shows that people can and do feel braver on paper or email and such to say what they really feel, and since Talia and Lagan don't have the option to facebook each other the sticky notes are another outlet for Talia to open herself up to Lagan without saying anything at all. and the waterfall willow!! seriously you'll get it if you read it :P Weeping willows are my favorite tree so that being my idea of romance may just be in my weird head :P. I liked the symbolism in the colour blue too (intentional or not). As for Talia it really did symbolise the true meaning of beauty, she even said she wanted to wear blue on her wedding day.
Jesse also (although I do hate his name, as being a Jessica I get called it constantly and it is more of a boys name than a girls but I digress) his improvement throughout the book really showed how much closer they were getting to getting away. God there's so much I can say about this book! (Also digressing again but I have noticed that since the review of TFIOS Or LFA my reviews are getting longer as I'm reading as a writer :P) The ending was the best part for me, because I do have a love-hate relationship with ambiguous endings and this one I really did love. I wanted to have my own ending in my head for Talia and it wasn't unsatisfying as some ambigous endings seem to be. i liked what the ending gave us and what it didn't. It explained what it needed to to get you thinking and stopped there in the exact right place!! I'm really looking forward to reading more from Rajdeep as this is her debut novel and I can tell there will be plenty more great ones in her future.
Lagan (pronounced la - gone) was breath taking! Seriously all the sticky notes (post its to you american friends :P) were adorable, even before Talia had first had lunch with him I was already sold on him. I thought that it was a brilliant idea of Rajdeep's to make the sticky notes a huge part of their relationships because I think it shows that people can and do feel braver on paper or email and such to say what they really feel, and since Talia and Lagan don't have the option to facebook each other the sticky notes are another outlet for Talia to open herself up to Lagan without saying anything at all. and the waterfall willow!! seriously you'll get it if you read it :P Weeping willows are my favorite tree so that being my idea of romance may just be in my weird head :P. I liked the symbolism in the colour blue too (intentional or not). As for Talia it really did symbolise the true meaning of beauty, she even said she wanted to wear blue on her wedding day.
Jesse also (although I do hate his name, as being a Jessica I get called it constantly and it is more of a boys name than a girls but I digress) his improvement throughout the book really showed how much closer they were getting to getting away. God there's so much I can say about this book! (Also digressing again but I have noticed that since the review of TFIOS Or LFA my reviews are getting longer as I'm reading as a writer :P) The ending was the best part for me, because I do have a love-hate relationship with ambiguous endings and this one I really did love. I wanted to have my own ending in my head for Talia and it wasn't unsatisfying as some ambigous endings seem to be. i liked what the ending gave us and what it didn't. It explained what it needed to to get you thinking and stopped there in the exact right place!! I'm really looking forward to reading more from Rajdeep as this is her debut novel and I can tell there will be plenty more great ones in her future.
April 25, 2015
**Disclaimer: Swimming Through Clouds was sent to me for free from Rajdeep Paulus in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.**
*Trigger warning for domestic abuse*
Talia Vanderbelt is a senior in high school who just wants to blend into the wall and get through her last year without being noticed. Lagan Desai though, has other plans and takes it upon himself to convince Talia into having lunch with him. What begins with a innocent lunch turns into a romance that is mostly written on post-it notes. Underneath it all though, Talia hides a very dark family secret and when her demons being to surface, things begin to change.
Sounds like a cute contemporary romance with a bit of a twist right? Nothing too major? WRONG
I don't know for sure what I was expecting when I first started reading Swimming Though Clouds, but it certainly was not what I got.
This story is raw. I'm talking, Rajdeep did not hold anything back when it came to writing this story and for that I am truly grateful to have read this story.
Let's start with the good, shall we?
I really loved this story and so many times just felt so horribly sorry for Talia and her home situation. It broke my heart to read of such a horrible family life and the things that Talia and her brother, Jesse, have to endure. Their resilience and strength to make it through each day is nothing short of amazing.
I loved each of the characters in this book. I felt that in the situation that they are placed in that they reacted so realistically to what someone who actually had to face this would feel.
Talia was a really timid, shy, and ultimately broken character to read about. She is so down on herself and it was so sad to read her flashbacks.
Jesse was so strong as well, reteaching himself basic things with the help of Talia and from that growing to harbor extreme resentment.
Lagan was a wonderful love interest to Talia. His unyielding patience and willingness to help and his gentle understanding of the life that Talia and Jesse lead was so wonderful to read about and something that young men should aspire to.
The overall pacing was perfect, told over several months. The flashbacks were well placed showing glimpses into their past and how they were molded into they were now.
The writing is absolutely stunning and well done.
Now, the negative.
Honestly, the reason I gave this book a 4 stars or maybe even ultimately 4.25 stars instead of 5 was because of the beginning.
After the first few chapters, the pacing straightens out but I was SO confused the first chapter. Everything is just kind of thrown in your face right off the get go. You don't really get any setup to what you are about to read. You are just thrown in and that was off-putting for me. Other than that though, I don't have much negative to say about this.
Ultimately, I loved this book and I HIGHLY recommend it if you want to read a wonderful story of strengthy, pain, and first time love.
*Trigger warning for domestic abuse*
Talia Vanderbelt is a senior in high school who just wants to blend into the wall and get through her last year without being noticed. Lagan Desai though, has other plans and takes it upon himself to convince Talia into having lunch with him. What begins with a innocent lunch turns into a romance that is mostly written on post-it notes. Underneath it all though, Talia hides a very dark family secret and when her demons being to surface, things begin to change.
Sounds like a cute contemporary romance with a bit of a twist right? Nothing too major? WRONG
I don't know for sure what I was expecting when I first started reading Swimming Though Clouds, but it certainly was not what I got.
This story is raw. I'm talking, Rajdeep did not hold anything back when it came to writing this story and for that I am truly grateful to have read this story.
Let's start with the good, shall we?
I really loved this story and so many times just felt so horribly sorry for Talia and her home situation. It broke my heart to read of such a horrible family life and the things that Talia and her brother, Jesse, have to endure. Their resilience and strength to make it through each day is nothing short of amazing.
I loved each of the characters in this book. I felt that in the situation that they are placed in that they reacted so realistically to what someone who actually had to face this would feel.
Talia was a really timid, shy, and ultimately broken character to read about. She is so down on herself and it was so sad to read her flashbacks.
Jesse was so strong as well, reteaching himself basic things with the help of Talia and from that growing to harbor extreme resentment.
Lagan was a wonderful love interest to Talia. His unyielding patience and willingness to help and his gentle understanding of the life that Talia and Jesse lead was so wonderful to read about and something that young men should aspire to.
The overall pacing was perfect, told over several months. The flashbacks were well placed showing glimpses into their past and how they were molded into they were now.
The writing is absolutely stunning and well done.
Now, the negative.
Honestly, the reason I gave this book a 4 stars or maybe even ultimately 4.25 stars instead of 5 was because of the beginning.
After the first few chapters, the pacing straightens out but I was SO confused the first chapter. Everything is just kind of thrown in your face right off the get go. You don't really get any setup to what you are about to read. You are just thrown in and that was off-putting for me. Other than that though, I don't have much negative to say about this.
Ultimately, I loved this book and I HIGHLY recommend it if you want to read a wonderful story of strengthy, pain, and first time love.
March 23, 2014
I almost can't write this, to be honest. This book just struck so many cords within me that it makes it difficult to explain how much I loved it. This was a debut, but from reading it I can definitely say that y'all should get familiar with the name Rajdeep Paulus because this book is definitely one I recommend you read!
Before I get into the deep stuff, can i just say how much I love the names? Of course, they could be named John and Jane and I'd still love Talia and Lagan. They were just... ahhh so many words to choose from so I'll just say amazing!
Talia: Talia. Talia. Talia... There are just so many books out there that talk about abuse. Very few though, paint the portrait so heartbreakingly(is heartbreakingly a word--don't judge me if it's not), so heartbreakingly real. Her father just absolutely sickened me. This book literally had me in an emotional tailspin because I absolutely loved most all the characters, but very few times in my(I'll admit short) life have I ever felt such intense hatred towards a character as I did towards that man. But, I was talking about Talia, so let's get back to that. I've lived a life nothing like Talia. My parents are together, are supportive of me, and have never lifted a hand physically or mentally to hurt me. Yet, Rajdeep Paulus writing is just so... so outstanding that few characters have I related to on such a level. Yes, I know I talk often about books giving me the ability to relate to the character, but Swimming Through Clouds took that to a whole other level. I just couldn't get enough!
Then there is, of course, Lagan. What can I say about him? The post-its he continually sends to Talia are just so wonderful, and will forever have me wishing for my own Lagan when I am feeling down. He just kind of worms his way into your heart so quickly you don't even know that he's there until it's too late but to love him, such a wonderful character!
Like I mentioned before, this book is a whirlwind of emotions but it is so worth it. the story is amazing and I honestly cannot wait to read another book by Rajdeep Paulus. This one is going into the favorites category, and I forever see it staying there. Both poetic and powerful, Swimming Through Clouds will keep you thinking long after the last page, and ready to open it right up and read it again.
*I received this book for review from the author, but this in no way affected my review or opinion.*
Before I get into the deep stuff, can i just say how much I love the names? Of course, they could be named John and Jane and I'd still love Talia and Lagan. They were just... ahhh so many words to choose from so I'll just say amazing!
Talia: Talia. Talia. Talia... There are just so many books out there that talk about abuse. Very few though, paint the portrait so heartbreakingly(is heartbreakingly a word--don't judge me if it's not), so heartbreakingly real. Her father just absolutely sickened me. This book literally had me in an emotional tailspin because I absolutely loved most all the characters, but very few times in my(I'll admit short) life have I ever felt such intense hatred towards a character as I did towards that man. But, I was talking about Talia, so let's get back to that. I've lived a life nothing like Talia. My parents are together, are supportive of me, and have never lifted a hand physically or mentally to hurt me. Yet, Rajdeep Paulus writing is just so... so outstanding that few characters have I related to on such a level. Yes, I know I talk often about books giving me the ability to relate to the character, but Swimming Through Clouds took that to a whole other level. I just couldn't get enough!
Then there is, of course, Lagan. What can I say about him? The post-its he continually sends to Talia are just so wonderful, and will forever have me wishing for my own Lagan when I am feeling down. He just kind of worms his way into your heart so quickly you don't even know that he's there until it's too late but to love him, such a wonderful character!
Like I mentioned before, this book is a whirlwind of emotions but it is so worth it. the story is amazing and I honestly cannot wait to read another book by Rajdeep Paulus. This one is going into the favorites category, and I forever see it staying there. Both poetic and powerful, Swimming Through Clouds will keep you thinking long after the last page, and ready to open it right up and read it again.
*I received this book for review from the author, but this in no way affected my review or opinion.*
July 17, 2014
This book was definitely a rough read for me. The beginning was so disturbing that I had to keep putting it down. I don't know what I was expecting. A lot of the time, in books about abuse, detail isn't really given. You are told the abuse happens, but you don't get to see firsthand what the characters think as it does. This book was different, and it unnerved me. And then, once I got past that, there were some parts that were absolutely painful as far as being believable. Teenagers do not talk the way Ms. Paulus thinks they do. I'm sorry, but never in my life have I heard a teenager say the word "chillax" unironically.
However, some parts of this book were decidedly good. I was waiting on tenterhooks between punishments, afraid every time Talia did something sneaky that she would get caught. Being exposed to those punishments in the beginning left a lasting fear and impression, creating suspense throughout the novel. And I thought their father was an interesting character. Definitely sick, but interesting. Jesse too was very interesting. (Talia was not so much, and neither was Lagan.)
I felt that the ending also, was well done, though maybe the epilogue was unnecessary.
So overall, I would say it was okay. Parts were good, parts were not, but the end read very quickly and took a turn I really liked. It was okay, but it was better than two stars. The jury is still out on whether I will continue with the sequel.
However, some parts of this book were decidedly good. I was waiting on tenterhooks between punishments, afraid every time Talia did something sneaky that she would get caught. Being exposed to those punishments in the beginning left a lasting fear and impression, creating suspense throughout the novel. And I thought their father was an interesting character. Definitely sick, but interesting. Jesse too was very interesting. (Talia was not so much, and neither was Lagan.)
I felt that the ending also, was well done, though maybe the epilogue was unnecessary.
So overall, I would say it was okay. Parts were good, parts were not, but the end read very quickly and took a turn I really liked. It was okay, but it was better than two stars. The jury is still out on whether I will continue with the sequel.
April 4, 2016
*I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
This novel is simply beautiful. I absolutely adored it. Talia and Jesse, her younger brother, suffer extreme abuse at the hands of their father. They aren't allowed to talk to people, have friends, use the internet, get jobs. But then Talia meets Lagan. And the story starts to change.
This novel was equal amounts heart wrenching and heartwarming. It's very emotionally draining to read about the abuse that Talia and Jesse face, but there is always some ray of hope breaking through. The sweet parts come in during Talia and Jesse's interactions as well as the growing relationship between Talia and Lagan.
Lagan is one of the sweetest characters I've ever read, but he seems so real. The sweetness was never overdone for me. And seeing Talia begin to respond to his pleas for friendship was so cute. I loved that the novel was building this relationship from beginning to end, nothing was rushed. And the use of post-it notes added a cute, but not cheesy feel to their new relationship.
Talia and Jesse's relationship as sister and brother was adorable. It was fraught with extreme anxiety, fear, and suffering, but they still loved each other. Strong sibling relationships are always something that I enjoy and it was perfect here. You get to see flash backs to when they were younger and some of the hardships they faced throughout their younger years.
This novel was brilliant and I adore it. I highly recommend it to any and all fans of emotional contemporary love stories with beautiful relationships and complicated situations. It will tear you apart, but hopefully it will also put you together again.
You can read this and other reviews on my blog at www.courtneysreads.blogspot.com
This novel is simply beautiful. I absolutely adored it. Talia and Jesse, her younger brother, suffer extreme abuse at the hands of their father. They aren't allowed to talk to people, have friends, use the internet, get jobs. But then Talia meets Lagan. And the story starts to change.
This novel was equal amounts heart wrenching and heartwarming. It's very emotionally draining to read about the abuse that Talia and Jesse face, but there is always some ray of hope breaking through. The sweet parts come in during Talia and Jesse's interactions as well as the growing relationship between Talia and Lagan.
Lagan is one of the sweetest characters I've ever read, but he seems so real. The sweetness was never overdone for me. And seeing Talia begin to respond to his pleas for friendship was so cute. I loved that the novel was building this relationship from beginning to end, nothing was rushed. And the use of post-it notes added a cute, but not cheesy feel to their new relationship.
Talia and Jesse's relationship as sister and brother was adorable. It was fraught with extreme anxiety, fear, and suffering, but they still loved each other. Strong sibling relationships are always something that I enjoy and it was perfect here. You get to see flash backs to when they were younger and some of the hardships they faced throughout their younger years.
This novel was brilliant and I adore it. I highly recommend it to any and all fans of emotional contemporary love stories with beautiful relationships and complicated situations. It will tear you apart, but hopefully it will also put you together again.
You can read this and other reviews on my blog at www.courtneysreads.blogspot.com
April 15, 2017
3.5 stars.
I was introduced to this book by a dear friend who read it four years ago and thought I would connect to it. She was right.
I'm an abusive survivor. I connected to Talia instantly. It was not hard for me to resonate with her deep fear of her father and her need to protect her brother. The abuse scenes were raw and that pain that followed was all too familiar.
The author's style of writing was suspenseful and poetic, however, I found the romance to be incredibly childish; almost like the author was trying too hard to relate to teenagers. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if Lagan was a best friend, because romance was not this author's strong suit. I liked Lagan as a character, but not as a love interest. He was an incredible friend. His determination to help Talia warmed my heart.
The abuse scenes and the trauma that Talia and Jesse endured was beautifully written. I wish the author had focused a little more on the affects of the abuse and Jesse/Talia's relationship than the romance.
I will say however that the ending made me WEEP. The way the author wrote it was spell binding. I couldn't put the book down and it was a good read, albeit some may be triggered by the graphic domestic abuse content.
I was introduced to this book by a dear friend who read it four years ago and thought I would connect to it. She was right.
I'm an abusive survivor. I connected to Talia instantly. It was not hard for me to resonate with her deep fear of her father and her need to protect her brother. The abuse scenes were raw and that pain that followed was all too familiar.
The author's style of writing was suspenseful and poetic, however, I found the romance to be incredibly childish; almost like the author was trying too hard to relate to teenagers. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if Lagan was a best friend, because romance was not this author's strong suit. I liked Lagan as a character, but not as a love interest. He was an incredible friend. His determination to help Talia warmed my heart.
The abuse scenes and the trauma that Talia and Jesse endured was beautifully written. I wish the author had focused a little more on the affects of the abuse and Jesse/Talia's relationship than the romance.
I will say however that the ending made me WEEP. The way the author wrote it was spell binding. I couldn't put the book down and it was a good read, albeit some may be triggered by the graphic domestic abuse content.
June 11, 2013
Absolutely compelling, Rajdeep Paulus' debut novel, SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS, is a rare breed. Not for the faint of heart, it packs a heavy punch that will leave you gasping for air, reaching for something steady to lean on, and breathless at the hope embedded between the issues so vividly tackled between its pages.
While I find I'm usually too emotional to handle such content in books, I could not put this one down. So vivid were the scenes of family betrayal, abuse and uncertainty, my heart was left raw and wide open. Each emotion that hit me was counterbalanced with a profound hope -- Talia's determination to stay strong for herself and her brother Jesse, Lagan's persistence to slowly slough away Talia's protective outer layer, so that she might see the beauty in things and begin to really live.
Paulus' ability to balance abuse and love, horror and hope, is not only identifiable but flawless and I cannot wait to hear more of Talia and Lagan's story in the future.
While I find I'm usually too emotional to handle such content in books, I could not put this one down. So vivid were the scenes of family betrayal, abuse and uncertainty, my heart was left raw and wide open. Each emotion that hit me was counterbalanced with a profound hope -- Talia's determination to stay strong for herself and her brother Jesse, Lagan's persistence to slowly slough away Talia's protective outer layer, so that she might see the beauty in things and begin to really live.
Paulus' ability to balance abuse and love, horror and hope, is not only identifiable but flawless and I cannot wait to hear more of Talia and Lagan's story in the future.
May 27, 2013
Swimming Through Clouds by Rajdeep Paulus is a story of the deepest, darkest pain—the kind we’re too scared to share with anyone—all locked in one high school girl’s heart.
Talia is a senior in high school. She and her brother, Jesse, know something no one else knows. They endure terror no one was meant to experience. They feel as if they are drowning.
And then a stranger reaches into their pool of fear by means of a sticky note. Cool, laid back, Lagan, holds friendship and acceptance out to Talia like a lifeguard extends a life vest. Talia must decide if she has the strength and courage to grab it, or if the consequences would be too grave.
A heavy story revealing shards of hope from the tender love of The Gardener, Swimming Through Clouds keeps you fearing for and cheering for Talia, Lagan and Jesse all the way through to the final scene
Talia is a senior in high school. She and her brother, Jesse, know something no one else knows. They endure terror no one was meant to experience. They feel as if they are drowning.
And then a stranger reaches into their pool of fear by means of a sticky note. Cool, laid back, Lagan, holds friendship and acceptance out to Talia like a lifeguard extends a life vest. Talia must decide if she has the strength and courage to grab it, or if the consequences would be too grave.
A heavy story revealing shards of hope from the tender love of The Gardener, Swimming Through Clouds keeps you fearing for and cheering for Talia, Lagan and Jesse all the way through to the final scene
September 20, 2013
First Thoughts:
This is one of those stories that stays with you. It was at times a little hard for me to read, the scenes between Talia and her dad were so raw and emotional that I just wanted to get through them as fast as I could. This is definitely a story that takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions but leaves you breathless by the end of the ride. A must read for teens and anyone who’s just looking for a good book.
Goodreads Summary:
I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.
When high school, cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, slowly revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together.
Plot:
This book was about breaking out and learning to be yourself. This book dealt with a serious issue that left me stunned. To read about such a hard abusive relationship between a daughter and her father was eye-opening. This book wasn’t just about abuse, it was about love and finding someone to be there for you; someone to support you. This story was really realistic to me, I could imagine it happening in our world. The scenes at school and at home had their own dark twisted realism. They brought realism and meaning to the story. As for the pace, it was normal, not too slow and not too fast. Overall I enjoyed the plot and thought the author did a good job at creating a backstory and plot that kept me interested.
Romance:
Ah, the romance in this story was cute and adorable to read. I loved that this relationship started out with a post it note, very creative and unique. This relationship had plenty of realistic interferences and made it more believable. So overall I really enjoyed the romance in this story and looked forward to reading the blossoming relationship between the two.
Characters:
I loved the characters in this book, they were so beautifully created with so much detail. They each had their own unique personality. I could easily connect with Talia, she had such character to her, she instantly became a character I could relate to. I really got to know her through the post it notes she wrote. I felt like she let down a barrier she had in those tiny little notes. In few little words she told me so much about her and I love her for that. As for Lagan, he was more of a character that took me awhile to like. There was something about him that was both mysterious and standoffish. But once I really got to know him and see how sweet and determined he was made me start to really like him too. Now Jesse on the other hand was more of an easy character to understand. He played a huge roll in Talia’s life and though he was limited in aspects of physical abilities he was still a lovable character. So I really enjoyed the characters in this book and didn’t see any unnecessary characters.
Transformation of the Character:
Talia did do a little transforming in this story though nothing too big. It was more of a slow gradual transformation. She started out as a weak and guarded character and slowly transformed into someone who can stand up for herself. I enjoyed seeing the transformation and still believe she has more room to transform. This was an aspect to the story that added a new layer to the world and created a great texture.
Description:
I loved the description in this story especially when it came to the emotional aspect. I really felt the raw and sharp pain of the story. Talia’s description was one of the hardest parts of the story to read. The pain and sharp emotions she felt were so real and life like. To feel lost, alone, confused and then love…the emotions were literally like a roller coaster they went up and down, none ever staying the same. The description of the scenery and landscapes was beautiful; I could really picture each scene in my head and had no trouble seeing what was happening. So overall I enjoyed the description and thought it really added something to the story because without it this story would be lifeless and dull.
Style:
This was written in one POV and in first person. Being written in just Talia’s POV allowed the reader to really grasp onto what was happening from her perspective, to be able to see her world in her own thoughts. I think being in only her POV allowed the mysteriousness and wonders of the world to come to past; allowed those little surprises. As for being written in first person it really allowed us to connect better to Talia; to be able to feel her pain more and grasp onto what was really happening. As for the author’s writing itself it was smooth and easy to read. I had no problems reading it and it was almost poetic at times. In the end I loved the style of the book and thought it added something extra to the story.
Quote of the book:
“All the sensations around me blended. The snow felt warm. Jesse’s body sounded loud. Dad’s voice seemed heavy. The blood on my hands felt cold. The snow tasted salty. My eyes felt numb. And the neighbors were falling.”
Last Thoughts:
I would recommend this to any YA reader and to anyone who likes realistic based stories. One thing I noticed by the end of the story was that I still had some questions left unanswered, there were so many what happens now? What happened? Why? These questions I assume would be answered in another book? Is there going to be another book? I don’t know but I think with another book we would have these questions answered and we would be able to see Talia transform even more. So in the end I enjoyed the book and look forward to more writing by this author.
This is one of those stories that stays with you. It was at times a little hard for me to read, the scenes between Talia and her dad were so raw and emotional that I just wanted to get through them as fast as I could. This is definitely a story that takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions but leaves you breathless by the end of the ride. A must read for teens and anyone who’s just looking for a good book.
Goodreads Summary:
I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It’s how I manage. It’s the only way I know. Everyone has their way. This is mine.
When high school, cell phone disruption forces a classroom ban, the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Lagan Desai, basketball captain and mathlete, would do just about anything to befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan persuades Talia to peel back her heart, slowly revealing her treasure chest of pain—an absent mother, a bedridden brother, and an abusive father. In a world where hurt is inevitable, the two teens search for a safe place to weather the storms of life. Together.
Plot:
This book was about breaking out and learning to be yourself. This book dealt with a serious issue that left me stunned. To read about such a hard abusive relationship between a daughter and her father was eye-opening. This book wasn’t just about abuse, it was about love and finding someone to be there for you; someone to support you. This story was really realistic to me, I could imagine it happening in our world. The scenes at school and at home had their own dark twisted realism. They brought realism and meaning to the story. As for the pace, it was normal, not too slow and not too fast. Overall I enjoyed the plot and thought the author did a good job at creating a backstory and plot that kept me interested.
Romance:
Ah, the romance in this story was cute and adorable to read. I loved that this relationship started out with a post it note, very creative and unique. This relationship had plenty of realistic interferences and made it more believable. So overall I really enjoyed the romance in this story and looked forward to reading the blossoming relationship between the two.
Characters:
I loved the characters in this book, they were so beautifully created with so much detail. They each had their own unique personality. I could easily connect with Talia, she had such character to her, she instantly became a character I could relate to. I really got to know her through the post it notes she wrote. I felt like she let down a barrier she had in those tiny little notes. In few little words she told me so much about her and I love her for that. As for Lagan, he was more of a character that took me awhile to like. There was something about him that was both mysterious and standoffish. But once I really got to know him and see how sweet and determined he was made me start to really like him too. Now Jesse on the other hand was more of an easy character to understand. He played a huge roll in Talia’s life and though he was limited in aspects of physical abilities he was still a lovable character. So I really enjoyed the characters in this book and didn’t see any unnecessary characters.
Transformation of the Character:
Talia did do a little transforming in this story though nothing too big. It was more of a slow gradual transformation. She started out as a weak and guarded character and slowly transformed into someone who can stand up for herself. I enjoyed seeing the transformation and still believe she has more room to transform. This was an aspect to the story that added a new layer to the world and created a great texture.
Description:
I loved the description in this story especially when it came to the emotional aspect. I really felt the raw and sharp pain of the story. Talia’s description was one of the hardest parts of the story to read. The pain and sharp emotions she felt were so real and life like. To feel lost, alone, confused and then love…the emotions were literally like a roller coaster they went up and down, none ever staying the same. The description of the scenery and landscapes was beautiful; I could really picture each scene in my head and had no trouble seeing what was happening. So overall I enjoyed the description and thought it really added something to the story because without it this story would be lifeless and dull.
Style:
This was written in one POV and in first person. Being written in just Talia’s POV allowed the reader to really grasp onto what was happening from her perspective, to be able to see her world in her own thoughts. I think being in only her POV allowed the mysteriousness and wonders of the world to come to past; allowed those little surprises. As for being written in first person it really allowed us to connect better to Talia; to be able to feel her pain more and grasp onto what was really happening. As for the author’s writing itself it was smooth and easy to read. I had no problems reading it and it was almost poetic at times. In the end I loved the style of the book and thought it added something extra to the story.
Quote of the book:
“All the sensations around me blended. The snow felt warm. Jesse’s body sounded loud. Dad’s voice seemed heavy. The blood on my hands felt cold. The snow tasted salty. My eyes felt numb. And the neighbors were falling.”
Last Thoughts:
I would recommend this to any YA reader and to anyone who likes realistic based stories. One thing I noticed by the end of the story was that I still had some questions left unanswered, there were so many what happens now? What happened? Why? These questions I assume would be answered in another book? Is there going to be another book? I don’t know but I think with another book we would have these questions answered and we would be able to see Talia transform even more. So in the end I enjoyed the book and look forward to more writing by this author.
July 10, 2013
Cross Posted from http://frozendry.blogspot.com/2013/07...
First, a confession: I rarely, if ever, read within the romance genre. And the only Young Adult reading I've done in the recent past has been SF/F. So Rajdeep Paulus' debut novel, "Swimming Through Clouds", a contemporary teen romance, is as out of zone for me as it gets. I picked up the book almost entirely unsure of what to expect - both in terms of style and story. And, okay, I freely admit to starting with a terribly high number of preconceptions about the story arc. Among other things, I expected book filled with teenage angst, bff problems, and the ecstasy and trauma of romance-as-a-teenager. Seriously, ("Come On!" as Job would say), what else is there to a teen romance?*
Um, a fair bit, apparently.
Paulus' debut novel is indeed a boy-meets-girl story. But one that is delightfully devoid of the tropes that have been done to death by every high-school movie ever made. Sure, Talia is the quintessential outsider-looking-in lead character. But instead of secretly aspiring to be beautiful and part of the 'in' crowd, she is a teenager working actively to stay out. In the place of clique-based drama, the novel relies on Talia's life, with its particularly dark past and excruciating present, and on her relationship with the beautiful Lagan Kumar Khan to engage the reader. And in the place of fluffy bff issues, Raj Paulus takes on some serious, painful, heart-wrenching and problematic ones - domestic abuse, child abuse, sex trade (which I certainly did not expect out of a teen romance).
In the process, Swimming Through Clouds, becomes a very real, believable and touching story.
Paulus' is a very compelling storyteller. The characters - all the characters - are beautifully fleshed out. Stylistically (going by the foreword and lead in), Paulus' authorial voice is a perfect fit for the story that she's narrating. The romance between Talia and Lagan is delicate (given all the big issues with which they're dealing) and on the whole, rather adorable. At the same time, the narrative is also successfully poignant and poetic.
A few of things that I've been thinking about - first, there is the suggestion that Lagan's personality, his ability to be a pillar of strength and support to Talia, is driven by a deep and unshakable faith in the Divine. But I love that the treatment of Lagan's spirituality and its role in his life is not ham-handed.
Second, there are hints of Indian identity and third culture upbringing in the novel (Talia is half Indian, Lagan is of Indian origin). I'd have liked to see these fleshed out in more than cursory ways. But I can see how that would take away from the crux of the story as it stands.
And finally, I've been thinking about the whole "boy-rescues-girl" situation - specifically, about why I wasn't as troubled as I thought I would be with that construct in the novel. In general, I prefer female teenage protagonists who are more Willow Rosenberg and less Bella Swan. Talia Vanderbilt is somewhere in between. Despite the rescue motif, the novel is redeemed because Paulus writes Talia as a strong, determined girl caught in a bad situation (rather than, say, a hapless gel awaiting prince charming). In fact, the women in the novel, are layered, multi-faceted people, even if we don't always know everything about them. Like I said, Paulus' character building is very masterful and goes a long way to making this novel as powerful and irresistible as it is.
The short take: Read it. It's delightful, surprising and moving.
*Okay, I realize I sound(ed) like a complete ass. And especially after reading "Swimming Through Clouds", I stand suitably chastised.
First, a confession: I rarely, if ever, read within the romance genre. And the only Young Adult reading I've done in the recent past has been SF/F. So Rajdeep Paulus' debut novel, "Swimming Through Clouds", a contemporary teen romance, is as out of zone for me as it gets. I picked up the book almost entirely unsure of what to expect - both in terms of style and story. And, okay, I freely admit to starting with a terribly high number of preconceptions about the story arc. Among other things, I expected book filled with teenage angst, bff problems, and the ecstasy and trauma of romance-as-a-teenager. Seriously, ("Come On!" as Job would say), what else is there to a teen romance?*
Um, a fair bit, apparently.
Paulus' debut novel is indeed a boy-meets-girl story. But one that is delightfully devoid of the tropes that have been done to death by every high-school movie ever made. Sure, Talia is the quintessential outsider-looking-in lead character. But instead of secretly aspiring to be beautiful and part of the 'in' crowd, she is a teenager working actively to stay out. In the place of clique-based drama, the novel relies on Talia's life, with its particularly dark past and excruciating present, and on her relationship with the beautiful Lagan Kumar Khan to engage the reader. And in the place of fluffy bff issues, Raj Paulus takes on some serious, painful, heart-wrenching and problematic ones - domestic abuse, child abuse, sex trade (which I certainly did not expect out of a teen romance).
In the process, Swimming Through Clouds, becomes a very real, believable and touching story.
Paulus' is a very compelling storyteller. The characters - all the characters - are beautifully fleshed out. Stylistically (going by the foreword and lead in), Paulus' authorial voice is a perfect fit for the story that she's narrating. The romance between Talia and Lagan is delicate (given all the big issues with which they're dealing) and on the whole, rather adorable. At the same time, the narrative is also successfully poignant and poetic.
A few of things that I've been thinking about - first, there is the suggestion that Lagan's personality, his ability to be a pillar of strength and support to Talia, is driven by a deep and unshakable faith in the Divine. But I love that the treatment of Lagan's spirituality and its role in his life is not ham-handed.
Second, there are hints of Indian identity and third culture upbringing in the novel (Talia is half Indian, Lagan is of Indian origin). I'd have liked to see these fleshed out in more than cursory ways. But I can see how that would take away from the crux of the story as it stands.
And finally, I've been thinking about the whole "boy-rescues-girl" situation - specifically, about why I wasn't as troubled as I thought I would be with that construct in the novel. In general, I prefer female teenage protagonists who are more Willow Rosenberg and less Bella Swan. Talia Vanderbilt is somewhere in between. Despite the rescue motif, the novel is redeemed because Paulus writes Talia as a strong, determined girl caught in a bad situation (rather than, say, a hapless gel awaiting prince charming). In fact, the women in the novel, are layered, multi-faceted people, even if we don't always know everything about them. Like I said, Paulus' character building is very masterful and goes a long way to making this novel as powerful and irresistible as it is.
The short take: Read it. It's delightful, surprising and moving.
*Okay, I realize I sound(ed) like a complete ass. And especially after reading "Swimming Through Clouds", I stand suitably chastised.
October 8, 2014
Talia is the new kid in school, a senior transfer. She does well academically but doesn't speak to anyone unless necessary. In the cafeteria, she sits alone. She always goes home immediately after school. On the school bus, the other students stare at her. Behind her back, girls call her emo. She is a child of secrets.
We learn that Talia's mother died a few years ago and her brother Jesse is wheel chair bound. Talia makes a few oblique comments indicating that something is wrong with her life, and once we find out, it is like a hard punch in the stomach.
Not by choice, Talia lives in the deeper recesses of Plato's Cave. Yet, unexpectedly, a tiny ray of light penetrates the dark recesses of her cave. It comes in the form of a series of yellow sticky notes, from a boy in her class named Lagan. Blessedly, for both Talia and the reader, a love story slowly unfolds.
Logan is an outlier. Outwardly, he is an ordinary high school boy, but he is a master at observing and listening. He is attracted to Talia partly because she is the new girl in class, but he also seems intrigued about why she is so non-communicative and socially isolated. Even with him initially, she self-consciously hides her face with her hair, to cover the mysterious, nasty bruises on her lips.
In the beginning, even as Talia resists Lagan's attempts at communication with her, Lagan finds creative ways of working around and through her resistance. As difficult as it is, and as long and as many times as it takes, he continues to connect with Talia on a human level. In trying to draw her out of her cave, he is incredibly patient and never pushes her beyond her limit. He is not patronizing in the slightest. He is not trying to save her but to get to know her.
Give the circumstances, one would expect Talia and Jesse to be a snake pit of psychological complexes, but Talia and Jesse each have a solid inner core. They are resourceful and resilient. Talia's character is sustained by faith, hope, and love, of which to some extent Lagan is a catalyst.
The prose of Swimming is sparse. The author, Rajdeep Paulus, uses wonderful imagery and word play but otherwise focuses on plot and character. Overall, her sentences have a sense of being surrounded by lots of fresh air, providing a welcome balance to the concentration camp doom and gloom of Talia's dilemma. The author makes copious, expert use of free indirect discourse which keeps the story moving seamlessly. The story is compelling. At one point I had to remind myself that Talia and Jesse were not real people but fiction.
I wish the author had characterized the gardener more. Talia knows little about her father's background, but I wish the author could have provided just a bit more about him.
There is a lesson to be learned here, about respect for others. To a teacher, another student, or anyone other than her brother, the sullen, silent Talia is an enigma. For many of course, she would be vulnerable to ridicule, derision, laughter, or worst of all, judgment. As I read Swimming, the expression, you don't know what the other person is carrying, kept surfacing in my consciousness, over and over again. We all need to take a lesson from Lagan, to withhold our judgment others and to seek first to understand before trying to help. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
We learn that Talia's mother died a few years ago and her brother Jesse is wheel chair bound. Talia makes a few oblique comments indicating that something is wrong with her life, and once we find out, it is like a hard punch in the stomach.
Not by choice, Talia lives in the deeper recesses of Plato's Cave. Yet, unexpectedly, a tiny ray of light penetrates the dark recesses of her cave. It comes in the form of a series of yellow sticky notes, from a boy in her class named Lagan. Blessedly, for both Talia and the reader, a love story slowly unfolds.
Logan is an outlier. Outwardly, he is an ordinary high school boy, but he is a master at observing and listening. He is attracted to Talia partly because she is the new girl in class, but he also seems intrigued about why she is so non-communicative and socially isolated. Even with him initially, she self-consciously hides her face with her hair, to cover the mysterious, nasty bruises on her lips.
In the beginning, even as Talia resists Lagan's attempts at communication with her, Lagan finds creative ways of working around and through her resistance. As difficult as it is, and as long and as many times as it takes, he continues to connect with Talia on a human level. In trying to draw her out of her cave, he is incredibly patient and never pushes her beyond her limit. He is not patronizing in the slightest. He is not trying to save her but to get to know her.
Give the circumstances, one would expect Talia and Jesse to be a snake pit of psychological complexes, but Talia and Jesse each have a solid inner core. They are resourceful and resilient. Talia's character is sustained by faith, hope, and love, of which to some extent Lagan is a catalyst.
The prose of Swimming is sparse. The author, Rajdeep Paulus, uses wonderful imagery and word play but otherwise focuses on plot and character. Overall, her sentences have a sense of being surrounded by lots of fresh air, providing a welcome balance to the concentration camp doom and gloom of Talia's dilemma. The author makes copious, expert use of free indirect discourse which keeps the story moving seamlessly. The story is compelling. At one point I had to remind myself that Talia and Jesse were not real people but fiction.
I wish the author had characterized the gardener more. Talia knows little about her father's background, but I wish the author could have provided just a bit more about him.
There is a lesson to be learned here, about respect for others. To a teacher, another student, or anyone other than her brother, the sullen, silent Talia is an enigma. For many of course, she would be vulnerable to ridicule, derision, laughter, or worst of all, judgment. As I read Swimming, the expression, you don't know what the other person is carrying, kept surfacing in my consciousness, over and over again. We all need to take a lesson from Lagan, to withhold our judgment others and to seek first to understand before trying to help. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
Read
September 5, 2018I think that this book was absolutley amazing. It really put things into perspective for me. I didn't really know that people went through those things, and of course a little romance is never a bad thing for me. I love romance novels, so this book was absolute perfection for me. I cannot wait to get started on the next one!
January 2, 2014
I am not quite sure how to feel or what to think about SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS. I knew I’d discover both light and dark amidst its pages, but I didn't know it would leave me feeling as if I were adrift at sea. In fact, I’m so confused at the ending and think I may need to read the last chapter again to see if I missed anything… but first, let me back up a little bit.
SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS focuses primarily on Talia Vanderbilt, a senior in high school and unofficial guardian of her younger brother, Justice (aka “Jesse”). Their mother is dead and their father, while still (very) present, is more of a terrorist dictator than a loving, supportive parent. The horrors they suffer at the hands of someone who is supposed to protect and nourish them are unspeakable. Slowly, very slowly, Talia reveals the depth of these horrors for the reader – and for Lagan, the boy whose dogged persistence earns her the first person she has ever been able to call “friend.”
Forbidden to have friends or go out like a normal teenagers, Talia and Jesse drift through each day, completing endless lists and walking on eggshells around their father, always aware that the words “or else” are waiting to be fulfilled around the next corner. Then, through a series of sticky notes, cryptic conversations, and clandestine meetings, an unlikely relationship blossoms between Talia and Lagan. Where her home life is as stable as a field of land mines, his care and consistency gives her a sliver of hope and peace. I have been on the receiving end of persistence, even when I felt I didn't deserve it or necessarily want it, and now I am so thankful that someone saw past my walls and found a way over them. It is because of this that, for me, Lagan is truly the shining star of this book.
As I’I've said before, characters can really make or break a book for me. In this case, even really wonderful characters that I came to care about couldn't quite support a 4 or 5-star rating. Unfortunately, SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS suffers from grammatical errors, poor sentence structure, and poor editing, which made reading, at times, a bit laborious. While some can ignore these issues, especially if the plot is engaging, it was hard to look past the numerous loose ends and the ultimately confusing, unsatisfying ending. What saved this book from earning a lesser review was, honestly, the intentions of the author, Rajdeep Paulus. I understood the overall message she was trying to communicate, and I do think she has a brilliant plot and wonderful characters. With skilled editing and a couple of re-writes to tighten up and maybe even flesh out/eliminate some characters/scenes, SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS could be a truly excellent book.
For my fellow readers, as a final parting thought, I do think you will enjoy SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS, especially if you love stories about the underdog, first romance, and family struggles. This book may not be polished, but it has heart. And that’s as good a start as any.
SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS focuses primarily on Talia Vanderbilt, a senior in high school and unofficial guardian of her younger brother, Justice (aka “Jesse”). Their mother is dead and their father, while still (very) present, is more of a terrorist dictator than a loving, supportive parent. The horrors they suffer at the hands of someone who is supposed to protect and nourish them are unspeakable. Slowly, very slowly, Talia reveals the depth of these horrors for the reader – and for Lagan, the boy whose dogged persistence earns her the first person she has ever been able to call “friend.”
Forbidden to have friends or go out like a normal teenagers, Talia and Jesse drift through each day, completing endless lists and walking on eggshells around their father, always aware that the words “or else” are waiting to be fulfilled around the next corner. Then, through a series of sticky notes, cryptic conversations, and clandestine meetings, an unlikely relationship blossoms between Talia and Lagan. Where her home life is as stable as a field of land mines, his care and consistency gives her a sliver of hope and peace. I have been on the receiving end of persistence, even when I felt I didn't deserve it or necessarily want it, and now I am so thankful that someone saw past my walls and found a way over them. It is because of this that, for me, Lagan is truly the shining star of this book.
As I’I've said before, characters can really make or break a book for me. In this case, even really wonderful characters that I came to care about couldn't quite support a 4 or 5-star rating. Unfortunately, SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS suffers from grammatical errors, poor sentence structure, and poor editing, which made reading, at times, a bit laborious. While some can ignore these issues, especially if the plot is engaging, it was hard to look past the numerous loose ends and the ultimately confusing, unsatisfying ending. What saved this book from earning a lesser review was, honestly, the intentions of the author, Rajdeep Paulus. I understood the overall message she was trying to communicate, and I do think she has a brilliant plot and wonderful characters. With skilled editing and a couple of re-writes to tighten up and maybe even flesh out/eliminate some characters/scenes, SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS could be a truly excellent book.
For my fellow readers, as a final parting thought, I do think you will enjoy SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS, especially if you love stories about the underdog, first romance, and family struggles. This book may not be polished, but it has heart. And that’s as good a start as any.
August 25, 2016
Talia Grace Vanderbilt is the strange girl at school, the one all the lids call ‘emo’. She’s not. She’s just hiding a home life where her every move is controlled by her father, immigration lawyer Gerard Vanderbilt, and where there consequences for not meeting expectations. She is responsible for caring for her younger brother, Jesse, as their mother is dead.
The whole book is written in first person, from Talia’s point of view. This means we don’t always get to see or understand the motivations of some of the other characters, like Jesse, Lagan and Gerard. What we do see is filtered through Talia’s understanding, and while she is an intelligent high school senior, her insular upbringing means she is naïve in some respects.
Lagan is an equally interesting character. He goes out of his way to befriend Talia, allowing the relationship to develop slowly and almost entirely on her terms. Lagan sticks by her, and it’s only late in the book when we begin to get an idea of why.
Gerard, Talia’s father, is an equally interesting character, although in totally the opposite respect. He is, without a doubt, one of the most chilling antagonists I’ve come across is fiction. His entire life is a secret from his family, so we find out very little about him. But what we are shown gives the plot a string of tension that kept me turning the page, even though I was afraid to find out what might be coming. It’s outstanding writing, both compelling and repulsive.
I was particularly impressed by the way backstory was handled. A lot of writers don’t understand the need to layer it through the story. Swimming in Clouds dropped hints, so that when when we finally found out about a particular incident from Talia’s past, we wanted to know the details. The author also managed to write some of these scenes so the reader ends up understanding the incident better then Talia does, which is impressive.
This is the first book in a series, and while it had a sense of closure in itself, there were several unanswered questions as well, leaving plenty to cover in the sequel. Swimming in Clouds isn’t a Christian novel per se, in that God, Jesus and Christianity aren’t mentioned. However, a Christian reader will find Jesus in the story.
Recommended for fans of gritty YA fiction and authors such as Trudy Adams and Michelle Dennis Evans.
Thanks to the author for a free ebook for review.
The whole book is written in first person, from Talia’s point of view. This means we don’t always get to see or understand the motivations of some of the other characters, like Jesse, Lagan and Gerard. What we do see is filtered through Talia’s understanding, and while she is an intelligent high school senior, her insular upbringing means she is naïve in some respects.
Lagan is an equally interesting character. He goes out of his way to befriend Talia, allowing the relationship to develop slowly and almost entirely on her terms. Lagan sticks by her, and it’s only late in the book when we begin to get an idea of why.
Gerard, Talia’s father, is an equally interesting character, although in totally the opposite respect. He is, without a doubt, one of the most chilling antagonists I’ve come across is fiction. His entire life is a secret from his family, so we find out very little about him. But what we are shown gives the plot a string of tension that kept me turning the page, even though I was afraid to find out what might be coming. It’s outstanding writing, both compelling and repulsive.
I was particularly impressed by the way backstory was handled. A lot of writers don’t understand the need to layer it through the story. Swimming in Clouds dropped hints, so that when when we finally found out about a particular incident from Talia’s past, we wanted to know the details. The author also managed to write some of these scenes so the reader ends up understanding the incident better then Talia does, which is impressive.
This is the first book in a series, and while it had a sense of closure in itself, there were several unanswered questions as well, leaving plenty to cover in the sequel. Swimming in Clouds isn’t a Christian novel per se, in that God, Jesus and Christianity aren’t mentioned. However, a Christian reader will find Jesus in the story.
Recommended for fans of gritty YA fiction and authors such as Trudy Adams and Michelle Dennis Evans.
Thanks to the author for a free ebook for review.
Read
October 7, 2015There are many reasons people write. Maybe it starts with a dream, a passion that refuses to go away or a desire to live a life crafting prose. For Rajdeep Paulus, what started as a drive to embrace her dream to be a writer, when her children started school, also became a drive to help others by raising awareness of human trafficking through her work.
Swimming_Clouds_MRSwimming Though Clouds soon arrived. Though it has a beautiful cover and light-hearted title, it is a deep book, the first of a young adult trilogy that begins with a Post-it note, a tiny act of kindness that sparks hope, courage and a romance between two unlikely friends.
Talia longs to go back “to a time when mom made apple pie and my younger brother flew kites from the roof,” a time before her father’s actions left her motherless. Now she and her wheel-chair bound brother, Jesse, face the abuse of their father, a reputable Government official they call “sir”, alone.
The siblings are too afraid to let anyone know about the abuse, treatment so bad that many of the scenes made me wince. However, amid the horror, there are moments of tenderness that lift them up. Although Talia is not allowed to hold onto any reminders of her mother, she hides a strand of her hair in an overdue library book. The stream of Post-it notes she’s given by Lagan, a boy in her class, may seem trivial with everything else she has to handle, but they form not only welcome distractions but also a lifeline. The question is, will the boy’s relentless kindness give her the courage to seek help?
Rajdeep’s hope is, by the time readers reach the end, not only will they want to read more but also be filled with desire to help women like Talia’s mum through organisations such as nominetwork.org and look out for kids who, like Talia, are vulnerable and show signs of mistreatment. Rajdeep says that, although someone may be silent, they may be injured inside or out, with no resources left to cry for help. So befriend, ask and love without judgment.
Read the full Literary Lightbox feature on Swimming Through Clouds here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/rajde...
Swimming_Clouds_MRSwimming Though Clouds soon arrived. Though it has a beautiful cover and light-hearted title, it is a deep book, the first of a young adult trilogy that begins with a Post-it note, a tiny act of kindness that sparks hope, courage and a romance between two unlikely friends.
Talia longs to go back “to a time when mom made apple pie and my younger brother flew kites from the roof,” a time before her father’s actions left her motherless. Now she and her wheel-chair bound brother, Jesse, face the abuse of their father, a reputable Government official they call “sir”, alone.
The siblings are too afraid to let anyone know about the abuse, treatment so bad that many of the scenes made me wince. However, amid the horror, there are moments of tenderness that lift them up. Although Talia is not allowed to hold onto any reminders of her mother, she hides a strand of her hair in an overdue library book. The stream of Post-it notes she’s given by Lagan, a boy in her class, may seem trivial with everything else she has to handle, but they form not only welcome distractions but also a lifeline. The question is, will the boy’s relentless kindness give her the courage to seek help?
Rajdeep’s hope is, by the time readers reach the end, not only will they want to read more but also be filled with desire to help women like Talia’s mum through organisations such as nominetwork.org and look out for kids who, like Talia, are vulnerable and show signs of mistreatment. Rajdeep says that, although someone may be silent, they may be injured inside or out, with no resources left to cry for help. So befriend, ask and love without judgment.
Read the full Literary Lightbox feature on Swimming Through Clouds here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/rajde...
January 5, 2015
I picked up the book Swimming Through Clouds recently because I heard so much about it from a friend. She’s been promoting the sequel to the book, Seeing Through Stone, on her blogs. I’ve had my eye on this book ever since I heard the author read an excerpt from the book at a launch party for Playlist Fiction in Indianapolis last September. The author, Rajdeep Paulus, writes masala-marinated fiction (her term). I simply love learning about other cultures and reading through the eyes of an Indian character, especially a book well-loved by a friend, is a fantastic way to do it.
My frend described the book as gritty. For me, the first quarter of the book was horrifying, reminiscent to Stephen King’s Misery or the movie with Julia Roberts, Sleeping with the Enemy. The difference, while the events in Misery are a dim possibility, the events in Swimming Through the Clouds and Sleeping with the Enemy, do happen. Domestic violence is a fact of life for many and reading about the depths of pain one person can put another through is…horrifying. I read through the book thinking, when we get to the climax of the book, the “midnight of the soul” for the main character, am I going to be able to stand it? How much worse can this possibly get? It was like a reading train-wreck. Uncomfortable, but I couldn’t look away.
But I loved this book. The writing was beautiful. The story poignant in sadness but infused with hope. Talia, the main character, and her brother Jess, grow on you and you want to reach in and scoop them out of the story and hug them to you like kittens left out in the cold. The book didn’t get to the point I couldn’t read it. The other shoe didn’t fall because, unlike Hollywood films and general fiction, this is a Christian story so there is God, and hope.
But Talia and Jess’s stories go on. So that is why I have already purchased and am reading the sequel Seeing Through Stone. I want to know what happens next.
The Christian content is mild and not at all preachy, in case you were wondering.
My frend described the book as gritty. For me, the first quarter of the book was horrifying, reminiscent to Stephen King’s Misery or the movie with Julia Roberts, Sleeping with the Enemy. The difference, while the events in Misery are a dim possibility, the events in Swimming Through the Clouds and Sleeping with the Enemy, do happen. Domestic violence is a fact of life for many and reading about the depths of pain one person can put another through is…horrifying. I read through the book thinking, when we get to the climax of the book, the “midnight of the soul” for the main character, am I going to be able to stand it? How much worse can this possibly get? It was like a reading train-wreck. Uncomfortable, but I couldn’t look away.
But I loved this book. The writing was beautiful. The story poignant in sadness but infused with hope. Talia, the main character, and her brother Jess, grow on you and you want to reach in and scoop them out of the story and hug them to you like kittens left out in the cold. The book didn’t get to the point I couldn’t read it. The other shoe didn’t fall because, unlike Hollywood films and general fiction, this is a Christian story so there is God, and hope.
But Talia and Jess’s stories go on. So that is why I have already purchased and am reading the sequel Seeing Through Stone. I want to know what happens next.
The Christian content is mild and not at all preachy, in case you were wondering.
January 30, 2017
This book. MY GOD. I picked up this book looking for some light young adult burning love story. I'm still reeling from Bright Side, my last read that left me a puddled mess. Anywho, I don't know what synopsis I read, but this definitely was not the book I was looking for. But damn did this book feed my soul or did it feed from it?
I have read stories with terrible, awful, horrendous characters before, but never have I ever encountered a true monster.
The book opens with Talia, our heroine, finding a sticky note on the floor, in class, with her name on it. Talia is starting her senior year at a new school and can't imagine who would be writing her a note. The note invites her to lunch and is signed by "L". She balls the note and tosses it, dismissing any notion of making friends. But the notes keep coming. She finds them on her desk, under her desk, on her locker, in her locker. They're always funny and they're always inviting her to lunch and they're always signed by "L".
Lagan is also a senior. He's popular and funny and handsome, and he's the star of the basketball team. He is drawn to Talia and is determined to get to know her. He eventually weighs her down through the guise of a homework assignment and the two begin talking.
Sounds like the typical popular boy takes new/awkard girl under his wings and loves her until she loves herself, right? Well, not exactly.
As Lagan worms his way into Talia's life, Talia begins to reveal to us, the audience, the utter horror of her existence. So back to monsters existing in real life..
Talia lives in a quiet suburb of Chicago with her brother and father. Her brother is a year younger than her, bedbound due to an accident. And then there's her father.
There's not much I can say about her father, after all it's Talia's story to tell, not mine. But man oh man he makes me wish for the existence of super heroes.
Also, I think I'm going to create a new category, just for this book: heavy.
I have read stories with terrible, awful, horrendous characters before, but never have I ever encountered a true monster.
The book opens with Talia, our heroine, finding a sticky note on the floor, in class, with her name on it. Talia is starting her senior year at a new school and can't imagine who would be writing her a note. The note invites her to lunch and is signed by "L". She balls the note and tosses it, dismissing any notion of making friends. But the notes keep coming. She finds them on her desk, under her desk, on her locker, in her locker. They're always funny and they're always inviting her to lunch and they're always signed by "L".
Lagan is also a senior. He's popular and funny and handsome, and he's the star of the basketball team. He is drawn to Talia and is determined to get to know her. He eventually weighs her down through the guise of a homework assignment and the two begin talking.
Sounds like the typical popular boy takes new/awkard girl under his wings and loves her until she loves herself, right? Well, not exactly.
As Lagan worms his way into Talia's life, Talia begins to reveal to us, the audience, the utter horror of her existence. So back to monsters existing in real life..
Talia lives in a quiet suburb of Chicago with her brother and father. Her brother is a year younger than her, bedbound due to an accident. And then there's her father.
There's not much I can say about her father, after all it's Talia's story to tell, not mine. But man oh man he makes me wish for the existence of super heroes.
Also, I think I'm going to create a new category, just for this book: heavy.
March 7, 2014
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
Swimming Through Clouds is a deep, sometimes quite dark, and very emotional YA story. Honestly, without the sweet developing friendship between the main characters, I'm not sure I could have stomached this story for long. I felt so much sympathy for Talia; her situation at home is heartbreaking.
Poor Talia has experienced a nightmare of events with an abusive father. My eyes are tearing up just thinking about her home life. I can't imagine how she found the strength to hold it together when so many would crumble. It took such great courage for her to start opening up to Lagan. It instilled such hope to see her begin to change after Lagan's acts of kindness.
Lagan is really an amazing teenager. While most teenagers are self-absorbed, he goes out of his way to offer kindness to a lost soul. He was a ray of sunshine in a dark, difficult read. I loved Lagan, adored the scenes with him.
This novel contains some pretty graphic descriptions of abuse which bothered me quite a bit. There were times when I was desperate to put the book down but also desperate to continue the story. Ms. Paulus has a knack for making the reader care for her characters. They are all quite well-developed. The budding relationship between Talia and Lagan was adorable and sweet.
While I did enjoy Swimming Through Clouds, I must warn readers that this is an emotionally turbulent novel. There are scenes that some readers may find difficult, if not impossible, to read through. It truly is a beautiful story, even with all the ugliness Talia experiences.
Swimming Through Clouds is a deep, sometimes quite dark, and very emotional YA story. Honestly, without the sweet developing friendship between the main characters, I'm not sure I could have stomached this story for long. I felt so much sympathy for Talia; her situation at home is heartbreaking.
Poor Talia has experienced a nightmare of events with an abusive father. My eyes are tearing up just thinking about her home life. I can't imagine how she found the strength to hold it together when so many would crumble. It took such great courage for her to start opening up to Lagan. It instilled such hope to see her begin to change after Lagan's acts of kindness.
Lagan is really an amazing teenager. While most teenagers are self-absorbed, he goes out of his way to offer kindness to a lost soul. He was a ray of sunshine in a dark, difficult read. I loved Lagan, adored the scenes with him.
This novel contains some pretty graphic descriptions of abuse which bothered me quite a bit. There were times when I was desperate to put the book down but also desperate to continue the story. Ms. Paulus has a knack for making the reader care for her characters. They are all quite well-developed. The budding relationship between Talia and Lagan was adorable and sweet.
While I did enjoy Swimming Through Clouds, I must warn readers that this is an emotionally turbulent novel. There are scenes that some readers may find difficult, if not impossible, to read through. It truly is a beautiful story, even with all the ugliness Talia experiences.
June 27, 2013
When I started reading this book I had no expectations, mostly because I had never read anything from Rajdeep Paulus before and the book is quite different from what I usually read, but I was excited to start on it nonetheless. And I did not regret it.
The book shows you bit by bit how Talia's life is, and that is far from perfect. You get to peel the layers off as she shows Lagan small bits of herself and as she juggles her life to be kept in balance, as far as possible. We get introduced to her brother who has at least the amount of problems Talia has in keeping his life together and then we have Talia's father. A Dutch South-African man, who is far from what he appears to be. The great impact he has on Talia's and her brother's life and the impact he had on their mother's life is revealed word by word, chapter by chapter.
Like I said, I wasn't too sure about the book, because it is totally different from what I usually read, but it was definately a very enjoyable read. Mostly a very emotional read actually. It deals with family problems beyond the point you would never wish anyone, really not even your biggest foe, in life, but sadly do happen in certain ways to people.
It has been a couple of days now since I've finished the book, but I'm still quite overthrown by it, but don't want to spoil the immense intense parts in the book, because that is what it makes it so truly fascinating. So if it does sound like your type of book, do get a copy of the e-book!
The book shows you bit by bit how Talia's life is, and that is far from perfect. You get to peel the layers off as she shows Lagan small bits of herself and as she juggles her life to be kept in balance, as far as possible. We get introduced to her brother who has at least the amount of problems Talia has in keeping his life together and then we have Talia's father. A Dutch South-African man, who is far from what he appears to be. The great impact he has on Talia's and her brother's life and the impact he had on their mother's life is revealed word by word, chapter by chapter.
Like I said, I wasn't too sure about the book, because it is totally different from what I usually read, but it was definately a very enjoyable read. Mostly a very emotional read actually. It deals with family problems beyond the point you would never wish anyone, really not even your biggest foe, in life, but sadly do happen in certain ways to people.
It has been a couple of days now since I've finished the book, but I'm still quite overthrown by it, but don't want to spoil the immense intense parts in the book, because that is what it makes it so truly fascinating. So if it does sound like your type of book, do get a copy of the e-book!
August 18, 2015
In Swimming Through Clouds by Rajdeep Paulus, we follow a girl named Talia Vanderbilt and her life experiences. It all starts with a small post-it that she receives from a mysterious L. She then realizes that 'L', is Lagan, one of the popular kids on the basketball team. She gets to be friends with him and soon becomes even more than just friends. But her father's rules about no socializing make it difficult to stay with Lagan. And on top of that, her father has even more than just that rule. Whenever he gets the chance, Gerard Vanderbilt will make life even more difficult for Talia and her brother, Justice, more commonly called Jesse or Jess. He won't stop at anything to ruin his daughter's social life. Every day when she comes home she has a list that she must complete. If she does not complete more than half that list before her father comes home, physical pain comes, which results in burns and cuts, which she must hide from her teachers and friends. But things get even more difficult when she mixes her personal life with her social life, and she must swim in order to escape the trauma of the clouds surrounding her.
I loved reading this book, and cannot wait to read the others. I have read Soaring Through Stars, and have to admit that they are both great reads that I would read over and over again on any day. I can't wait to show these books to my friends and family, and would definitely recommend buying this book and series for yourself, friends, and family.
I loved reading this book, and cannot wait to read the others. I have read Soaring Through Stars, and have to admit that they are both great reads that I would read over and over again on any day. I can't wait to show these books to my friends and family, and would definitely recommend buying this book and series for yourself, friends, and family.
February 17, 2015
What a wonderful debut novel by Rajdeep Paulus. Gita is a teenager with a horrible secret. She only wants to finish high school and leave her turbulent world. Her plan is to keep a low profile, graduate and be on her way.
Enter Lagan, the popular jock who sees past Gita's ambivalence and is so intrigued by her, that his relentless pursuit of her begins with funny post-it notes on her locker. Lagan understands her more than she realizes and the careful and creative way which he uses to get closer to her finds Gita slowly letting her guard down despite herself.
Lagan knows Gita is keeping secrets and Gita is so afraid to trust. How can she let him in without hurting them both? Will his patient and caring approach win her over or will her secrets threaten to destroy them both?
This YA novel is unlike the fiction I have been finding. It is different, well written and original. Ms. Paulus reels you right in and then leaves you hanging. She doesn't give anything away, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. Sequel, please! Although I feel a breath of hope for Gita, I need to know more. I need to know that things work out for her.
I am looking forward to more stories from this writer. Great read!
Enter Lagan, the popular jock who sees past Gita's ambivalence and is so intrigued by her, that his relentless pursuit of her begins with funny post-it notes on her locker. Lagan understands her more than she realizes and the careful and creative way which he uses to get closer to her finds Gita slowly letting her guard down despite herself.
Lagan knows Gita is keeping secrets and Gita is so afraid to trust. How can she let him in without hurting them both? Will his patient and caring approach win her over or will her secrets threaten to destroy them both?
This YA novel is unlike the fiction I have been finding. It is different, well written and original. Ms. Paulus reels you right in and then leaves you hanging. She doesn't give anything away, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. Sequel, please! Although I feel a breath of hope for Gita, I need to know more. I need to know that things work out for her.
I am looking forward to more stories from this writer. Great read!
March 2, 2014
I got a copy from the author for my honest review.
I have to admit, I don't like to read about any child suffering because of a grown up, especially getting abused but Rajdeep Paulus hooked me from the first page of Swimming through Clouds. The situation is real and one that seems to happen more and more everyday. We can't ignore it and I think what Rajdeep Paulus did with this debut novel was quite amazing. Although the setting isn't my favorite, the words, description and imagination coming from this author was.
I couldn't put the book down and Lagan Desai, is such an amazing character, you won't help to love this character dearly. He creeps into one's soul and I loved loved loved his Post-it's he kept sending Talia in order to gain her trust, friendship and love.
A beautiful story of heartache, pain, kindness and love and I understand why Swimming through Clouds were up for an Literary Awards.
Well done Rajdeep and I wish you all the best with Swimming through the clouds and all your writing endeavors. I'll definitely keep an eye on this author. Worth buying this novel and I recommend it to everyone
that loves a drama, something different type of love story.
I have to admit, I don't like to read about any child suffering because of a grown up, especially getting abused but Rajdeep Paulus hooked me from the first page of Swimming through Clouds. The situation is real and one that seems to happen more and more everyday. We can't ignore it and I think what Rajdeep Paulus did with this debut novel was quite amazing. Although the setting isn't my favorite, the words, description and imagination coming from this author was.
I couldn't put the book down and Lagan Desai, is such an amazing character, you won't help to love this character dearly. He creeps into one's soul and I loved loved loved his Post-it's he kept sending Talia in order to gain her trust, friendship and love.
A beautiful story of heartache, pain, kindness and love and I understand why Swimming through Clouds were up for an Literary Awards.
Well done Rajdeep and I wish you all the best with Swimming through the clouds and all your writing endeavors. I'll definitely keep an eye on this author. Worth buying this novel and I recommend it to everyone
that loves a drama, something different type of love story.
December 21, 2013
4.5 stars, because I love good, clean writing and Raj writes beautifully! I avoided reading the book for this long because child abuse is not a subject matter I want to tackle in my fiction. And so I started it very tentatively two nights ago, and I just kept going. The author scores gold with post-it notes banter between Talia and Lagan, and I must say I did not enjoy (but she successfully dragged me along) the suspense of good old Dad possibly popping up with his full fledged wrath ANYTIME. I had tiny issues with believing that the abuse could go on for so long, but yes, it could happen. And also I am left wondering is there is a book two, because not all the loose ends were tied. For example, the Dad's business, the mother's history, etc. I am fully behind the idea that a good book needs to be a good book, all ends tied, in and of itself, and not give me a "is there more?" feeling at the end. But yippee!! Keep writing, Raj!
July 1, 2013
Not your typical light, summer read but Swimming Through Clouds by debut author Rajdeep Paulus is a spell-binding and somewhat terrifying story about a young girl tiptoeing around her father's abuse, trapped in a world where small mistakes have devastating consequences. Though an intense read, Paulus weaves a beautiful and charming tale about kindness and love covering even our deepest scars.This heart-rending YA novel for all, will suck you in, bond you irrevocably with the incredibly resilient Talia and the boy, Lagan, a Christ-like hero, whose patient friendship coaxes her out of her misery and into a world of hope with something as simple as post-it notes. A wonderful reminder that even the smallest pebble of grace can create a ripple strong enough to change someone's life. Even save it.
January 1, 2016
Wow. I was just getting ready to give up completely on young adult contemporary fiction when Swimming Through Clouds shows up in my life. The story and characters grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I love the author's writing style; so beautiful and almost poetic. I love the pace of the blossoming friendship between Talia and Lagan. I love how the author was able to tell such a heart-felt and gripping story that involved such a heavy subject as abuse without the story being totally depressing; there is a pervasive hope despite the tragedy. I love the beautiful, creative and subtle Christian influence. I love that there is nothing crude or inappropriate, but due to the subject matter I would recommend it for mature teens and up. Beautifully done! And I've started the sequel, Seeing Through Stones.
August 10, 2013
*Possible Spoilers* An amazingly heart-wrenching and yet heart-warmingly wonderful debut novel! Talia lives in constant fear. Her life has fallen apart with the death of her mother. Her brother lives through a suicide attempt and comes out broken--body & spirit. But there is a light at the end of her tunnel. His name is Lagan. He unravels talia's mask one post-it note at a time, with love and patience. He teaches her about a gardener who offers hope--Jesus & a woman that he healed when she but touched the hem of his garment.
At times I wanted to scream, cry with her. I wanted to crawl into the pages of the book and protect her. But it was most satisfying when in the end, she learned to rely on God and sought help, protecting herself.
At times I wanted to scream, cry with her. I wanted to crawl into the pages of the book and protect her. But it was most satisfying when in the end, she learned to rely on God and sought help, protecting herself.
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