Where I Can Breathe

by Hays Blinckmann

Where I Can Breathe Agnes Williams is dying. At 62 years old, the beautiful and wealthy socialite chose to end her life with alcohol. Hospitalized for almost bleeding to death, her three middle aged children and ex-husband must reunite to organize hospice care and then watch her devastatingly painful demise. With conflicted emotions, Arthur, Abby and Ansel Williams say goodbye to their mother who upended their childhood and had a ferocious grip on their adulthood. Asher Williams, their father and self-made tycoon, must also finally reckon with the mess he has made with his family. The family tragedy is hidden behind the tall walls of suburban Connecticut where the elite and privileged reside. Seemingly having everything — education, wealth, family — the Williams family could not escape the emotional heartbreak that haunted their mother’s life. Agnes and Ashers’ secrets are a path their own children must navigate as they learn to recognize the signposts of love, loss and choices they couldn’t help but make.Where I Can Breathe is a surprisingly candid, funny and compassionate novel about alcoholism, drama and family relationships. The Williams story unearths hidden truths about parenting, secrets and persevering love for each other despite it all. Filled with a modern sense of sarcasm, humor and cultural references, this book is for anyone whose family is filled with magnetic, but endearingly flawed, people.

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2020

About the author

About the Author
Hays Trott Blinckmann is a writer, journalist, teacher, and recovering painter. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband and two sons. Her other novels include In the Salt, Where I Can Breathe, Here, Kitty, and the young adult novel Yell Out Loud. They are available on Amazon and at bookstores throughout Key West. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com. As this is a published novel, your reviews and recommendations on social media help Tiny Little Earthquakes reach a wider audience. Thank you for spreading the word—places, people. Places!

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agnes Williams is an alcoholic battling the advanced stages of cirrhosis. As her three grown children gather at her bedside they reflect on their childhood and the many ways they have always protected each other. While their father Asher acquired vast wealth and a multitude of women, their mother was all they had and all they needed. As Arthur, Abby and Ansel approached their teenage years, their self destructive mother turned to alcohol. No longer able to hide her sadness Aggie became increasingly bitter and her erratic behavior was legendary. Filled with a deep-seated sense of loyalty, the siblings do anything they can to allay Aggie’s pain, divulge their own secrets and make peace with a painful past. This heartbreakingly beautiful story is filled with the complicated challenges of marriage, parenting and unbreakable sibling bonds - but most of all it’s about the simple fact of love. You will laugh, you will cry and most certainly will adore every single character in this well-written, page turning new novel by author Hays Blinckmann. This is an absolute must read!

[Kelly Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A coworker recommended this to me. And All my coworkers were raving about it. I've read about 60 percent of the book, and just have to stop, I cannot get into it. Reading all the good reviews, it makes me question wether it's just me. I haven't read a bad review on this book. But...it seems like it just carries on and on with all small talk and nothing really big happening. I get that one event happened, which lead to the mothers self destructiveness...But, really? Like, I feel she needed to take charge of her own life and if it was that bad, get some help. The fact that she didnt tell anyone for years later, was on her. Maybe I'm just being to brutal about it. But I couldn't finish it.

[Trista Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is a good read, but I couldn’t give it a 4 star rating due to several (many) errors. Mostly there were words left out of sentences. It was pretty distracting. The other distracting issue was naming everyone A names. I had to concentrate to keep the characters straight in my head.

The story itself was entertaining and at times very sad because of the miscommunication among the characters and the misbehaviors of the parents; however, that’s life. I liked the way the author didn’t gloss over the flaws and also did not overemphasize them.

Overall a 4 for content and a 2 for proofing.

[Tim Y Kao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book draws you quickly onto the lives of the main characters . The dialogue is sharpwitty and . The portrayal of hospice and the surrounding emotions , complex in a dysfunctional family , is very well done and realistic .

The portrayal of hospice and the surrounding emotions is very well done . The complexities of a dysfunctional family going through loss is so well written, I loved every word . I didn’t want the book to end . I will survive by knowing the author will write more books in the future .

[Judy K Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

I love how the characters come to life. Aggie, the dying mother doesn't want to lose control of her world. She loves her children but has struggled for most of her adult life with alcohol abuse. I enjoyed the way the writer is able to go back to life in the sixties. The father, Asher has many faults and makes terrible choices but his love for his first wife never stops. The story is probably true for lots 9f families .

[Ana Maria Luhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt personnal

I truly enjoyed reading the book. The storyline was interesting and easy to relate to. There was a lot of detail and an abundance of emotion in the writing. Reading that it was self published enabled me to understand all the grammatical errors. This sometimes took away from the flow of the story.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending redeemed a lot.

I can't say I loved it, can't say I dislike it. Family drama, love and loyalty in the midst of mistakes along the way. At times I was engaged with the Williams and other times it was more like " get on with it". This book seriously needed better editing and proofreading. Usually I am quite tolerant of errors but this one was distractingly obvious.

[Gloria Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

. . . a book I couldn't put down

This book felt intimate and personal to me. I recognized parts of all the characters from my own family's lived experiences and isn't that essentially why we read? I will definitely read the author's first novel next and watch for future work.

[Patti Zapf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing

After reading both books written by this Author (in one week),I cannot decide my favorite. Both were hard to put down. I can see the potential for a movie. I love the strong female characters and commend Hays Blinckman.

[Lotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a few good points about how families interact and what characteristics you have depending on if you are first born, middle child and youngest. Sad story about how a persons entire life and her families can be changed due to one event. A little long.

[Martina Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

the light and shadow of human nature…

A good writer brings troubled but likable characters to life in a way that you really care about them . I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to all who like to ruminate about human nature…

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

fill of heart

Such a heartfelt story of a matriarch and her family. You fall in love with the kids and their humor! Reminds me to not take life for granted at the same time, not too serious

[roni gilboa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story telling - but...

But, in serious need of some editing. Both grammar and spelling. It makes reading tedious.
Please respect your readers, and spend the time and money on a good editor.I

I liked it, the story is good the characters are well defined. But the editing....

[Dana Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Story but poor writing.

I loved the story but it was evident this book was not edited. The punctuation was wrong, double words and misspelled words throughout. For an avid reader, which I am, all the mistakes took away from the enjoyment of reading.

[catherine l. burris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The to life

This book is a good tead. It is a long book but it could be a real life story. The situations could be a dosfumctional

[Rita Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

reCOMMEND

I was surprised to find hw much I enjoyed an unknown author,to me on Kindle Unlimitaed.Very well written, itgerestig characters, it held my interest to the end.

[Cynthia Russo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awfull

This book depressed me! S family waiting for an alcoholic woman to die. What more needs to be said. I have to have another word so awfull

[Conchita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

[Ruth Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well writen

Each character came alive intimately. The good the bad and the ugly. Letting each one be themselves. Family is family.

[Ruthann Cosgrove]

Loved this story.

A wonderful book about family,love and never getting it right. Never giving up but supporting each
other no matter the cost.

[Sparky · Rating 3 out of 5]

rough transitions

Goode story, many grammatical errors and poor transitions make it difficult to read at times, changes in time frames too abrupt and disrupts flow of story

[Becky L Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Such a great book sorry that it ended. I found it to be both emotional and engaging. I would highly recommend.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful Read

I was captivated by the story and the characters and enjoyed the family dynamics which were described well. This is an excellent read.

[Ellie Craighead · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not keep the characters straight. Quite ironic that the story was meant for depth but the characters and their development lacked it horribly. Meh.

[Jill Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a poignant story pulling back the curtain wealth offers, showing that no amount of money or privilege can buy contentment or happiness. It is a road map of unspoken emotional scars unintentionally passed along in family dynamics. However, along with these scars, there is love, strength, and determination.