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A couple of years ago, I read the description of the book and decided that I didn’t think I was prepared to read a book with such a heavy focus on grief. Flash-forward to May 2020. I stumbled across this book again and thought that I might be strong enough to read it. Spoiler alert, I almost wasn’t.

The Air He Breaths is about Elizabeth and Tristan. A year ago, both of them lost someone close to them. For Elizabeth, she lost her husband/father of her daughter. For Tristan, he lost his wife and son. Neither Tristan and Elizabeth are doing well. They are struggling and hunted by the tragic events and would do anything bring their loved ones back. Even if that means pretending that someone else is them.

This was a heartbreaking tale of two people who lost everything. Their family was their life. The reason they got up in morning. And when they suddenly didn’t have that person (or persons), it shifted everything and instead of living they were just existing.

There were several times where I almost cried during this book. It’s emotional and you can truly feel the pain that Elizabeth and Tristan are feeling. The author does a great job of writing that and really dives deep into those emotions.

Like mentioned earlier that this is a story about grief, but it’s also a story about love. After losing their spouses Elizabeth and Tristan didn’t think they could find love again. And I think a part of them didn’t want to. But after an unfortunate meeting and the fact that they are neighbors, they develop a real and raw friendship. They’re able to look past the façade that the other one has created and see the pain in each others souls.

Although I enjoyed this book, the last major conflict almost disrupted the entire pace and feel of the book. It felt rushed. And it felt less organic than the rest of the book felt. The book was able to get back on track with the last couple of chapters after that conflict was resolved.

Characters

Almost every character in this book was amazing and well developed. Tristan does start of the book as a tad rude, but how he is acting is completely realistic and understandable. And as the book progresses, he begins to show signs of who he was before and who he is capable of becoming.

Final Analysis

The Air He Breaths is a heartbreaking and beautiful tale of two people who are struggling and existing after losing the loves of their lives.