Does everyone have a family skeleton? Clare’s is visible, at least to her. He’s been a part of her life since she was six. She doesn’t like to think about him, and there are a few places he won’t show up, but he’s with her most of the time. Clare learning to live with, and from, a family skeleton, forms the bones of this book. She learns to be strong, make decisions for herself, separate from her family, and advocate for herself. I really like this as a strong coming of age novel. Close reading is needed as the books switches between the past and the present, but it’s labeled in the chapter headings.

As for the plot, some of it is a mystery, such as why Luke, her oldest brother, isn’t home most of the time. Clare loves him, writes to him, and saves the letters he writes back. She knows most of the town’s people don’t like him, and her other brother, Peter, is afraid of him, but when Luke is around, he takes care of her. All she knows is “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” according to her mother. But how can that happen so often? And why does it feel like Mother will choose Luke over her other children?
( )

"Learning Not to Drown" was a quick read, but heavy novel that dealt with issues such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and prison. I don't think I've read a book as heavy as this since reading "The Impossible Knife of Memory" by Laurie Halse Anderson last year. Though the topics are deep, the book was very enjoyable.

Shinoda takes her time with the story and characters as you start off the novel thinking Claire's family is picture perfect, but as time goes on the threads unravel. We eventually start to see how Luke's bad decisions take a huge toll on the family and relationships become strained.

I thought it was particularly clever how Shinoda wrote the character of "skeleton" who is always lingering around Claire almost every waking moment. He constantly makes snide commentaries on the sidelines, and makes sure she never forgets the bad things has happened.

I would go on and rant about a couple of things that things that certain characters did that infuriated me, but I know I like to make my reviews as spoiler free as possible since I really don't want to ruin the story for others. ( )

Seventeen-year-old Clare has a terrible secret. Her family skeleton is so bad; he haunts her every waking moment because he knows everything about Luke, her drug addicted older brother who has been in and out of prison his whole life. Read the rest of the review on my blog: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/learning-not-to-drown-anna-sh... ( )

Currently free to read on pulseit website until 4/29

Ms. Shinoda does a wonderful job of capturing the mixed feelings one can have about family. It is a hard lesson to learn that those we love can be such a mix of good and evil. And that keeping secrets only hurts. ( )