It’s nearly pub day for USA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Friedland, as Breathing Under Water hits bookshelves tomorrow, August 4. Jacqueline’s sixth novel tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a mother struggling to balance work with family life and a college swimmer who’s at risk of losing her scholarship. Their paths converge in an unexpected way in this “…big-hearted story about messy families, impossible choices, and human connection that sneaks up on you when you least expect it.”

Already making a splash in the literary world, Breathing Under Water was selected as a highly anticipated summer read by People, Zibby Owens, and The Jewish Joy Book Club. Kristy Woodson Harvey (New York Times bestselling author of Summer State of Mind) says, “Engrossing and deeply moving, Breathing Under Water is a graceful exploration of womanhood at every age and stage. Jacqueline Friedland expertly captures the fierce love and quiet resilience of motherhood, the intense pressures of coming of age, and the unexpected ways in which we save each other. An unforgettable story with indelible characters that will stay with readers long after the final page, this is a must-read novel of the year!”

I couldn’t wait to learn more about the book, Jacqueline’s writing process, and her personal experience in the publishing world, in this third installment of my new series highlighting Jewish authors as they publish new work. (Because if you haven’t noticed, there’s never been a better time to support the Jewish community.) Let’s dive in…

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Leah Grossman: Hi, Jacqueline! Tell us about Breathing Under Water and what you’re most excited for readers to take away from this story.

Jacqueline Friedland: Breathing Under Water follows two women at very different stages of life who are brought together by a teenager with autism. Berry is a middle-aged mom whose son, Leo, is on the autism spectrum. As he nears the end of high school, she’s trying to teach him independence, but also struggling with letting him go. Meanwhile, McKenna is a college swimmer and nursing student who is caring for her grandmother with dementia while trying to keep her own dreams alive. When McKenna gets framed for something she didn’t do and wonders if she’s about to lose everything, it turns out Leo is the one person who might be able to clear her name. As the characters become part of each other’s lives, each is forced to reconsider what family, resilience, and success really mean.

More than anything, I hope readers come away from the novel thinking about the assumptions we make about other people. It’s easy to look at someone and believe we understand their story, but almost everyone is carrying burdens that aren’t immediately visible. I also want the book to spark conversations about inclusion, caregiving, and the many different ways people define a........

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