Review: 'The Weight of Water'

 by Rebecca Cleary

Over the summer, my friend gave me 'The Weight of Water' by Sarah Crossan, having been recommended to read it by her teacher and absolutely loving it. I took the book with a little trepidation, as it is a story told through poems, and having not read many of those, I was dubious as to how much I would really enjoy it. Nevertheless, I was assured that it was an easy and enjoyable read. 

To my mild surprise, I found the Weight of Water a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book follows a teenage girl from Poland, called Kasienka, as she moves to England with her mother, struggling with her mother’s desperation to not let go of the past, her difficult lifestyle and the daunting school full of new people who can’t speak her language. 

Kasienka’s story is both moving and matter-of-fact, leaving the reader to grapple with the very real struggles that immigrants face, and in awe of the quiet, modest and courageous character that Kasienka is. The book is incredibly engaging and the lyrical, beautifully laid out poems make it an enjoyable read, but also one that is clearly from a young teenager’s perspective. 

The Weight of Water is a moving, realistic and wonderfully easy read, which highlights important issues as well as keeping the reader engaged until the very end, finishing with a beautifully emotional and liberating poem, which perfectly concludes this innovative coming-of-age story. Personally, it really made me think about issues that immigrants have to face, but also showed me that everyone, regardless of their background or socio-economic position, have an element of mundane similarity in the challenges they face growing up. 

Therefore, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the raw challenges that immigrant teenagers face or even those willing to try reading a new style of writing, for which the Weight of Water won’t disappoint.