The Weight of Water

By Sarah Crossan

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'Poignant, powerful, just perfect' - Cathy Cassidy
'This poetic novel is sheer perfection ... I loved it' - Irish Examiner
'A compellingly beautiful, utterly seductive debut novel … Do not miss it' - The Scotsman
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Sarah Crossan's exquisite debut novel explores first love, friendship and quiet courage. It will leave you sad, happy and wanting more.

Sometimes I want to tear off my clothes
And show them I'm the same
Underneath –
Maybe better.

Life is lonely for Kasienka. She misses her old home in Poland, her mother's heart is breaking, and at her new English school friends are scarce. But when someone new swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there is more than one way to stay afloat.

This stunning novel from Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan explores how to pick up the pieces when everything you know is turned on its head and you have to start all over again.
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Experience every emotion with the finest verse novelist of our generation...
Don't miss Sarah Crossan's other irresistibly page-turning books Moonrise, One, Apple and Rain, and Toffee.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Dec 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781408824641

Sarah Crossan

Sarah Crossan grew up in Dublin and London. Her books for children and teenagers have won many prizes including the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, the CBI Book of the Year, the YA Book Prize, and the CLiPPA Poetry Award. Her first novel for adults, Here Is The Beehive, was published in 2020 to critical acclaim, and was shortlisted for Popular Fiction Book of the Year in the AN Post Irish Book Awards Sarah's novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She currently lives and works in East Sussex.

Reviews for The Weight of Water

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a poignant little book about Kasienka, a young Polish girl who moves to England. Told in verse, the reader experiences Kasienka's pain and feelings of alienation as she is teased and bullied based on her appearance. Ultimately, however, her strength of spirit comes shining through despite everything she has to endure. A touching read about the experiences of one young immigrant.

[emren_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book free of charge as an Advanced Readers Copy from the Texas Library Association 2013 conference.I was hesitant to pick this book up when I noticed it was written in verse. However, when I read that it was narrative rather than poems, I put aside my bias and reservations and dove in. I'm so glad that I did. Kasienka and her mother emigrate to England in search of her father. This book of verse chronicles Kasienka's struggles with a new school in a new country. She watches the devastating search for her father, is forced to accept the nickname Cassie, and is tormented by her female classmates in the cruel and unusual ways that middle school girls are best at. This is a tale of being different, of coming of age and of rebirth. It was very easy to read and incredibly touching. I think that everyone feels like an outcast sometimes and because of that it was very easy to relate to Kasienka.I highly recommend this book.

[ellsie98 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I first started this book, I was uncertain as I famously do not get on with poetry at all, and the entire novel was written in that style. I think that this really added to the uniqueness and emotion of the novel, which encouraged me into Kaseinka's shoes as she moved from Poland to Coventry in search of her father.
However, I do have to say that the raw emotion and feeling of the book, combined with the fact that it entailed no prose, was the only highlight of the book. In short, it was a story about a normal person, and a situation that people really live in - and although I would normally avoid such a book, this one surprised me.
I loved the main character, and the way her emotions were portrayed by the use of poetry as opposed to prose. I think it allowed us, as readers, to see much deeper into her mind, as instead of spending 80% of the book recounting what happened, a similar amount was spent showing us how Kasienka felt about everything that happened. And because the book was a poetry anthology, There was a lot more room for this and it made more sense to the reader to have such a vast amount of emotion, rather than in prose, which can sound repetitive and boring.
On my list of Carnegie books I want to win, I would place this second under "Code Name Verity".

[ma_washigeri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First dipped into the poems in the charity shop without realising it was a novel. Then read it cover to cover trying to go slowly. The narrative thread drives you on through the book so that it is really hard to stop reading one poem after another and the book is finished far too quickly. I loved the voice of the girl combined with the maturity of the author. Both shine through together similar to that of other favourite teenage girl characters (Dido, Emma Graham). And since finishing I have been dipping back into individual poems. Shall have to keep this book or give it away to someone special.

[ddbrown201 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really good novel in verse about a girl who moves to a England from Poland and is bulled at her new school.

[abcrane-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Generally not liking poetry, I really enjoyed this book. Poems are presented in clear language with a clear and present purpose. The Weight of Water will appeal and touch any current or former swimmer, as well as those readers that may not feel like they are in control of any aspect of their lives. It is a fun and quick read sure to make a positive impression of poetry on the reader.

[eclecticdodo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a novel in verse, a fact which put me off and intrigued me at the same time. It's a very moving story of a Polish girl who moves to Coventry with her mother in search of her missing father. I found the parts about bullying and withdrawing from close relationships especially heartfelt. Highly recommended.

[celerydog_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Satisfying novel-in-verse dealing with a Polish mother and daughter immigrating to 21C Britain, in search of the missing father. Female protagonist develops through the challenges life throws her. Realistic supporting characters. Good pick for 2013 Carnegie Medal shortlist.

[klarusu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On the tide of her mother's hopes, carrying nothing more than the pieces of her family and her belongings in a laundry bag, Kasienka is washed up in Britain searching for the father that left them so abruptly when he left their home in Poland with no more than a brief note and much less than a suitable explanation. So begins this beautifully recounted tale of a young girl coming of age in a strange country amongst the shattered pieces of the family life she once knew.The Weight of Water is an unusual book. Told entirely in verse, there is the expectation that it will read like a series of poems or an exercise in literary styling. Instead, Crossan seamlessly crafts a story where Kasienka and the cast of supporting characters come alive from the outset, the verse making access to the characters more immediate and direct than a prose novel. Within a page or two, the verse disappears, replaced by Kasienka's voice as she tells of the painful journey she takes to become accepted in her new home and to accept her family with all their limitations.The Weight of Water is a book of differences. It is an immigrant's perspective of their adopted land and of the myriad of people who share it with them. However, it is also a book of similarities, as Kasienka slowly understands that beneath the diversity, the common desire for acceptance binds even enemies tightly. It is a story of the discomfort of adolescence, one that transcends international boundaries, and it is here that Crossan's empathy for her protagonist stands out in a perfect portrait of the painful journey Kasienka makes to unearth herself from beneath the layers of expectation placed on her. It is a story of loss, not just of her native land but of the childhood image she has of her parents as she discovers they are flawed and yet both less and more than the people she though them to be. Ultimately, it is a story of freedom though, which for Kasienka comes in the waters of the local pool as she finds her grace and strength in the furrows she cleaves as she swims. The water is not cleansing but nourishing, and as Kasienka carves the water with a singular purpose, we are left with a sense that a stronger girl will emerge with a sense of purpose as she carves a place for herself in the complicated world of adulthood.This was an innovative book and it is wonderful to see a young adult novel that is unafraid of experimenting with textual form. While Crossan does not always get the 'Polishness' of Kasienka and her family quite right, with the occasional jarring note that would only really be noticeable to someone who has had close contact with Poles, it is vastly out-weighed by her ability to realistically convey the acute agony of adolescence and a child's view of the pain of a family break-up. It is a daring but quiet novel, in the best sense of the word and comes highly recommended.

[alidevnz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished this and I am speechless. It is beautiful but raw. The reader sees the life of a new immigrant young girl through her eyes and it's all told in verse/poetry. It didn't strike a wrong note - it just felt perfect from first to last page. Highly recommended.

great provocation for talking about: immigration, racism, bullying, coming of age, empathy, kindness.

[jogreenway · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A must-read for anyone working in a secondary school with Polish immigrants. Beautifully describes the move from Poland to England from the perspective of a 12-year old girl. Can be read very quickly. Layout very unusual. Carnegie long list 2013. Very enjoyable. Poignant. Summarises life in England in 2013 very accurately.