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Even As We Breathe: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 469 ratings

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Nineteen-year-old Cowney Sequoyah yearns to escape his hometown of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. When a summer job at Asheville's luxurious Grove Park Inn and Resort brings him one step closer to escaping the hills that both cradle and suffocate him, he sees it as an opportunity. The experience introduces him to the beautiful and enigmatic Essie Stamper—a young Cherokee woman who is also working at the inn and dreaming of a better life.

With World War II raging in Europe, the resort is the temporary home of Axis diplomats and their families, who are being held as prisoners of war. A secret room becomes a place where Cowney and Essie can escape the white world of the inn and imagine their futures free of the shadows of their families' pasts. Outside of this refuge, however, racism and prejudice are never far behind, and when the daughter of one of the residents goes missing, Cowney finds himself accused of abduction and murder.

Even As We Breathe invokes the elements of bone, blood, and flesh as Cowney navigates difficult social, cultural, and ethnic divides. Betrayed by the friends he trusted, he begins to unearth deeper mysteries as he works to prove his innocence and clear his name. This richly written debut novel explores the immutable nature of the human spirit and the idea that physical existence, with all its strife and injustice, will not be humanity's lasting legacy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—It is 1942 and 19-year-old Cowney is adrift. He can't enlist in the army due to a physical disability, he left junior college and hasn't decided whether he's going back, and he feels out of place at home on the Qualla Boundary and outside the reservation where racism runs rampant. Needing money for tuition, and wanting to prove himself useful to the war effort, Cowney takes a groundskeeper position at the Grove Park Inn. Although they are still referred to as "guests," the residents of the Inn are not tourists or vacationers, they are diplomats and other high-class POWs. Working at the Inn throws issues of class, race, and ableism into stark relief for Cowney, whose introspective nature lends itself to observation and insight into the world around him. Tragedies strike fast and thick throughout the summer, and when a child goes missing, suspicion falls on Cowney. A tangled and intricate plot unrolls with exquisite slowness, and Clapsaddle portrays the smoke-filled forests of Cowney's home with stunning sensory detail; things that were once familiar take on a newly sinister cast in the haze. Clapsaddle's debut is a lyrical and moving period piece that is both evocative of the WWII home front and resonant with today. The novel takes on familiar coming-of-age tropes and adds an incisive #OwnVoices edge. VERDICT This is the first novel published by an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and Clapsaddle adds a vivid voice to the fiction of Appalachia. A first purchase for all high school and public libraries.—Heather Waddell, Sargent Memorial Lib., Boxborough, MA

Review

"Clapsaddle's lush debut thrusts 19-year-old Cowney Sequoyah into WWII intrigue...The clear, crisp prose hums consistently as the intricate story easily moves along and new details about Cowney's family's past emerge. Both an astonishing addition to WWII and Native American literature, this novel sings on every level."―Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Even As We Breathe is a remarkable and important debut novel that announces a major new voice in southern literature, and one that we have waited far too long to hear. Clapsaddle offers us characters we will never forget, a palpable sense of place, and an intricate plot, but most of all she allows us to luxuriate in her rich language, which is evident from the first sentence to the last. It was not only a pleasure to read this book, it was also an honor. Don't miss it."―Silas House, author of Southernmost

"Even As We Breathe is a fresh, welcome, and much needed addition to the fiction of the Appalachian South and its neglected people and places. Clapsaddle creates characters with sensitivity, subtlety, humor, and warmth. A splendid debut by a writer well worth following."―Charles Frazier, New York Times bestselling author of Varina and Cold Mountain

"A period piece that illuminates and echoes our current time. A powerful story told by voices that ring true as scripture. Even As We Breathe is an awakening. This is a masterful debut from the writer we need right now."―David Joy, author of When These Mountains Burn

"Debut writer Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle lifts the curtain to show us a South we don't know, revealed through the struggles of Cowney Sequoyah, a young man growing up within the Cherokee Nation of far Western North Carolina, and yet another surprise setting when he takes a job at Asheville's fabled Grove Park Inn while it is being used by the US military as a place of internment for Axis prisoners of war during World War II. Even As We Breathe is a wonderful novel, complicated as life itself―thrilling, mysterious, and finally, a revelation!"―Lee Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Marlin

"[A] groundbreaking first novel from Cherokee writer Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. . .The distinct features of Cowney's Qualla Boundary home, where a freed circus capuchin explores the treelines, a mystical waterfall cave waits in the mist, and fires and outsiders are a constant annoyance, glitter among the book's mysteries and surprises. . . . Avoided family truths become a source of freedom in [this] fascinating historical novel."―Foreword Reviews

"Clapsaddle's words have an easy grace, but they work hard, often pulling double-duty. Even As We Breathe is shot through with deluxe use of image. There is a sweetnessin Annette's work that is neither finicky nor too sweet―it is an even sweetness, rich and sustaining, born of loving ground."―Robert Gipe Blog

"Even as We Breathe slowly builds from a seemingly simple tale of first love into a meditation on the deepest mysteries and contradictions of human existence. The novel's final paragraph is a particular marvel, rippling back through the book and carrying the reader with it into the sublime. Annette Clapsaddle is an exceptional writer, and an important voice in Appalachia's literature."―Ron Rash

"This novel's stories and its people will echo throughout the memories of many of its readers for a long time."―Mary Whipple Reviews

"Clapsaddle's Even As We Breathe is the story of a young Cherokee man setting out in the world and discovering that in returning home, he might finally realize his full potential. And behind that story is the story of a debut author who did much the same."―Bitter Southerner

"A very personal story about family, love and growing up into the world of western North Carolina during World War II. . . . This novel was impossible for me to put down and is one of my favorite books I have read this year."―David Wilk, WritersCast

"This is a novel of intimacy and poignancy but also an exploration of how war and racism affect people's daily lives. As Cowney puts it, 'Empathy is fossilized in our bones.'"―Elizabeth Blair, NPR

"This novel is profound, poetic, prophetic, pleasurable, passionate, and provoking of thought."―Appalachian Mountain Books

"A beautifully written novel about life in North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains around Cherokee, rich in nature as well as native myth, legend and culture. Nature ― streams, waterfalls, a cave, forests, fire, the earth and the bones buried in it, even the air we breathe ― comes alive in this beautiful story"―Greensboro, NC News & Record

"A richly woven wonder―textured and honest, with a plot that rolls out gently and confidently, not unlike the mountains of Western North Carolina where the story is set."―Town Magazine

"An engaging debut novel."―New York Journal of Books

"A lovely story that engages its readers and gives them a vivid experience in Cherokee culture."―Independent Tribune

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0877DF7RW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fireside Industries (September 8, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 8, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2039 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #190,940 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #216 in Southern United States Fiction
- #376 in Native American Literature (Kindle Store)
- #397 in Southern Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 469 ratings

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Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

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Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) resides in Qualla, NC. She holds degrees from Yale University and the College of William and Mary. Her debut novel, Even As We Breathe (The University Press of Kentucky) is scheduled to release fall of 2020. Her first novel manuscript, Going to Water is winner of The Morning Star Award for Creative Writing from the Native American Literature Symposium (2012), a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction (2014). After serving as Executive Director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, Annette (National Board Certified since 2012) returned to teaching English and Cherokee Studies at Swain County High School. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network.

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Dawn Duncan

Excellent debut novel

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2020

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When I am looking for a good novel to read, I want to care about the characters, discover something I did not know prior, enjoy the plot, and delight in the careful word construction. In her debut novel, Even As We Breathe, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle hit every mark of a good novel for me. I especially appreciated such a compelling read as we were into our 6th month of isolation and I was recovering from major surgery. I wanted to read on, which helped me escape for a bit and imagine myself in another place and time with a character who drew me forward into the story.
Cowney Sequoyah is easy to love, a young man who has had his share of hardships, who has been taught love by his grandmother, who works hard, and tries to live in peace in his natural and human surroundings. As Cherokee from a small town in North Carolina in the midst of World War 2, his path is not an easy one. He cannot fight due to a birth defect that hampers his mobility, so he goes to work at a resort in the big city, Asheville, which has been turned into an upscale detention center for elite types stranded in the USA but from the land of our wartime enemies. Soldiers patrol the grounds. Cowney, and his friend and love-interest Essie, also from his home town are in the lowest echelon of this strange community of workers and residents. As the summer heats up with fires that threaten their hometown, illness and deaths that must be endured, and a mystery surrounding a bone and a missing child, Cowney will find his courage and sense of self. The novel is ultimately one of redemption, which is sorely needed at this time, maybe always. I never knew what might happen, but I was willing to keep turning the pages. I had to find out if the characters I cared about would survive the threats of their world, just as I hope we survive ours. While much of the subject matter is serious, there are also good laughs and moments of lightness. The end is especially satisfying.
I learned a great deal as I read this novel. I had no idea about such resort detention centers. I also learned more about life in Cherokee, North Carolina. When I can learn while being completely caught up in a story and its characters, it is a rich delight. If you too need a book that will absorb you and transport you, I highly recommend Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s Even As We Breathe. I look forward to more work from this author.

22 people found this helpful

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RB

Buy it! Read it!

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020

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Verdict: Buy it! Read it! This is an easy, well-paced read from an excellent storyteller set in a place that will widen your horizons and make you feel. That’s what reading is about, right?

What’s it about? The story revolves around Cowney Sequoyah, a nineteen-year-old young man living on the reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina, with his grandmother Lishie and Uncle Bud. The setting is in the southern Appalachians during the summer of 1942 (WWII). Cowney has a disability and cannot serve in the war, so he is off to Asheville to work in the high class Grove Park Inn and Resort where Axis diplomats and their families are being kept as prisoners of war and guarded by U.S. troops. He feels this summer job will help him to escape the reservation, at least for a time. He strikes up a friendship with a young woman from Cherokee, who is also working at the hotel for the summer. The hotel (and a particular room) becomes his refuge from everything he has faced as a young man on the reservation. Yet the biases and prejudices return as he is accused of abduction and murder of a missing little girl.

The Story (plot and character): The entire story is told in first person through the eyes of Cowney, which makes it easy to to get caught up in his life, his problems, his view of the world, his story, his growth. There are some surprises, but that’s not the intent of this book. It’s written as a coming of age novel from a POV that I don’t possess. It’s a human story that could be told today in our era of struggle to be inclusive versus divisive. The story is also simple, easy to read. I don’t say this as a negative. The prose is about right for me. Too much flowery prose, while beautiful, can get in the way of good storytelling. That does not happen in this book.

What’s good about the book? The storytelling period. And it’s a viewpoint that is of great interest to me. It’s also easy to feel for Cowney as he deals with universal issues we all face (friendship, family, hostility, betrayal, discrimination, etc.). The story is engrossing and completely believable.

I loved the setting. Southern Appalachia brings images of dumb rednecks making moonshine (like the movie Deliverance). Don’t fuss, I was born in Alabama. Yet I’ve never been to Asheville, but I know it’s a beautiful part of the south. I got a good sense of place and the differences between living in Cherokee (which I imagined too as a beautiful place, but mostly poor from an economic standpoint). I also had no idea about keeping Axis enemy families prisoner in a place like the Grove Park Inn. The entire novel could have been at any other time, but putting it in this WWII-era was really a stroke of genius.

The ending. The author knows how to end a story. Hit it out of the park, IMO.

What was not so good? This section will be short. There were a few places/events that I thought would play a larger role in the book (e.g., the waterfall). That marginally got in the way of the flow. And it’s completely possible I missed the meaning. But blah blah blah, this is a really good story, so I’ll stop nitpicking.

Bottom line: If you want a fast-paced mystery or suspense, this is not the book for you. If you want a steamy romance, then no. If you want to see life from the eyes of a young man who faced great odds back in the 1940s and you love a good story, a human story, a storyteller’s story, this is your book.

12 people found this helpful

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Kristiana Fuller

Incredible!

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2021

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If I am being completely honest I am not a huge reader in fact I have not read a book all the way through since high school but I knew I had to read this one. I forced myself to sit down and take the time to read this book and the task proved to be far easier than anticipated. The story was amazing and the way the author was able to capture the area of which the book is set is breath taking. I couldn't put this book down. I was left unable to guess how the story would end until the last second and was captivated the entire time. This is a wonderfully written story that takes you on a wave of emotions and it is definitely a must read!

One person found this helpful

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Lia J

Great if you are here for the right reasons

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2023

I read this book for my book club and had it not been for that I do not think I would have finished.

I thought I would be interested in this book due to the mystery aspect mentioned in the summary but you don’t touch that until you are almost done with the book, about 4-5 chapters from the end.
For that reason, this book was a bit of a let down for me.

The book does give you a glimpse into the Cherokee nation, their family dynamics and struggles they faced during WW2. This is very much so a coming of age story for two Cherokee teens finding their place in the world. If you are here with that as your main focus then this could potentially be a great book for you.

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020

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Fantastic book. For a debut novel, it is highly impressive. It was wonderful plot structure and use of excellent vocabulary. I greatly look forward to upcoming books by Mrs. Clapsaddle.

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