Photo courtesy of Jonathan Borba on Pexels.
Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
In Bodies of Water, Claire Baldwin Harrison’s debut novel, readers are swept into a world where grief and hope entwine like the currents of a deep river. It is a story that resonates beyond its pages, a coming-of-age YA crossover mystery that explores the liminal spaces between adolescence and adulthood, loss and discovery, identity and reinvention. The novel feels alive, pulsing with the rhythm of water, sometimes calm and reflective, other times tumultuous and all-consuming. And in many ways, it mirrors the author herself: a woman whose layered life experiences have shaped her literary voice into one that is as fluid and powerful as the metaphor she so often returns to.
A career as dynamic as her characters
Claire Baldwin Harrison’s professional life was as varied and interesting as her stories before she started writing fiction. She began her career as an Army nurse, which taught her the importance of being strong under pressure and the value of appreciating life’s fragility. Those years in uniform required both accuracy and kindness. These traits now give her writing a deep emotional intelligence and an understanding of how people deal with pain and healing.
Her trajectory then took an artistic turn as a video producer, where she learned the nuances of narrative pacing, visual language, and the power of framing a story. As a young adult librarian, she came to know the worlds of her future readers better, which helped her comprehend the stories that speak most strongly to teens on the verge of adulthood. As a co-founder of a nonprofit, she became even more committed to developing communities and giving people a voice who might not otherwise have one. And as a long-time middle school English teacher, she cultivated not only her passion for storytelling but also a deep respect for the emotional lives of young readers navigating a complex, often contradictory world.
Harrison’s writing is unique because it combines the grounded understanding of someone who has been through both good and bad times with the creative vision of an author who wants to turn these facts into art.
In Bodies of Water, water is more than just a backdrop; it is an active presence, almost a character in its own right. Lakes, rivers, and oceans flow through the story, affecting Anna Heath’s journey as she deals with the tragic death of her older sister, Laura.
Water is both a setting and a metaphor for Harrison. It stands for change, the ability to change who you are, and the chance to start over. Anna has intense dreams about water that take her to places where the past and present, memory and imagination, mix. These sequences let Harrison look at sorrow not as a fixed point but as a tide that comes and goes, sometimes calming and sometimes dragging the grieving person into unforeseen depths.
Harrison’s personal connection to water is evident in her prose. She grew up near a lake, spent formative years along a river, and now resides by the ocean. When she is not writing, she can often be found walking along a shoreline, kayaking, or simply watching how the light changes across a lake’s surface. This lifelong intimacy with water gives her writing a tactile authenticity: readers can almost taste the salt on the wind, feel the chill of river currents against their skin, and hear the hush of waves lapping against the shore.
Themes of grief, identity, and sanctuary
Bodies of Water is really about loss and the desire for a safe place. Anna’s journey is about figuring out who she is while finding out family secrets. Anna is lost after Laura’s horrific automobile accident death. She has to find her way in a world that no longer seems familiar. She goes to Riverwood, New York, to look into her sister’s background. That’s where a terrible flood killed their parents when Anna was five.
Harrison adds psychological depth and emotional complexity to the story by using alternate dream sequences, journal entries, and first-person narration. She explores how grief can simultaneously isolate and connect us, how identity can feel both fluid and anchored, and how the spaces we inhabit, be they physical or emotional, can offer refuge or expose vulnerability.
Harrison has said that she views books as “places of refuge and reckoning, safe harbors for those navigating their own shifting identities and personal losses.” This belief runs through everything she writes. Anna’s tale gives hope and validation to readers who are struggling with their own doubts.
A voice shaped by life and literature
Harrison’s writing is precise and lyrical, but it also has a quiet beauty about it. Her sentences flow like water: clear and deceptively simple, but full of passion and significance. She gives her characters rich sensory details while keeping their emotions in check, which lets readers enter their worlds without becoming overwhelmed.
This narrative style is undoubtedly informed by Harrison’s career as a teacher and librarian, roles that required her to understand what engages young readers. She writes for those inhabiting the “complicated space between adolescence and adulthood,” crafting stories that speak honestly to their experiences without condescension.
The YA crossover genre is richer for her contribution. Bodies of Water appeals to teenagers grappling with identity and grief, but it also resonates deeply with adult readers who recognize the enduring echoes of these formative years.
A literary contribution with lasting impact
Harrison’s first book stands out among a lot of other young adult books. There are no easy answers or neatly tied-up endings in this novel. Instead, it offers readers an invitation to sit with complexity, to honor the messiness of growing up, and to trust in the possibility of transformation.
By centering her narrative on themes of loss and sanctuary, Harrison joins a tradition of authors who use fiction to explore the universal human desire for belonging and understanding. And in doing so, she offers a mirror to readers who, like her, have looked to stories to help make sense of the world.
The next chapter
Harrison still looks for inspiration near water when she’s not writing. She is always in tune with nature’s cycles and the lessons they teach, whether she is kayaking across a lake or watching the sun set beyond the ocean’s horizon.
As she works on her next book, one thing is certain: Claire Baldwin Harrison will continue to craft stories that are both anchor and sail, grounding readers in emotional truths while carrying them to new, uncharted waters.
Content shared from www.digitaljournal.com.