A review by thebacklistborrower
Turning: A Year in the Water by Jessica J. Lee

adventurous informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Like most in Canada, I grew up lake swimming. In mountainous BC, this resulted in few options: small, high-altitude lakes like Nancy Greene and Champion, large glacier-fed lakes like the Slocan and Kootenay Lakes, and the “warmest tree-lined lake in Canada,” Christina Lake (citation needed, but never, ever found XD). But this has been limited to the warm summer months.

At 28, Lee found herself pursuing a degree in Berlin, and struggling. In Turning, we learn her mixed history with swimming and lakes, but also her determination to swim 52 lakes near Berlin in an effort to help her anxiety, and her heartbreak, and improve her self-confidence. “Turning” is a reference to the lifecycle of a lake through the year -- the warm water at the top in summer, how it sinks and mixes through the fall to freeze in the winter, and then mixes again through the spring. Framed around these four stages and seasons, Jessica’s mental and physical health transforms as well, as she jumps in lake after lake, season by season, traversing blistering summer heat and breaking through ice. 

I love Lee’s writing style. The combination of human and natural history, entwined with her own personal history, makes for a very interesting, yet still relaxing read. Her descriptions of the different water on her body throughout the year were intriguing and inspiring, prompting me to push the limits of my comfort zone, dunking in colder water, later in the year than I previously had. 

There’s a large community of lake dunkers around Nelson (impressive, as Kootenay Lake is thrillingly cold at the best of times), and I already have a queue of people to loan this book to. 

Having caught up on Lee’s books, I now have to eagerly wait for spring 2024 for her next book to be published: Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging. Can’t wait!