Brenna O'Brien, the youngest of five sisters, has lived a seemingly safe life in Indianola, Louisiana. She buzzes around town in her bright yellow VW, owns a run-down theater called the Royal Majestic, collects old letters and goes out on very interesting dates just to please her married sisters. But everything changes when Pierce McGovern shows up.

Pierce is back to help his father move to a nursing home, and also because the company he works for is planning on opening a new multiplex theater in town. Wait until Brenna finds out. She's having enough trouble keeping her theater going without competition. She's hired Nathan Conley, a mysterious yet familiar-looking man, to help make needed repairs. But it's going to take a lot more than hammer and nails to compete with a multiplex. And the Majestic is more than just a business to Brenna -- it's where her relationship with Pierce secretly began back in high school.

When Pierce left for college, they exchanged letters, but then everything stopped. Pierce has a tough time being around Brenna. The closeness stirs so many memories and emotions. Maybe they can find out what happened, since Brenna has agreed to help Pierce organize his father's things. Can their passion and love be rekindled? Did it ever end?

As they delve into Dr. McGovern's things, there's a box of letters found in the floor of the recently demolished post office where Brenna's father worked many years ago. They're all addressed to Dr. McGovern from a woman who signs with initials only. Why were the letters hidden in the floor? Pierce's dad asks Brenna to read them aloud. As each letter is read, Pierce learns something new about his father and his own life.

Karen White's LEARNING TO BREATHE is a family drama with romance and mystery. It's a very emotional and disturbing story about the effects of family secrets -- and everyone seems to have one. Once I picked up this book, it was hard to put down. Ms. White has also written THE COLOR OF LIGHT and PIECES OF THE HEART. I look forward to reading her next book, A YEAR OF RAIN, in 2008.