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Half a Breath Early
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 16 2026
Pages: 238
Weight: 0.64
Height: 0.60 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Jonah has always believed distance was responsible.
Measured. Predictable. Steady.
When a box arrives three weeks after his daughter's funeral, it contains something he cannot organize, postpone, or manage: a stack of letters she wrote but never sent.
Each one describes a small day. A quiet observation. A pattern he never realized she noticed.
At the bottom of the box is a list.
Not a bucket list.
Not a confession.
A series of small instructions - to sit longer than is comfortable, to interrupt habits that feel necessary, to stop ending conversations before they turn into requests.
As Jonah follows the list one item at a time, he begins to confront a truth he has avoided for years: he doesn't leave people because he doesn't care.
He leaves half a breath early.
Half a Breath Early is a quiet, emotionally precise novel about anticipation, restraint, and the cost of being steady for too long. It asks what happens when someone stops withdrawing first - and allows something unfinished to unfold.
For readers of reflective, character-driven fiction about family, distance, and second chances.
SHORTER AMAZON DESCRIPTION (Punchier)
Three weeks after his daughter's funeral, Jonah receives a box of letters she never sent.
Each letter ends with a small instruction.
Sit longer.
Miss something on purpose.
Call someone you've avoided.
Stop leaving early.
As Jonah begins following the list, he realizes the distance he believed was kindness may have been something else entirely.
Half a Breath Early is a restrained, deeply human novel about anticipation, control, and what it costs to always step back first.
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