Yesterday was release day for The Night Swim by Megan Goldin! It’s also a pick for BOTM club for August. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this one and I recommend picking it up or adding it to your box!
Summary: Reading The Night Swim by Megan Goldin will take you through so many emotions. It is equal parts sadness, anger, fear, and hope. The book follows two stories in the same town that occurred twenty-five years apart. The present day story involves a true crime podcaster covering the trial of an accused young rapist. The other story set twenty-five years in the past and told in flashbacks involves the death of a young teenager. The sister of the young teenager has returned to her hometown to seek justice for her sister, who she believes was murdered. She reaches out to the podcaster and asks for her help in getting to the bottom of what happened the night her sister died. The podcaster begins to help investigate and soon finds parallels to the current trial she is covering.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My Review:
What I liked: The story opens with a chapter that hooks you in immediately as you wonder exactly what happened to the young girl who died twenty-five years ago. It is told from the perspective of the younger sister Hannah and leaves you with so many questions that you want to keep reading to get the answers. I feel that the author did a great job of moving back and forth from story to story and weaving them together. I think early on the reader knows that there is a connection, but the author keeps you guessing on what that connection is. I also liked how in the present day story, the author took you through the events leading up to the crime in small doses. She would pause in the narrative and leave you wondering what happened for a couple of chapters before continuing with the story. This was also effective at holding the readers interest and making you want to keep reading. I will say that while the book contained very sensitive themes, I enjoyed the fact that the language was very clean throughout. I actually can only recall one instance of foul language in the entire story. And since I am a huge critic sometimes of book endings, I will say that I felt the author did a great job at wrapping up the story and giving the characters (and the readers) closure. I would even enjoy a sequel involving the podcaster Rachel and her next trial.
What I didn’t like: I don’t know that there was honestly anything I disliked. Except possibly for the crimes themselves and what happened to the young girls in this story. However, that has nothing to do with the actual book and the writing itself. The author, in my opinion handled a very sensitive topic well. She makes you consider how these types of crimes are viewed in society. And about how society in general treats both the accused and the accuser. She also makes you think of how events in the past can shape the future. And unfortunately how these crimes affect both the victims and their families.
Disclaimer: PG/PG-13 for language, but see note below
Do You Read Me?: Overall, a very well written plot with some surprise twists at the end. Some things I guessed, but others I did not see coming. I will warn people that it is somewhat graphic during the present day story and during the trial itself. So while the language is fairly clean, the subject matter may be too intense for some readers. Especially if someone has been a victim of this type of crime or knows someone who has been a victim. However, I think the book is worth reading for the way it makes you think about how victims are viewed and treated.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book!