Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Swimming in the Dark

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

24 reviews

kwichris's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I typically don't like reading books that center around romance. This book, however, managed to embed historical context and emotionally complex situations that added more to this story than a simple romance that cannot be. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself relating to or finding understanding in the main character's reactions/feelings/thoughts regarding the situation they find themselves in - a love that they cannot express publicly, a country divided post-war, and uncertainty of their own future. For a first entry, the author has crafted quite a nice story, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a little historical context and input that shapes the story.

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kaywhiteley's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Gorgeous writing. I love queer yearning.

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. This book is amazing. A love story between two very different boys, tells the tale of political unrest and oppression coloring 1980s Poland. Told through second person letters, Ludwik tells the story of his upbringing, life in Communist Poland, and his complicated relationship with Janusz. The writing styles approaches dark subjects with an almost flowery language, making every bit a joy to read. Does it get a tad slow at times? Yeah. Does it absolutely ramp up towards the end? Yes! This is a short yet poignant tale of love and unrest is a worthwhile read!

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writingcaia's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Beautifully poetic and tragically sad.
A love story that happens among all impossibilities, communism, poverty for most, waiting for something that might never come, among it all two different souls, one looking for the end of shame, wanting freedom, the other wanting more from life then what seemed due to him find each other.
In a short book this debut swoop me up and took me to 80’s Poland, to the tragedy of post war, of Cold War, of the Russian occupation, to the winter and summer streets of Warsaw, to the lakes and fields of the country, the bodies of boys, and the lavishness of the rich contrasting with the devastating poor. Most of all it immersed me in feelings of shame from being, from loving, the emotional detachment of forced immigration, the alienation from love and country.
A great achievement of writing and storytelling.
Just beautiful!!!

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hekhate's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Set in Communist Poland in the 1980s, I was incredibly moved by this tender and melancholic novel, which I’m pleasantly surprised to find out is Jedrowski’s first. Evoking the mood and energy of its inspiration, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Swimming in the Dark sinks into Ludwick’s introspective world and his love for Janusz. I found the use of first- and second-person pronouns in this novel effective in crafting an incredible intimacy that exists between Ludwick (“I”) and Janusz (“you”) that is both aware of its charged sensuality and that it’s forbidden.

In addition to this relationship between two men, Jedrowski touches on what it means to live in Communist Poland. I felt this was somewhat underdeveloped, as it was semi-explored through the differing views that Ludwick and Janusz have of their country, especially while queer. It was also in Ludwig’s relationships with other characters (e.g., Ludwick’s landlady) that the reader learns about the state of the country during this time, ranging from healthcare to strict law enforcement. I think Jedrowski could have done more to flesh out the sociopolitical setting without it derailing too much from the main focus of this novel.

Aside from this minor complaint, though, I have nothing but praise for Ludwick and Janusz, who were the driving forces. This was also a beautiful homage (of sorts) to Giovanni’s Room, which made its way into the novel in a poignant way. All-in-all, this was a stunning debut from Jedrowski, and I truly look forward to his future works.

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samdalefox's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I tend to stuggle with books written in second person. I haven't come across one yet where I feel it adds to the story in a meaningful way. Anyway, this is a solid coming of age queer story largely set in 1980s Poland, but references many points of 20th Century Polish political and cultural history. I'm sure someone with more knowledge of these events would pick up on much more than I did. The main themes I caught were the traditional questioning and stained acceptance of Ludwik's queerness, and the exploration of pros and cons living underneath socialism vs capitalism (shout out to the common experience of nepotism). I enjoyed the deliberate references to 'Giovanni's room', but that also reminded me of how much superior James Baldwin's work is compared to this novel unfortantely. Mostly I found the book rather meek.

Other community members' review's I largely agree with:

danielctr's review - "...I simply could not get myself to care very much about the main relationship between Ludwik and Janusz. Also I feel that the main focus of the book is quite unclear...."
randomheart's review - "...I think my main problem with this novel was that, other than the physical magnetic pull that Ludwik and Janusz had for one another, I didn't really see why they would fall in love with each other on a deeper level. I needed more depth and substance to their relationship. If I had been more invested in their relationship, the politics driving them apart would have hit me in a more substantial manner too. I really wanted to FEEL the angst and conflict between them, but it all just felt a little too anticlimactic to me in the end. Janusz kind of felt too mysterious to me throughout for me to fully connect with as well. I just needed more overall..."

Quotes:

"It felt as if the words and the thoughts of the narrator—despite their agony, despite their pain—healed some of my agony and my pain, simply by existing."

"You can't make people love you the way you want them to"

"Because you were right when you said that people can’t always give us what we want from them; that you can’t ask them to love you the way you want"

“No matter what happens in the world, however brutal or dystopian a thing, not all is lost if there are people out there risking themselves to document it. Little sparks cause fires, too.”

"We are just queuing for a possibility. Queuing for something. Maybe queuing for nothing." ...
"But it will pass, even the longest queue dissolves eventually"

"To my own surprise, I was unable to accept the shame he wanted me to feel. It was too familiar to be imposed. I had produced it for myself for such a long time that right then I found I had no space left for it anymore."

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