Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Night Swim

**Disclaimer: I got this through Book of the Month, so it’s possible my copy was an ARC, and some of this didn’t make it into the Final Cut, but I feel the need to write a lengthy review here despite all the 5 star hype**

The author clearly had done a lot of research on rape and sexual assault cases, but it felt to me like that was at the expense of understanding North Carolina, true crime podcasts, and how humans talk to each other in real life.

The rape case was handled realistically, but this was more of a courtroom drama than a thriller. I felt that the graphic descriptions of the incident were unnecessary to the plot.

The grammar in this book, and how the characters talked to each other, made me re-read at least one sentence per page, questioning my degree in communications. I don’t think anyone said hello a single time, nor did they introduce themselves?

Other things that were bizarre:

The author uses the word niggling no less than 6 times. Surely there’s a better option that doesn’t sound adjacent to a slur?
A #1 true crime podcaster simply wouldn’t post in real time about where she is staying, where she’s going, and that she’s doing it alone. That’s like safety 101. She also wouldn’t be #1 if her episodes were 2 minutes long. Also most true crime podcasts who post about active cases like this get sued.
Nearly everyone is blond(e).
The author referred to a “vagrant” selling cans to make money in North Carolina, which is not a state that offers that program. She also calls it a small town, then says there are 98,000 residents - This would make it the 7th largest town in the state.
We are simultaneously told that the judge of the case has never had a decision reversed and had one reversed 7 years ago.
The author used the phrase “jelly and peanut butter” sandwich. It really rocked my world.

Content Warnings

minimicropup's review

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

1.5

Cathartic, critical, indignant.

We follow a podcast journalist as they cover an ongoing rape trial in a small-town while dealing with a potential stalker convinced their sister was murdered after being sexually traumatized and wanting our MC to cover the case on their podcast.
🇺🇸 Set in a fictional coastal town in North Carolina, USA

Narration 🔇: The narration was expressionless and monotone, so I switched to text. However, the text was also expressionless and monotone, so I don't blame the narrator.

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

Realistic in how survivors of sexual crimes are re-traumatized by the black-and-white approach to legal proceedings.
Simplistic, robotic writing style. The dialogue is flat because we have no context. Did someone say "no comment" angrily, smirking, begrudgingly etc? It reads like a script with a textbook, flat writing style.
Potentially lacklustre commentary on sexual crimes. We get the worst-case scenario (obvious evidence of rape occurring + legal loopholes that entirely depend on what the jury believes). This story isn't new to you if you are a regular true crime consumer. The legal system is broken, but how can we fix it? This isn't touched on in this novel. Instead, everything that could go wrong does. That is okay and a meaningful, realistic narrative. Still, it was diluted because our MC was so distracted to avoid the depth of the issue. We are just told that it's awful instead of experiencing it for ourselves.
The podcast trope fails for me. Given in snippets that were anecdotes of the MC's life and not related at all to the case she was covering. But it's not like the case she covered was told to us from her POV earlier, either. She barely paid attention, and we didn't get much in the way of testimony; we were just told someone did well or didn't do well (lawyers, witnesses etc).
Frustrating MC. She has a critical job giving her listeners the details of crucial evidence in the trial. Still, she walks out of the court when a NURSE WHO EXAMINED THE VICTIM IS TESTIFYING to take a call on a side case instead of letting it go to voicemail.
Maybe just me, but it seemed like Rachel was trying to find a way to be as traumatized as the victims instead of reporting their stories.
Frustrating stalker. Hannah - who invested so much time and energy to get Rachel (our MC) to cover her sister's mishandled case - suddenly disappears and becomes uninterested once Rachel is willing to cover it. Hannah sends her self-centred memoir to Rachel instead of the evidence and background on why she believes her sister was murdered.

Mood Reading Match Up:

Direct commentary about the problems with the court and legal systems handling sexual crimes
Contemporary fiction with touches of courtroom attendance
Journalism (podcaster) investigation drama

Content Heads-Up: Rape (descriptions on page), Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death of a parent (terminal illness)

Format: Scribd Digital

Content Warnings

shellyb's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Content Warnings

aperrie26's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Content Warnings

cryptidonwheels's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

fiction_addiction_1994's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

⚠️: Cancer (mentions), Suicide (mention), and Rape
🌞🌊🌞🌊🌞
.
•What did I think of this book? (Duo POV)
I loved this book. Rachel Krall is a podcaster who's traveled for a popular third season that deals in a small town. A popular Olympic swimmer is accused of raping the towns Cheif of Police's granddaughter. This small town is split in two over who to believe.Along the way Rachel receives letters of another unjust crime that happened 25 years before. As the court case comes to an end, more than one crime is solved. I would recommend this book! The second book, Dark Corners, is to be released in August, but is this months BoTM choice!
.
Quotes:
~ "I'm Rachel Krall, and this is Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box." -p.25

Content Warnings

zianna_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

More...