Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Night Swim

I have quite mixed feelings about this book. I struggled with the shifts between the story being told in the first and third person, along with chapters that were podcast dialogue. Because of those shifts, I also felt there was a lot of repetitiveness of information throughout. However, the story was incredibly powerful and highlights the ‘slut-shaming’ of women and discusses the trauma associated with rape trials. I appreciated that the book didn’t try to stay impartial and almost outright stated the injustices that exist in rape trials and the reliving of trauma that victims experience. There were definitely sections of the book that were incredibly difficult to read, but I felt the author treated both the characters and the subject matter compassionately. If you’re looking for a page turning thriller, this wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend. There are also several strong trigger warnings, some of which include sexual assault, domestic violence and death.

Content Warnings

natalieba's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

soobooksalot's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Night Swim is both a tough read and an unforgettable thriller.
It spent far too long on my TBR and once started, I couldn't put it down.
Rachel Krall is a journalist, famous for her true crime podcast called Guilty Or Not Guilty. For her third season feature, she heads to the resort town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial.
The victim is a 16-year-old high school student; the accused a 19-year-old swimming star - the case is divisive before the trial has even begun.
While driving to Neapolis, Rachel happens upon a letter left for her on her windshield. In it, Hannah Stills chronicles the manner in which her sister, Jenny, died in the town 25 years earlier. She is seeking Rachel's help to investigate her case.
Chapters alternate from Rachel's perspective, to Hannah's, intercut with transcripts from the podcast.
It's a fascinating take on heart-wrenching subjects. The journeys through both events are intense and emotional, and questions abound if they are linked despite the quarter-century time difference and seemingly random nature.
We are taken through the nightmare of a sexual assault; from the event, to investigation, trial and lasting personal impacts.
I definitely need to backtrack to author Megan Goldin's The Escape Room, and look forward to her future publications.
Recommended, but do be aware of the content.

Content Warnings

paperbackhearts's review against another edition

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dark informative tense fast-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

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plantbasedbride's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A courtroom drama blended with a fast-paced thriller with quite a bit of graphic and dark content. Please check trigger warnings before jumping into this one!

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed the courtroom and podcast elements of the storytelling and felt that the subject matter explored is incredibly important (rape culture, victim-blaming, slut-shaming, double standards, consent, and the retraumatization involved in pursuing justice). On the other hand, the amount of detail involved in the descriptions of the repeated violence felt exploitative and too much like trauma porn for my taste.

This was an interesting read and quite well-paced, but I would recommend Know My Name by Chanel Miller for a nonfiction exploration of these same themes from someone who experienced similar trauma first hand.

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