Scan barcode
A review by thatsssorachael
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Sooooooo, I was pretty disappointed with this one. I saw a lot of love for it, the rating on GR is high, but I just did not love it.
I did like that it handled the issue of rape with tenderness and respect. The author wasn't gratuitous in her descriptions, and she respected the survivors enough not to make them "just the rape victim". I thought the verdict in the Kelly Moore timeline was realistic (not going to say much more because spoilers, but I have more thoughts.) I also found Hannah's timeline intriguing, although a little disjointed and hard to get a read on who she actually is beyond a grieving sister.
Now the negatives. I really, really did not like Rachel. She was SO BLAND, and I found her grating on my nerves. How did this woman solve 3 crimes? Why did everyone feel open to talking with her, when she had zero personality? On top of that, I thought the podcast aspect did not work. It's not going to age well, and I think in even a few years that will seem dated. The podcast aspect was pure filler, didn't add anything to the story, and just made me dislike Rachel even more.
I found the writing to be stilted in parts, and the dialogue to be very clunky throughout. It took me out of the story several times. I also have a pet peeve where the author sets the story in America but uses british/aussie slang or terms. That happened a few times (car park, called vs named, etc) and I found it to be bordering on sloppy editing. On top of that, there were 2 or 3 times where an entire sentence is printed twice in different places. Not sure if that was just my copy, but that also caused the flow to become disrupted to me.
At the end of the day, it was a slow paced, mildly predictable, entry level thriller around rape culture. Some parts felt like Rape Culture 101, but maybe that's needed for some people. I didn't hate it, but I don't think I'd recommend this one.
I did like that it handled the issue of rape with tenderness and respect. The author wasn't gratuitous in her descriptions, and she respected the survivors enough not to make them "just the rape victim". I thought the verdict in the Kelly Moore timeline was realistic (not going to say much more because spoilers, but I have more thoughts.) I also found Hannah's timeline intriguing, although a little disjointed and hard to get a read on who she actually is beyond a grieving sister.
Now the negatives. I really, really did not like Rachel. She was SO BLAND, and I found her grating on my nerves. How did this woman solve 3 crimes? Why did everyone feel open to talking with her, when she had zero personality? On top of that, I thought the podcast aspect did not work. It's not going to age well, and I think in even a few years that will seem dated. The podcast aspect was pure filler, didn't add anything to the story, and just made me dislike Rachel even more.
I found the writing to be stilted in parts, and the dialogue to be very clunky throughout. It took me out of the story several times. I also have a pet peeve where the author sets the story in America but uses british/aussie slang or terms. That happened a few times (car park, called vs named, etc) and I found it to be bordering on sloppy editing. On top of that, there were 2 or 3 times where an entire sentence is printed twice in different places. Not sure if that was just my copy, but that also caused the flow to become disrupted to me.
At the end of the day, it was a slow paced, mildly predictable, entry level thriller around rape culture. Some parts felt like Rape Culture 101, but maybe that's needed for some people. I didn't hate it, but I don't think I'd recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Addiction