A review by sarah2438
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

4.0

This is so hard to rate because it was not enjoyable. It was emotionally exhausting to listen to on so many levels as you listen to the trauma of these characters. For someone that's uncomfortable with r@pe/SA content, I really went big here.
Despite that, I have to admit that the atmosphere and pacing was well done. We could've gotten bogged down with boring trial details and that didn't happen. As someone that works in these settings, I appreciated the accuracy of the trial details. (I'll even forgive the author for not including a victim witness coordinator.) The novel contained important social critique and questions about how we treat victims, without ever placing that blame on prosecutors or law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, no one is perfect-- but far too often those two parties are taking the bulk of the blame.
The main critique I have is how underdeveloped Rachel was. She seemed to really only exist as a storytelling mechanism and didn't have any personality or motivations beyond what she said on her podcast. I also thought the big reveal of Jenny's offender was a bit of a disappointing and random choice. I think my guess was better...
Did I enjoy it? No. Do I recommend it? Yes, with a long list of conditions. But it's well written and makes you think.
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