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A review by allyhoo811
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I had a very difficult time rating and reviewing this book. While reading the story, I was sure I was going to give it 4 stars, maybe 5 depending on the ending. However, when I finished and went to write a review, I realized there were a lot of little things that really bothered me about what I read -- I ultimately decided on a 3 star rating. The book is still a fast-paced and thought-provoking and definitely worth the read. I'll go into more depth about what I thought below, spoilers will be included but hidden for those who don't want to read them.
Positives:
1) The overall plot was interesting and kept me wanting to find out more. The subject matter is important and raises awareness about topics that are often not tackled in the genre.
2) This is a legal thriller and the mystery was successfully solved without major plot holes. I was able to figure out all the twists early on because of the small clues left throughout the story. I have read a lot of thrillers/mysteries, and it is hard to surprise me, so I never lower a rating because "I solved" the mystery. That's part of the fun and I applaud authors who don't stoop to shock value. They should be leading readers to the answers.
3) World Building - Neapolis is a fictional town, but it was described so well that you could actually use the references to geographical locations to help solve the crime.
4) Certain small plot points really illustrated the vulnerability many women experience in everyday life without being heavy handed about it. E.g. Rachel driving with the detective to an unknown location, the hotel receptionist trying to work with the rowdy, drunk conference guests, the nurse discusses the rape kit process, and the entire metaphor/allegory with the nightingale
Negatives:
1) Too many coincidences Pretty much everyone Rachel encountered while investigating her current case was magically connected to the past case in some way, and I figured them all out so early on and wanted to be wrong.
2) One major plot hole that didn't affect the outcome of the cases, but was still there We never get an explanation to how Hannah knew who Rachel was, and where she would be all the time to leave her the notes. The ages didn't add up, but I kept hoping Rachel was Hannah's split personality or something, so that plot hole would make sense lol
3) Preachy Podcasts -- The podcast chapters came across very preachy (they were supposed to be unbiased) and very blatantly forced the author's message on you. I agreed with the author's message prior to reading, but I felt it would have been more impactful for those on the fence if she had "shown and not told" throughout the whole story. Maybe the podcast chapters could have been more interactive with callers weighing in, for example.
4) Rachel's "show no fear" attitude -- This is a common trope in thrillers, but it seemed especially dense for a lone reporter to be meeting unarmed with potential rapists, murderers, and stalkers in super remote locations in just about every chapter. Everyone should have the right to walk alone wherever they chose, but that doesn't mean the protagonist should be constantly running into danger with very bad people who want to silence her.
5) Two problematic (for me) messages at the end of the book -- With Dan, Kelly's father, identified as the rapist/murderer it did sort of feel like there was some implication that what happened to Kelly was a sort of divine punishment for his actions. It was addressed briefly, but not really refuted outright by any characters, so it left a bad taste in my mouth. Second, when Dan kills himself, it is portrayed in the story like he did it to spare Kelly more pain. But in reality, it was just another in a long line of selfish acts on his part. How is having her father dead right after the trial sparing Kelly additional pain, plus she will still probably find out what he did and not be able to confront him about his actions. He didn't do it for her, he did it for himself. Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? I didn't.
Positives:
1) The overall plot was interesting and kept me wanting to find out more. The subject matter is important and raises awareness about topics that are often not tackled in the genre.
2) This is a legal thriller and the mystery was successfully solved without major plot holes. I was able to figure out all the twists early on because of the small clues left throughout the story. I have read a lot of thrillers/mysteries, and it is hard to surprise me, so I never lower a rating because "I solved" the mystery. That's part of the fun and I applaud authors who don't stoop to shock value. They should be leading readers to the answers.
3) World Building - Neapolis is a fictional town, but it was described so well that you could actually use the references to geographical locations to help solve the crime.
4) Certain small plot points really illustrated the vulnerability many women experience in everyday life without being heavy handed about it. E.g. Rachel driving with the detective to an unknown location, the hotel receptionist trying to work with the rowdy, drunk conference guests, the nurse discusses the rape kit process, and the entire metaphor/allegory with the nightingale
Negatives:
1) Too many coincidences Pretty much everyone Rachel encountered while investigating her current case was magically connected to the past case in some way, and I figured them all out so early on and wanted to be wrong.
2) One major plot hole that didn't affect the outcome of the cases, but was still there We never get an explanation to how Hannah knew who Rachel was, and where she would be all the time to leave her the notes. The ages didn't add up, but I kept hoping Rachel was Hannah's split personality or something, so that plot hole would make sense lol
3) Preachy Podcasts -- The podcast chapters came across very preachy (they were supposed to be unbiased) and very blatantly forced the author's message on you. I agreed with the author's message prior to reading, but I felt it would have been more impactful for those on the fence if she had "shown and not told" throughout the whole story. Maybe the podcast chapters could have been more interactive with callers weighing in, for example.
4) Rachel's "show no fear" attitude -- This is a common trope in thrillers, but it seemed especially dense for a lone reporter to be meeting unarmed with potential rapists, murderers, and stalkers in super remote locations in just about every chapter. Everyone should have the right to walk alone wherever they chose, but that doesn't mean the protagonist should be constantly running into danger with very bad people who want to silence her.
5) Two problematic (for me) messages at the end of the book -- With Dan, Kelly's father, identified as the rapist/murderer it did sort of feel like there was some implication that what happened to Kelly was a sort of divine punishment for his actions. It was addressed briefly, but not really refuted outright by any characters, so it left a bad taste in my mouth. Second, when Dan kills himself, it is portrayed in the story like he did it to spare Kelly more pain. But in reality, it was just another in a long line of selfish acts on his part. How is having her father dead right after the trial sparing Kelly additional pain, plus she will still probably find out what he did and not be able to confront him about his actions. He didn't do it for her, he did it for himself. Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? I didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide