Night Swim

A Layered and Lovely Debut

"Night Swim is such a sweet and delightful read at times, and yet so sad and nearly brutal in its honesty at others. The book is perfectly paced. I finished in two sittings, because I just could not put it down. I can't wait to see what Jessica Keener does next."

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Beautifully written

The Kunitz family looks perfect on the outside, but on the inside they are falling apart. Sarah's mother is clearly unhappy and seems stuck in the past when her family needs her most. Yet, she is described so eloquently that she doesn't seem like a bad mother, but rather, like an individual that wasn't quite meant for this world. Sarah's father wants to keep his family whole but can't quite seem to get control, which he is well aware. Sarah and her siblings attempt to navigate the world the best way they know how. Sarah and Peter disappear into their music and the younger siblings disappear into the world of fantasy, animals, and books.
Tragedy strikes and like many of teenagers, Sarah doesn't know how to cope. Unfortunately there is little help to guide her way.

Oh a tangled web Ms. Keener weaves. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, but I find it quite difficult to write the review. It's one of those stories where you try to describe it but in the end you say, "Well you just had to be there." I can't write a description or synopsis of this book to fully describe this book because the beauty is in the writing and how Ms. Keener unveils each part of the story. She takes an ordinary, and perhaps sad, story and weaves it into a song that you can't quite get out of your head. The story sounds quite simple but it is so much more than that. The writing is fabulous, making the reader turn each page with eagerness and trepidation at the same time. The characters are flawed and human. I wanted to shake each and every one of them but thought they needed a few hugs as well. While I wouldn't call this book, plot driven, I did find myself tearing through the pages.

Ms. Keener creates a complex story that deals with loss, racism, sex, and consequences. Yet, hope and healing seems to be the true theme. While the story is touching, it is the writing that sets it apart from all the rest.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Beautifully written novel about a girl, her family and the loss

Beautifully written novel about a girl, her family and the loss of her dysfunctional mother. It is very touching and and interesting.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A work of fiction so well written, one would think it's a true story

This family went from being bullied by the father to a tragedy tnay changes them forever.i found myself wanting to bake a pan of cookies then wrapping my arms around them so they could grieve properly.
Such a good book that will follow you everywhere until you give in and just finish it already

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

tender, movinmg, superb

What a splendid, passionate novel. I LOVED THIS. I felt inside each character, their sorrow and their "solos" were mine, too. Sarah could have been my friend sitting behind me in school and the author made me want to turn around and see her, see inside her. There is such a beauty to the work as well, its language, its quietness, the way it is kind of separate "solos" played without grandiosity, by people we recognize. Just the human yearnings and vulnerabilities that make us feel so fragile, that we all recognize as our own.
I highly recommended this sensitive, unusual book. A tender debut by an author I'll be watching closely from now on.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kenna

Its fine

Will

Sorry i was gone...

Disappointing

For some reason this book kept you interested enough to keep reading it. I kept waiting for something "more" to happen. It never did! I would not recommend this book

Very disappointing

I found this book to be very boring. Very disappointed.

Good short read

Short read, but holds your interest. Will watch for more from Jessica Keener

Sunstar-nursey

Inside a big lilac bush is the nursey. In new-leaf and green-leaf the small purple blossoms create a sweet scent that envolopes the entire camp. This is perhaps one of the happiest places in the camp.~Happy Sunstar

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

So so

Not really my cup of tea

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