hailey
WOW. WOOOOOW. THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. EVER. i loved the lead up to the ending. it was terrifying. it kept me on the edge of my seat. the imagery was scary, the scenes were unsettling. the dialogue at dinner with the parents was JUST PLAIN ODD. & the meaning at the end made it so much better. i had a sneaking suspicion as to what the title was alluding to and the ending solidified that for me. thinking of suicide as ending a relationship inside yourself is very powerful. seeing the intrusive thoughts as a constant anonymous caller akin to something from Scream... AHHHH. this was simultaneously a horrifying thriller and a beautiful allegory. in love with this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Night Swim, both in its artful storytelling and commentary on the way rape culture has infected our society. Although some of the big reveals and mysterious elements of this novel were quite predictable for seasoned thriller-readers, I still feel that this was an exemplary read. The non-biased perspective of Rachel, our main character and the producer of a crime podcast, added a grounding element to the story. Her voice, both in the chapters from her perspective and the podcast chapters, sought justice and spoke volumes beyond the storyline. One of the most important sentiments of the podcast chapters was Rachel's confusion as to why murder can be seen as objectively bad, but rape is muddled in shades of gray. Overall, this book takes a nuanced and important view on rape culture, our justice system and much more, all behind the guise of a well-written fictional mystery. The enthralling nature of the story certainly makes the content more digestible, and I hope this novel can help open readers' minds to the sexism that pervades every inch of our society.
