The Night Swim Book Review

Thanks for checking out my book review of The Night Swim, by Megan Goldin. It’s the first book I read in 2020, out of my goal of 50!

TRIGGER WARNING:

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Please note, this book centers on two violent rape cases.

Little Gold Book

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Genre: Mystery

Date Started: January 1, 2021

Date Finished: January 3, 2021

Rating: 4/5 Stars

By Its Cover

The Night Swim chronicles the interwoven tales of two tragic events in the seaside town of Neapolis, twenty-five years apart. The main character, Rachel Krall, is a popular true crime podcast host in town to cover a controversial rape trial for the next season of her show. On her way to Neapolis, she receives a mysterious note from a stranger, asking for her help to solve her sixteen year old sister’s murder from twenty-five years ago. As the trial reaches its climax, so does the mystery around the young girl’s long-forgotten death. 

In My Book

I didn’t know much about The Night Swim going into it, other than that the main character was the host of a true crime podcast. Considering such podcasts make up the majority of my Spotify playlists, I had a feeling this could be the book for me. It certainly delivered – there was mystery, conflict and, in the end, good won over evil. 

Unlike most mystery novels, this one was more of a slow burn. The intertwining plots slowly unraveled. The point that was supposed to be the climax didn’t hit as hard as I expected it to. I was surprised by who the “villain” turned out to be, though I guess if I thought hard about it I probably could have guessed, but the scene itself wasn’t as shocking as I was hoping or expecting. 

I also had trouble connecting to the main character. It felt like she could have been more developed. Again, maybe I missed something, but I didn’t understand her motivation behind her podcast show or her deep desire to solve Jenny’s murder. I didn’t dislike the character of Rachel, but I didn’t feel the connection to her that I was expecting. I felt it more so with Hannah, the secondary character, than Rachel. 

By the previous three paragraphs, it may sound as if I didn’t enjoy this book. But I really did! Megan Goldin did an incredible job of delving into the complex topic of rape and sexual assault. At times, it hit so close to home that I had to take breaks from reading because it was so emotional. It’s difficult to explore such themes in a respectful but honest way, yet Goldin did just that. 

The Night Swim pushed me outside of my reading comfort zone, which is exactly what I was hoping it would do. As a lover of all things romance, I have trouble accepting endings that aren’t happily ever afters. But that’s not reality. In order to grow as a writer, I know I need to expand my horizons and read new and interesting perspectives. I learned a lot from reading The Night Swim and I’ll carry those lessons into my future writings. 

To Close The Book

I received my copy of The Night Swim from Book of the Month (affiliate link – get your copy for $5!) as my second month in a three-month gift subscription from my friend Salina last August. As excited as I was about the gift subscription, Salina sent it just as I was hitting a four-month slump where I was only able to finish one audiobook and no traditional books. Ugh!

Once I started to ramp up my reading again in late December, I knew The Night Swim needed to be high on my next reads list. Crime novels are one of my favorite genres, after romance of course, and when you add a true crime podcaster to the mix, I knew this book would be up my alley! 

Based on the book jacket description, I’m not sure if I would have picked this book on my own. But that’s the beauty of Book of the Month and other similar book subscriptions – they help you find your way to a story you may not have read otherwise. 

Check out my other reviews here.

Has my The Night Swim book review inspired you to read it? Get your copy from Bookshop.org.

From one Wordo to another, thanks for tuning in! See you next time!