The Night Swim: A Brilliant and Exciting Read

TW: Rape, Sexual Harrassment

The Night Swim is a raw and emotional read that is on a podcast host's experience covering a rape trial in a small town and how another cry of help in the same town slowly entwine to reveal the dark and grisly nature of the town as the past and present collide.

Overview:

Author: Megan Goldin

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

My Rating: 4/5★

Blurb:

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

I picked up this book as a part of a buddy-read organized by @thelovelylibrarylady and read most of it in one sitting! What really attracted me to pick up the title was the blurb, and let me tell you, it does live up to the expectation. The author really handles the topic of rape with due diligence and expertly deals with the narration. She shows how much the effect of blaming the victim for the assault affects them emotionally and psychologically. I absolutely loved the lead, Rachel Krall. She is a fierce, strong and a superb narrator while also giving me some of the best lines I've read in recent times. To quote her:

“To tell you the truth, I don't get how we can almost unanimously agree that murder is wrong, yet when it comes to rape, some people still see shades of gray.”

The town is shown here as a classic example of the sick mentality still prevailing in our society and throughout the book as the story unfolds, we see how the onus is always on the women even though whatever happens is none of their fault. From catcalling to shaming and labelling sluts, the author shows what is wrong in the society we live in without sounding preachy or diverting from the mystery. Focus is thrown on the role played by the court and how courtroom drama affects the outcome of the 'verdict'. This is actually a heavy topic that is dealt in quite a respectful manner and so in this aspect, the author has my respect.

Coming to the mystery, the book maintains a great pace that compels the reader to get involved in the story and read it all in one sitting. The two parallel stories of the trial happening now and the mystery of a death 25 years ago beautifully entwine at the end. But it is fairly guessable and I was able to predict the end quite easily. One aspect that I did find ludicrous was the fact that Rachel, a person who valued anonymity and cherished it, would expect her identity to remain a secret in the small town-at the very least, the people she interacts with for her research purpose would be able to recognize her based on her voice. But the book does serve some thrills, so I enjoyed the ride.

Overall, this was an amazing book that perfectly balances raising awareness while serving a decent thriller. I will definitely check out the other works by this author, and I implore you to read this brilliant book.

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~Reviewed by Kaveri (@bibliophilerants)~

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