Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

47 reviews

oceanebooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am destroyed. The language is beyond beautiful and the story beyond sad. I’ll keep on thinking about this for a long time. Really loved how the ambivalence of it all, the flaws of all the characters were portrayed in such a human and their almost desperate-to-be-good way. I really loved the end when the author wrote: “you can’t force someone to love you the way you want to be loved.” It’s a common phrase but in this context of this book it was so bittersweet. So fucking bittersweet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Police brutality, and Death of parent

annakh16's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I had never seen you before - not consciously anyway. Yet my mind felt strangely relieved, as if it had recognised someone.

This book markets itself as “If Call Me By Your Name was set in communist Poland“. I think this is accurate - to the extent that in my opinion, the books suffer from similar problems. The writing is good. There are some beautiful, emotional standout quotes, as well as a transformative, almost transcendental love. But I was hoping for more substance.

Which is to say: I would have liked more elaboration on key aspects of this indeed quite short book. I don’t think it offered much new in terms of story arc, which is fine as such. But in my opinion, it developed neither the romance nor the historical setting enough to make up for this. I think we needed much more time with Ludwik and Janusz at the lake, where their relationship really blossomed. Cutting this made it hard to root for the romance (together with the fact that it’s unclear how invested Janusz actually is in the whole thing - although maybe we‘re only meant to root for Ludwik anyway). It would have also been interesting to delve a little more into the place/time the book is set in. 

I know this book is important to many people, and for good reason. I recognise that in that sense, it wasn’t written for me and I definitely respect its impact. But I do think it had a lot more potential story-wise.

The odds had been stacked against us from the start: we had no manual, no one to show us the way. Not one example of a happy couple made up of boys. How were we supposed to know what to do? Did we even believe that we deserved to get away with happiness?

To my own surprise, I was unable to accept the shame he wanted me to feel. It was too familiar to be imposed: I had produced it myself for such a long time that, right then, I found I had no space left for it anymore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Outing

Minor: Antisemitism, Alcohol, and War

elnelson's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing

Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Classism

page_not_found's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Blood, Police brutality, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Pregnancy, War, and Deportation

nklimczak's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Outing

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Antisemitism

davschi's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and War

raisinreads's review against another edition

reflective sad

3.75

well-written (he's just like me, obsessed with giovanni's room)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content

mscoleman's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexual content

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An encapsulating story of being queer in the 1980s under socialist rule. While I was expecting a heartfelt summer romance, I also learned a lot about Poland’s politics and demographics in the 70s and 80s, the religious and communist themes throughout the country in spite of the end of German control. 

This is a very moving tale of love within the forbidden and hidden, of innocence lost and found, of the duality of cruelty and kindness in humanity. 

The writing is beautiful, like poetry, flowing like streams of consciousness from our protagonist, Ludwik, intent on finding himself in the world. His inner turmoil over his attraction to the same sex, his struggles with opening up to someone, his freedom from the Party’s ideologies. His love for Janusz and his lust for a different life. My heart broke for him in his journey for happiness and truth. I desperately wanted to give him a hug.

A melancholy novel rich with history and emotional ups and downs. Simply excellent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Pregnancy

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Overall I really liked this book; the pacing is excellent and the prose swept me up right away. The love story component felt fresh despite being very well trodden ground, particularly due to the political slant and the right/wrong of it feeling somewhat grey. 

I struggled with the protagonist at points, when he was particularly wallowing or dramatic without any sense of lightness or humour like those around him. However, there were moments of self awareness and growth in the narration that redeemed what occasionally veered into Brandon Taylor-esque melodrama.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, and War