Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

24 reviews

annakh16's review

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

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

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

ravensruin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content and Outing

Minor: Hate crime, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol

kittkat's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

Also… Das ist gerade etwas schwierig zu bewerten. Ich habe mir zu viel Zeit gelassen und dadurch hat sich die Story zu stark langgezogen. Völlig mein Fehler. Eigentlich ist es eine wirklich sehr interessante, tragische Geschichte. Der Schreibstil und die Erzählperspektive haben mir sehr gefallen. Ich würde das Buch auf jeden Fall irgendwann nochmal lesen (und dann wahrscheinlich auch eher als physisches Buch).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Outing and Classism

Minor: Police brutality

sophee_568's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? N/A

5.0

New all time favorite book. It's devastating. Made me cry. I love everything about this book and I can't wait to reread it. It gives off Call Me By Your Name vibes but without the weird age gap. No misogyny too. 💞

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Violence and Police brutality

kwichris's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I typically don't like reading books that center around romance. This book, however, managed to embed historical context and emotionally complex situations that added more to this story than a simple romance that cannot be. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself relating to or finding understanding in the main character's reactions/feelings/thoughts regarding the situation they find themselves in - a love that they cannot express publicly, a country divided post-war, and uncertainty of their own future. For a first entry, the author has crafted quite a nice story, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a little historical context and input that shapes the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Vomit, Police brutality, and Medical content

captainrenjamin's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Outing

Moderate: Grief, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

Depicts an oppressive society where being queer is illegal

and queer people are blackmailed into outing others

maess'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, and Alcohol