Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Night Swim

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

36 reviews

ejsimpson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting myself into when I plucked this title from a tall pile of other mysterious thrillers and dramas. There are multiple stories in this book, yet there’s a thread to tie them together… in more ways than one. I was under the impression this had to be inspired by the case of the student swimmer accused of raping a classmate on campus, but didn’t look up any info as to whether that’s true or not. With that in mind, I think it makes the conversations this book could spark even more important.
The chapters are short but poignant, though I wonder how could Rachel’s podcast truly be topping the charts with such short entries (then again, I’m largely unfamiliar with podcasts). Such short chapters make the story feel like it’s progressing more quickly, or maybe that’s this bookworm’s “oh, just one more chapter” excuse for staying up late. A quick and easy read but one centered on an important yet controversial topic.
At one point Rachel tells her listeners that as a woman she is expected to merely ignore and accept small acts of sexual assault. Inconspicuous things, seemingly accidental things. This I think all women can relate to, some more than others. Why can we agree that murder is bad yet be so divided on rape and sexual assault? There was a chapter where K takes the stand and her testimony could be difficult for some readers as it discusses the events of the fateful night on the beach. The screaming and pleading, the bruises and descriptions of photos, the intentionally cruel attitude of Scott.
The back and forth of K v Scott unfolding “in real time” while the hazy truth of Jenny’s torturous final weeks come to light was done methodically and done well. Neither giving too much away at a time or being so dreary as to drag on. The conclusion was one I didn’t wholly see coming, and it was nice to be a bit surprised. Overall, I enjoyed this book, the fleshed out characters, and felt it didn’t leave me wanting, didn’t leave me with any questions about the characters or plot (central to the story, anyway), so I would recommend this book.

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cyndi1966's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

justmasyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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alex_mabel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

While this book was very hard to read due to the topics at hand, I thought it was done very well. The story of the trial was told in a brutally honest way.

The dual perspectives were both very engaging and the ending came together well. I definitely wanted to keep reading to see how it all wrapped up.

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maddiie046's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Content Warnings

haleysversion's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

grettypop's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

4/5 stars

Rachel Krall is a famous true crime podcaster, known to uncover information better than the bureaucratic justice system allows. For this season of her podcast, she decided to cover the controversial rape case of K, by an up and coming rich swimmer. Murder is easy to judge - it's wrong. We all know that. But when it comes to rape, people love to victim blame. And there is someone leaving notes for Rachel on the windshield of her car.....

I will say this right now, do NOT read this if you can't stomach description of rape, sexual assault, and violation of minors. The book is very descriptive, and I found myself having to take breaks after certain parts.

The story runs of 3 lines:
#1 - Rachel's POV and what is happening to her right now - aka going to trial and getting creepy notes from a stranger
#2 - The actual podcast episodes covering the rape trial of K
#3 - The notes, written by someone named Hannah, covering the alleged murder of her sister from 25 years ago

I did NOT see a lot of twists coming. The book kept me engaged, excited to read on. I loved the audiobook version, because the podcast chapters are actually recorded like an episode. A very VERY good thriller for spooky season!

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