The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Strong trigger warning to anyone sensitive to discussion of rape and sexual assault. Some descriptions are graphic and could be upsetting.
Choosing the audiobook rather than a print copy book immerses the listener in disturbing, triggering aspects of a book centered on rape, murder and entitlement. Detailed, gruesome passages that could be skimmed over while reading to minimize their impact are unavoidable.
The Night Swim intertwines two rape cases decades apart in Neapolis, a small waterfront town where the divide between haves and have-nots is sharp. In both cases, those accused or suspected are among the most influential in town.
Scott Blair is a promising young swimmer with a shiny convertible and the support of his prominent family. He is accused of raping Kelly Moore, a young woman identified mainly as “K.” She is the granddaughter of the former chief of police.
Scott’s father asserts that his son has no need to rape because he is attractive and popular. He has models and actresses throwing themselves at him. He would not have to rape a local high school student. Scott admits to having sex with Kelly but contends that the encounter was fully consensual.
But rape is not about the availability of sexual partners, it’s an assertion of power. It’s about those who believe they are entitled to have any woman they want because of wealth, fame or stature in the community. When a woman says no, his attitude is, “Who are you to say no to me?” Then he takes what he wants.
This controversial case has drawn true-crime podcaster Rachel to this small town. She intends to cover the trial for season three of her popular Guilty or Not Guilty podcast. But before she even gets to her hotel, she receives the first in a series of messages from Hannah, the sister of Jenny Stiles, who died in Neopolis twenty-five years ago. Jenny was believed to have drowned, but Hannah insists she was murdered.
Rachel’s attention is torn between covering the Scott Blair trial and getting to the bottom of the Jenny Stiles mystery.
The Night Swim was written by Megan Goldin and narrated by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz.
The story is well-paced, and the ending unexpected. Goldin does an exceptional job of intertwining the stories and viewpoints evenly to keep the plot moving forward.
For the most part, the narration was solid. The voices of Rachel and Hannah are distinct. The attempts at voicing the young men in the novel came off a bit cartoonish.
I received this Advance Reader Copy of The Night Swim from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheNightSwim #NetGalley
Description
In The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlen Coben) The Escape Room, a true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.
Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for 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 new season of Rachel’s podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. 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 insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation 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?
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press
