The Night Swim

This was my first book by Megan Goldin she sure doesn't shy away from emotional and heavy topics! In her sophomore book her story focuses on two similar crimes but it's the intensity with which she explores the issues of rape, abuse and victim blaming that will invoke strong feelings in readers (and may be a trigger for some). 

The story is told using the POVs of Hannah and Rachel and revolves around two cases twenty-five years apart yet remarkably similar in nature. I found the current court case much more compelling of the two, mainly because of the inclusion of transcripts from Rachel's podcast of the trial. They definitely gave Rachel's POV more punch. But the two crimes were so similar in topic and included the same small-town characters, that there were a few times where I had to pause to remember which crime we were addressing.

This is a compelling read with short chapters that keep the story moving well between the two narrators. This book is being touted as a suspense read but for me, it was much more of an exploration into the ongoing emotional trauma of rape victims and how they are mistreated within the legal system and society at large in their fight for justice. It is brutally intense at times, but Goldin handles the issues with sensitivity, although readers should prepare for some intense feelings of their own.

Engaging, heartbreaking and maddening in one fell swoop, this is a gritty and emotional read with an important social focus. I hope that Goldin decides to make Rachel the focus of a new series because her true crime podcast could make for some interesting story lines.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Megan Goldin

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: August 4, 2020

Opening Lines: It was Jenny's death that killed my mother. 

Killed her as good as if she'd been shot in the chest 

with a twelve-gauge shotgun. 

Book Descripton from GoodReads: 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?