Why Did I Listen To The Night Swim by Megan Goldin?
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was pitched to me as a book that explores rape culture. To me, that topic is interesting and tragic. And well, something that I think a lot of women can relate to unfortunately. So, I decided that I would absolutely give The Night Swim a chance, even though I don’t really read a lot of adult books in this genre. Seeing the audiobook show up on Libby made me prioritize this all the more and I am so glad I listened to the audiobook.
What’s The Story Here?
Rachel Krall is a podcaster whose show went viral in the first season. She’s a household name and recognizable by her voice, not so much by her face. When she stops at a diner, she goes back out to her car and sees a note addressed to her on the windshield. It freaks Rachel out because she’s been so private about her appearance. Rachel has come to the small town of Neapolis to base her podcast around a small town rape trial. This trial is about the town golden boy who has been accused of sexual assault by the granddaughter of the police chief. While Rachel is investigating and podcasting, she receives these letters asking her to find out who murdered Jenny Stills, twenty five years ago. You see, Jenny’s death had been written off as an accident due to her taking a night swim. But the letter writer, Jenny’s sister, believes it was murder and wants to find justice for her sister.
What Did I Think of The Night Swim?
The Night Swim was different from how I expected. It ended up being really engaging and making me think. Obviously, the theme of the book is a big issue in our society today. The whole golden boy swimmer thing could be ripped from headlines, right? I thought that Goldin handled the topic with sensitivity and was really thoughtful in her writing. It didn’t feel like she was sensationalizing sexual assault.
How’s The Narration?
The format of The Night Swim was perfect for audio. It’s a story told using podcast format for some chapters, others are told by Rachel, and others are essentially narrated from the past. Now, the audiobook does the podcast portions like a real podcast which was really cool. It also utilizes three narrators – Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. The three narrators do an excellent job. This audiobook is 9 hours and 59 minutes long – yet the ten hours goes by so quickly and it is absolutely due to the audiobook production and narration. If you are going to read The Night Swim be sure it is in audiobook format.
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