Jessica Keener’s debut novel, Night Swim is the story of a family that is not what it seems. The story is told through the memories and thoughts of the 2nd oldest child, Sarah, who must navigate her way through her own coming of age at the same time stepping around all of the things she is not to talk about or acknowledge in her family. It is the story of how she manages to survive after the untimely death of her mother and make her way through and past the horrible moment when she realizes that her mother is gone and that she is now free and obligated to be her own person for the first time.
The Kunitz family lives in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts circa 1970 and appears to be perfect in every way. They have a beautiful home in the right kind of neighborhood with a mother who is a classically trained musician, a father who is a college professor, 4 children, and a live in maid. They throw perfect parties for their friends and neighbors. The mother keeps a perfect garden of roses that she meticulously prunes and waters. She is impeccably dressed and well coiffed at all times. On the surface, this is a family to envy. However, below the surface are many troubling hints that something is terribly wrong with this family. A father who is angry and seems ready to go off at any moment and a mother who floats through most days on a cloud of pills and alcohol are the foundation of this dysfunctional family. The children seem lost and for the most part are disconnected from each other and certainly from their parents. The family seems to move past each other, bumping into each other from time to time to make tenuous connections but never very meaningful ones. The younger children in particular seem to have retreated to their rooms to play make believe games rather than venture downstairs where life is a bit too real. The older children are left to observe, with a true sense of what their family is really like, and to live the implications of it all. The oldest boy finds his own inner peace through his musical talent and his willingness to rebel. Sarah acts out in her own way but never really until her mother is already gone.
The book takes the reader on a journey down to a place that will not prove to be a soft place to land as it hints at tragic future events and showcases the denial that seems to insure that things will come to a very bad end for all of them. Sarah's mother begins to behave in more and more dangerous ways as her addictions get the best of her. The relationship between her and her husband is fraught with complexities that only two alcoholics who both serve to enable and deny one another can create. This is a family so deep in denial that not even having their mother’s car drive off an icy road and their mother landing in the hospital is enough to shake up this family that holds their secrets with each other so tightly. When the Aunt comes to take Sarah and her brothers to the zoo right after this accident I knew this family was doomed on some level to fail. They never sat down and talked to the children about what happened. They never acknowledged, at least amongst the adults that this could have been a thinly veiled suicide attempt. They swept the whole incident under the carpet with a quick trip to the zoo and the rest was history.
If you are worried that the story seems depressing, don’t be. Sarah is a inspirational heroine and a true survivor. She finds her way in the world in spite of some pitfalls along the way. I rooted for her all the way and you will too, when you read the book. Ms. Keener seems to have hit on something that those of us who were children in the 1970’s can relate to and I though a lot about it when I was reading the novel. People simply didn’t acknowledge or talk about unpleasant things. I can still remember a neighbor of mine growing up who took to drinking too much after her son died tragically in an accident. We all knew not to knock on Adrene’s door after 3PM, not because she was drunk but because that was her “nap time” and she would be resting. I can also recall a family whose father left on an extended business trip that was really him leaving the family and filing for divorce. I think it was a full two years before that fact was actually acknowledged and even then in hushed tones.
This book will appeal to any who enjoy a coming of age story or one that deals with complex family dynamics. The characters are well fleshed out and you will love all of them or at least feel empathy for their situation. The story seemed so real to me that I felt it could have been a memoir. Everything seems so perfectly captured that I would be surprised if there aren’t some elements from Ms. Keener's own childhood in the story. As other reviewers have already suggested, this would be a great choice for book clubs since there are so many angles and elements to discuss and there really is something for everyone to relate to, even if your family was really picture perfect and not dysfunctional like this one.
I'm excited that this is Ms. Keener's first novel since I hope it means we can expect a lot more from her in the future. I will be keeping my eyes and ears open and will look forward to reading her next book. If you'd like to learn more about the book or author you can check out more on the author's website or Facebook page.
Thanks again to the folks at TLC Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read and review this for the author's tour. If you are interested in reading how other bloggers reacted to this novel you can visit the tour schedule below.
Wednesday, January 11th: Elle Lit.
Thursday, January 12th: Reviews by Lola
Friday, January 13th: A Bookish Way of Life
Tuesday, January 17th: Coffee and a Book Chick
Wednesday, January 18th: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Thursday, January 19th: A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, January 24th: A Soul Unsung
Wednesday, January 25th: Boarding in My Forties
Thursday, January 26th: Sarah Reads Too Much
Monday, January 30th: Stephany Writes
Wednesday, February 1st: The Lost Entwife
Monday, February 6th: sidewalk shoes
Tuesday, February 7th: The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Wednesday, February 8th: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Tuesday, February 14th: The House of the Seven Tails
Thursday, February 16th: Tina’s Book Reviews
Monday, February 20th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, February 23rd: Jenn’s Bookshelves
