⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Do I dare call this book thriller of the year? Yes, within this book you will encounter two wrenching stories, 25 years a part of rape and murder in a small beach-like North Carolina town.
Trigger warning: The book goes into detail about the atrocities one of the characters (Jenny) went through prior to her killing.
A little about The Night Swim: In an age of True-Crime Podcasts (Which like many of you, I enjoy), we meet Rachel Krall a Podcaster who became an overnight sensation with her Podcast: Guilty or Not Guilty. In her newest episode, she drives to the town of Napoli to cover a rape trial that involves two prominent families in the small town. K (the victim), is the granddaughter of the past and loved sheriff. And Scott Blair (the accused), a golden boy, destined to be the next Michael Phelps.
As Rachel begins her work, she begins to get letters from a mysterious source begging her to look into the “Murder” of Jenny Stills, a 25 year old case. The letters kept appearing at random places, which intrigued Rachel who is not shy about diving into a good case. What she finds, well I better let you read the book.
Drea’s Take:In 2020, we still take rape as something casual that just happens to women. Most of the time goes unpunished, and unfortunately it is a badge of shame to those who come out and report these crimes. When the #MeToo movement came on scene, how many times did I hear from other women the question: Why is she just coming out now? I am also not an innocent human, and also had the same question myself. Our society has made it so hard for women to confront their accusers, that when they actually do (and it does not matter if it’s the next day or 15 years later) us women get shamed, questioned, and thoroughly investigated to the point that a drunk picture from a high school party, is mis-interpreted, and leads people to judge the victim and find excuses for the culprit.
Megan Goldin, did an excellent job to remind us what the outcome of rape and violence can cause on a human being. The coverage of the trial was enough for me to put the book down a few times. Women, who expose men are the bravest women I know. After reading this book, I felt that even tho I never experienced something so horrific, the cat calls when I was 12 or men commenting on my body when I was younger, can make you feel like there was a point that K or Jenny could have easily been me. This book is a great read, and even if you have to put it down a few times, the writer does an incredible job to keep you on your toes and wondering: Is Scott guilty? Was Jenny really raped and murdered?
I do urge you to pick up this book. I truly feel that The Night Swim is going to be on the list of best Thrillers of 2020. The writing is impecable. The story although hard to read at times, will make you come back for more. So, what happened in Neapolis. A seemingly perfect small town, with it’s many secrets hidden in the water.
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