The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Book Review

Approach with caution 🚨 ⁣
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⁣While I did enjoy the thriller aspect of this book, I honestly probably wouldn’t have read it had I known going-in about the very detailed depictions of rape, physical abuse and murder. It was a lot for me. If you yourself have experienced sexual violence or physical abuse, you may want to skip this one, as I imagine it could prove quite triggering.
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⁣The story follows two parallel crimes through the eyes of famed podcaster, Rachel Krall. Rachel travels to the small town of Neapolis to cove a rape trail for the third season of her true crime podcast (a trial that is incredibly similar to the real-life Brock Turner case). Shortly after arriving in Neapolis, she finds a mysterious letter from a local woman begging her to help investigate the death of her sister, Jenny Stills. As Rachel begins asking questions about the supposed drowning of Jenny Stills, she uncovers many inconsistencies that suggest Jenny was murdered. As Rachel continues digging, she discovers unexpected connections between the two cases and evidence that may just put her life in danger.
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⁣While the book is a work of fiction, the details about the court proceedings and the legal process felt very real and reminiscent of Know My Name. I liked the fact that the author echoed many of Chanel Miller’s sentiments regarding how victims of sexual assault are treated unfairly in the judicial system. She also does a great job of explaining why it’s so difficult for victims of sexual assault to seek justice - not only is it their word against someone else’s (since most sexual assaults take place without other witnesses present) but the trauma of having to relive the experience through court proceedings if oftentimes too overwhelming for a person already struggling with PTSD.⁣
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⁣Overall, I think the author did a great job discussing the delicate subject matter (and I’m excited to hear her talk about it with Bad Bitch Book Club tomorrow night!) and the story was quite captivating. Again, I would just say, approach the one with caution. ⁣
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⁣⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars