Chloe Lane - The Swimmers
5 ⭐
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Gallic Books UK
Date Published: 19th May 2022
Huge thank you to Gallic Books for sending me a Proof Copy of this book to read and review.
Book Blurb:
When an affair ends badly and takes her career down with it, 26-year-old Erin leaves Auckland to spend the holiday weekend with her aunt, uncle, and terminally ill mother at their suburban family home. On arrival, she learns that her mother has decided to take matters into her own hands and end her life - the following Tuesday.
Tasked with fulfilling her mother's final wishes, Erin can only do her imperfect best to navigate difficult feelings, an eccentric neighbourhood, and her complicated family of former competitive swimmers. She must summon the strength she would normally find in the water as she prepares for the loss of the fiery, independent woman who raised her alone, and for one last swim together in the cold New Zealand Sea.
My Review:
The story of this book follows
Erin, who is 26 living in Auckland but after an affair that ends badly, she
goes north to visit her mother and aunt for a weekend. Little does she know
that her mother who is terminally ill with a motor neurone disease wants to end
her life the following Tuesday and wants Erin and Erin’s Aunty Wynn to help her do that. During
the book, we see how Erin deals with the news of her mother wanting to end her
life this soon, whilst at the same time trying to fulfil the last wishes that
her mother has.
I liked that this book is written
in parts and each part is one day during that weekend up until Tuesday, the day
that Erin’s mum chose for dying. It made the journey more real and displayed
the change in Erin’s emotions so clear as the weekend passed and it got closer
to her mum's passing day.
The story also explores quite
complicated relationships between Erin, her mum and her Aunty Wynn, as well as
her uncle. I just wish some of the relationships were explored a bit more, such
as why Erin and her mother don’t particularly like Aunty Wynn.
I liked Erin’s character,
especially her quirkiness and her stubbornness. Her being messy in her life and
going through a variety of different emotions after learning about her mum’s
wishes makes her very relatable. She
deals with impending grief, does irrational things that she wouldn’t otherwise
do and acts out, all whilst in her mind remembering various moments with her mum
from her childhood. Her actions during that weekend show how hard is for her to
accept that her mum wants to die, but she also deep down understands how much
her mum is suffering. So, in the end, Erin is battling this dilemma inside of
her mind and thoughts. I wish Lane explored Erin’s emotions and how she deals after
her mum has passed abit more in this book.
The only times Erin was a
frustrating character was when she wouldn’t speak out about how she felt to both
her mum and her aunty. She had so much to ask and say to her mum during that weekend
but she hesitates and reading that was at times a bit frustrating, as she had
so little time left to ask those questions and have those conversations with her
mum.
Overall: I really enjoyed reading this book, as it was
also my first time reading a book by a New Zealand author. I liked how this
book was about exploring the emotions of a family who has to accept their loved
ones' wish to die on their own terms. It was also interesting to read about
assisted suicide (euthanasia) and how is seen in New Zealand. Although, I
strongly believe that awareness of it in books like The Swimmers is an important
step in addressing this sometimes a rather controversial subject.
About the Author:
https://www.chloevlane.com/
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