The Night Swimmer

Aug 03, 2012 Mandy Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: éirinn-go-brách

This week’s headline? darts, pint, poem

Why this book? review in Statesman

Which book format? hardback from Half-Price

Primary reading environment? bedtime at home

Any preconceived notions? ambivalent Kirkus Review

Identify most with? grad student toadstools

Three little words? “And me, sober.”

Goes well with? clamshell of tea

Recommend this to? open water swimmers

One lazy weekend, while I was lying in bed reading this book, I heard a seagull call through the open window.

Strange, considering I make my...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Tuck rated it 4 of 5 stars

mild horror that could grab your spine a bit. plus expert treatment of swimming in very cold water. win a bar in ireland, get in a big ass fight with the local hillbillys. love your partner so much you stop having sex. take any and all drugs at any and all times. fall in love with the idea of falling in love with a blind hippie old man goat farmer. see what happens when you live in the howling wind for a year. be skeptical about globalized faux tourism.

“The night swimmer” by Matt Bondurant

A bit...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Brian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Too many narrative strands, it seems, and ultimately they don't quite come together enough for a satisfying conclusion. Also, the most promising bits never truly shape the book, so rather than a tightly plotted novel, like Bondurant's previous novel, The Night Swimmer more resembles the water that Bondurant continually describes within. The story is fluid, moving in many directions, sometimes chaotic, sometimes rather sluggish.

On another note, I'm not quite sure how to take the protagonist's hu...more

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May 23, 2012 Tim Chamberlain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Written for the KAZI Book Review (http://kazibookreview.wordpress.com/):

The Night Swimmer, the latest book by Matt Bondurant (author of The Wettest County in the World), is much like the narrator Elly’s favorite hobby: a dark swim through a choppy ocean. It is a haunting tale of love, intrigue and obsession, tinged with regret throughout.

Bondurant tells the story of Elly and Fred, an American couple that wins an Irish pub and moves there to run it. Of course, these things are never quite that si...more Written for the KAZI Book Review (http://kazibookreview.wordpress.com/):

The Night Swimmer, the latest book by Matt Bondurant (author of The Wettest County in the World), is much like the narrator Elly’s favorite hobby: a dark swim through a choppy ocean. It is a haunting tale of love, intrigue and obsession, tinged with regret throughout.

Bondurant tells the story of Elly and Fred, an American couple that wins an Irish pub and moves there to run it. Of course, these things are never quite that simple--the locals don’t really take to the American “blow-ins”--and this novel follows the triumphs and tragedies that result from their move across the world.

Essentially The Night Swimmer is a love story, the story of Elly and Fred and their grand adventure to the remotest part of Ireland, an adventure that eventually goes wrong. However, to simply call it a love story would do it a grave injustice, as Bondurant deftly weaves in history, mysteries, local politics, beautiful descriptions of this lonely part of Ireland, the exhilaration and loneliness of swimming in the open ocean, even the attacks of 9/11. This makes The Night Swimmer a difficult book to categorize, but it’s driving force is always the dynamic between Fred and Elly.

Early on, Bondurant establishes the main tone of the book, a palpable sense of dread, by having Elly admit in the prologue that she is ashamed, and she needs to be careful with her tone. As you then read about their love story and the story of winning the pub, you begin to wonder just what there is to dread. It is a most unsettling feeling, as you read about how much these two love each other and wait for the other shoe to drop. Drop it does, however, and the story certainly takes some surprising turns as we find out what exactly is going on.

Bondurant gives us a lot of memorable characters, but the location of Cape Clear becomes almost a character unto itself. Elly, who has been swimming her entire life and has a condition that allows her to stay in cold water longer than most, repeatedly describes the stark, dangerous and beautiful conditions as she takes her long ocean swims that give the book its title. It is an example of the way Bondurant has created a very real world for his characters to inhabit, and it shows that he is just as careful with his settings as he is his characters.

The Night Swimmer is a sad, touching tale that refuses to be easily categorized. Since it is difficult to put a genre on this book, let me just say this: The Night Swimmer is for fans of excellent writing, as Bondurant has deftly woven a complex and thought-provoking story.(less)

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Apr 21, 2012 Sandie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fred and Elly Bulkington are the luckiest couple alive. They have won a genuine Irish pub in a contest, lock stock and barrel. All they have to do is open the doors and their new lives will begin.

But this is not the Ireland of sunny skies, laughing children and warm communities. This is the Ireland flung out on the outskirts of civilization, a dark, brooding, inbreed place where anyone not born there is called a 'blow-in'. A place with secrets that outsiders only catch occasional glimpses of. A...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fred and Elly have a good life, but it's busy. So when Fred wins an Irish Pub in Ireland in a dart competition, they decide to pack it all up and move. Fred studies up on how to run a pub, and Elly is anxious to swim in the waters. She's a long distance swimmer and she's extraordinarily good at it. She has a skin condition that gives her a higher fat density, making it easier for her to float and not drown.

When they arrive, it takes a while to get the pub, called the Nightjar, into working order...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Tammy Dotts rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Books captivate readers for a number of reasons. Maybe it’s a character that reminds you of someone you know or someone you want to know. Maybe it’s a setting that you’ve always dreamt of. Maybe the plot engages your attention fully, refusing to let go even as it twists and turns.

If you’re lucky, a book captivates you because of its author’s voice and its author’s awareness of how to build character relationships and how to maintain suspense. Readers of Matt Bondurant’s The Night Swimmer can con...more Books captivate readers for a number of reasons. Maybe it’s a character that reminds you of someone you know or someone you want to know. Maybe it’s a setting that you’ve always dreamt of. Maybe the plot engages your attention fully, refusing to let go even as it twists and turns.

If you’re lucky, a book captivates you because of its author’s voice and its author’s awareness of how to build character relationships and how to maintain suspense. Readers of Matt Bondurant’s The Night Swimmer can consider themselves among the lucky.

Bondurant centers his story on an American couple who win a pub in Ireland. Many people might take the cash equivalent of the prize, but Elly and Fred make the decision to leave everything and everyone they know behind. As Fred restores the pub in Baltimore, Elly spends her time swimming in the waters off Cape Clear Island.

Elly has a minor genetic abnormality (an evenly distributed, thin layer of fat) that allows her to spend long amounts of time in cold water. Her communion with the ocean is one of the strong points of Bondurant’s writing, likely because he is a long-distance swimmer himself.

A side note – the locations in The Night Swimmer are real, and images are available on the web if Bondurant’s word paintings make you want more.

Another strong point of the novel is the bond between Elly and Fred. Bondurant doesn’t describe their love in over-the-top prose. He lets his characters’ actions speak for themselves. It’s clear these two love each other, which makes it slightly confusing when events of the novel begin to overtake their relationship.

Elly and Fred begin to feel the power of the Corrigan family which controls most of the commerce and culture of Baltimore and Cape Clear. The Americans are outsiders and Elly’s growing awareness of the undercurrents on Cape Clear make them more of a target. Fred retreats into a novel he’s trying to write and neglects the needs of the bar. Elly retreats into her swimming and getting to know Cape Clear. The two start to drift apart, but Bondurant never fully explains why.

It’s a jarring flaw in the novel. Other plot points go unexplained. For some of them, this works – Elly starts to learn about mysteries on the island and she may not need all the answers. Some of the island’s mysteries though cry out for explanations, at least for the reader.

Highgate, a blind goat farmer who becomes central to the story, may be more than he seems. As may the Fastnet lighthouse, which exerts a strange pull on Elly.

It’s to Bondurant’s credit though that these flaws are minor. The story is told from Elly’s point of view, and Bondurant never once drops the female perspective, a feat not all male authors can pull off. The mood he creates throughout The Night Swimmer pulls a reader in. His descriptions of setting and character are active. Readers experience the setting as Elly does, not as a laundry list of flora and fauna. Even when Elly befriends a visiting birder (who offers his own threat to her marriage), her exposure to the numerous species excites the readers, rather than becoming a mind-numbing list of bird names.

The novel builds exquisitely to a series of climaxes before ending on what may seem an abrupt note. Perhaps that’s an area for improvement in Bondurant’s writing. Or perhaps it’s just a sign of not wanting to find yourself on the last pages of a book.(less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, book-reviews, contemporary, fiction, hope, imagination, murder, mystery, romance

Article first published as Book Review:The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant on Blogcritics.

Personal interests often vary, and those with no knowledge or even care about those things which others see as unique and interesting, are a part of what makes each and every person individual. I do not profess to know much about swimming, nor do I understand the thoughts of those who live to swim, so I was quite surprised to find myself immersed in The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant.

The Night Swimmer tel...more Article first published as Book Review:The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant on Blogcritics.

Personal interests often vary, and those with no knowledge or even care about those things which others see as unique and interesting, are a part of what makes each and every person individual. I do not profess to know much about swimming, nor do I understand the thoughts of those who live to swim, so I was quite surprised to find myself immersed in The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant.

The Night Swimmer tells the tale of a couple very in love, and who find themselves in a place that they little imagined. Winning a Pub in a small town on the coast of Ireland, Fred and Elly Bulkington find themselves in a place full of resistance to strangers, and next to a powerful and wild North Atlantic sea. The land itself is shaped by the storms and wild waves surging into the land which becomes a source of the belief and heartache of the natives of this wild and harsh land.

While Fred works at making the Pub successful, Elly realizes her love of swimming and finds solace in the surging waters of Cape Clear Island. It is hear she first becomes involved in the age old feuds and dangers of life in the remote islands of Ireland where danger seems to lurk everywhere. As her marriage begins to unravel, so too their idyllic lives begin to fall apart with danger and mayhem from those who do not want them there. Can they get through the anger and build their life together as it is meant to be? Can they help to stop a feud riven before time and full of heartache, or will they too be lost to the dangers and harshness of the land?

Bondurant has given us a group of characters full of life and danger. The descriptions of the land pull you there and engrave the beauty as well as the danger in the storm torn waves. The sadness and hurt of past disasters hold the residents in sway and have a part of everything they do. Those who are not born in the wilds of this beautiful country are treated as outcast and are made to understand their place. But even the vilest of those who make life miserable for the outsiders have a story that tugs at your being. Yet not everything can be forgiven.

As hurt and anger take their toll, bodies begin to turn up, and lives are changed in an instant. Can Fred and Elly survive the onslaught of such anger and make a home for themselves in such a dangerous and hostile place or must they give up their dreams? Through all the hurt and anger, Elly’s love of swimming and the sea take her to places and bring her in contact with others in ways that are hard to imagine.

I would recommend this story for those who enjoy romance and mysteries. With just a bit of the unusual and danger at every turn you will keep on turning the pages wanting to know where the story is headed. The danger of the coastline as well as from the people is well told and daunting, keeping you guessing as to where it will all end.

This would be a terrific book for a reading group as well as a book club. This is a story that will stay with you and one that would be great for your library.

This book was received free from the publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material. (less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Paul Pessolano rated it 2 of 5 stars

“The Night Swimmer” by Matt Bondurant, published by Scribner.

Category – Fiction/Literature

Fred Bulkington and his wife Elly live in Vermont. Fred enters a contest and wins a pub in a small town in Ireland. Fred becomes involved in the opening of the pub while Elly, a world class swimmer, spends most of her time on a nearby island. Elly has a condition that allows her to survive in very cold water and she becomes acquainted with the locals due to her long swims in very cold water.

Fred finds the g...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Michelle (Reading Lark) (Reading Lark) rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Thoughts:
There are so many elements to this book that I'm going to valiantly attempt to get them all.

I was blown away by the prose of this novel. It was lyrical and flowing, which is fitting since the main character, Elly, is a swimmer. Another eye catching, and initially off-putting, was the way the author doesn't use quotation marks to denote conversations. I did get used to it, and once you really get into the swing of it, it makes sense and flows very well - The story is coming from Elly...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Linda Lackey added it

Thankfully, I read this novel well after our summer trip to Ireland where we met nothing but warm and inviting locals. I got this book from the library after reading that the premise was based on an actual "win an Irish pub" contest sponsored by the people at Guinness back in 1998. In Bondurant's fictional version, the winners are Fred and Elly, a Vermont couple whose prize is a pub in the tiny town of Baltimore on the southern coast of Ireland. Once there, they encounter all sorts of obstacles...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Amy Lignor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Into the lives of Fred and Elly Bulkington we go, a young couple from New England (Vermont to be precise) who move to Ireland in order to take over a Pub called, Nightjar, that they won in a contest. The Pub is located in a very isolated spot on the Southern Coast of Ireland that is only frequented by birdwatchers and fishermen. And once the couple arrives, readers soon learn why this is one of the most desolate places on the planet.

Fred and Elly met as graduate students while studying in Englis...more
Into the lives of Fred and Elly Bulkington we go, a young couple from New England (Vermont to be precise) who move to Ireland in order to take over a Pub called, Nightjar, that they won in a contest. The Pub is located in a very isolated spot on the Southern Coast of Ireland that is only frequented by birdwatchers and fishermen. And once the couple arrives, readers soon learn why this is one of the most desolate places on the planet.

Fred and Elly met as graduate students while studying in English Lit. Fred’s dream is to become a novelist, and Elly wants nothing more than to be an ‘open’ or deep-water swimmer. This area of Ireland where they end up offers one truly seductive attribute for Elly - magnificent isolation filled with endless water for her to practice for her dream. In fact, the area would seem to satisfy the dreams of both, seeing as that Fred could spend his ‘down time’ working on becoming the next ‘great author.’

At one point in time, however, Fred tells Elly that they remind him of the couple who fell in love in the book, “Revolutionary Road.” Therefore, readers can at once feel the chemistry and trials that the characters will be going through. Of course, Fred also says, with a confidence he doesn’t really have: “We will actually make it; we will follow through and make it happen.”

So as Fred begins running his brand new enterprise, Elly takes a trip to a nearby island where every outsider is referred to as a “blow-in.” The locals really can’t figure out why she would even want to swim in the open ocean as Elly pushes herself to the limit of her abilities. And soon, a mysterious tragedy is brought to light that involves a feud between a farmer and a very powerful clan that has no use for strangers.

As Elly’s swimming begins to take over her life and Fred becomes extraordinarily busy with trying to run the Pub, write a novel, and attempt to spend some time with his wife - the couple soon find themselves being absorbed into the lives of the locals. Unfortunately…their marriage begins to unravel.

The stunning enchantment of Ireland is certainly the forefront of this novel and is told with captivating words, bringing the reader into this remote - slightly frightening - world; Ireland’s fierce natural beauty and the strength of its lore takes over every page. An attention-getting story of strangers in a strange land who face violence and the end of their marriage happening before their very eyes, it is still a bit long at times and interest can be lost. The author knows his characters, and does an extremely good job of introducing them and describing the ‘Ireland’ that they inhabit. But, after reading the novel, you will find yourself thinking twice before ever throwing a dart at a board. (less)

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Feb 10, 2012 Amber Bach-gorman rated it 5 of 5 stars

As you navigate the pages of Bondurant's work, you become enchanted with both the nostalgic beauty of Ireland and horrified by the ruggedness of a culture lost in time. Bondurant does a fantastic job at balancing the idealistic quintessiential Irish pub and folk, but then takes the reader through twists and turns introducting you to the underbelly of an Irish culture not welcoming to newcomers, or as he refers in the novel "blow-ins". The authors ability to capture the peaceful monotony known to...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: va-book, miscellaneous-fiction, world-culture, thrillers

This book is mostly set in a small community in the southwest corner of Ireland. The narrator and her husband are Americans trying to cope with a near-miss on 9/11 who win a pub in the community in a contest. The story tracks their relationship with each other and with the people who live in and/or regularly visit this community over about a 9-month period.

That doesn't sound like a completely fascinating tale, or it sounds like it could be rather comforting and pastoral...and it instead complete...more

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May 09, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this book, but I just never really connected to it. Everything about the plot was right up my alley: husband and wife win an Irish pub in a contest, pack up and move to remote Ireland, wife explores the local history of a small island nearby and discovers secrets that threaten her and her husband in the process. What's not to love about that story? There is lush description of the scenery around and beautiful details, especially when she is swimming (she is an open-water...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, read-2012, netgalley, contemporary, fiction, mystery

Posted on Book Chelle.

Matt Bondurant's The Night Swimmer was a book I pushed my reading boundaries on. Bondurant captivated me with his carefully sought out words that brought a level of deep and emotional meaning to each sentence. The voice is clear and concise, allowing me to be aware of each scene, each character, and definitely each detail that came to life on the page.

The Night Swimmer is a really well written book. Bondurant's female voice is calculated and concise, but does not lack the e...more Posted on Book Chelle.

Matt Bondurant's The Night Swimmer was a book I pushed my reading boundaries on. Bondurant captivated me with his carefully sought out words that brought a level of deep and emotional meaning to each sentence. The voice is clear and concise, allowing me to be aware of each scene, each character, and definitely each detail that came to life on the page.

The Night Swimmer is a really well written book. Bondurant's female voice is calculated and concise, but does not lack the emotion of a female, a wife, a woman understanding herself in a strange environment. And if the cover didn't warn me enough, the story was filled with mystery, giving me goosebumps for a good part of the story.

The Night Swimmer is about Elly, a woman with a minor abnormality that allows her to prolong her time in the water. She doesn't look at it as a defect, but as a blessing, allowing her to be at peace in the ocean. Bondurant describes the times as Elly's communion with the ocean - fittingly so. Elly has won a pub in Ireland, and has found herself moving to Ireland. As her husband Fred restores the pub, Elly spends her time exploring, and in time, swimming in the waters near Cape Clear Island.

Once a couple in love, Elly and her husband find her marriage unraveling. Fred submerged himself into the pub and the business, while writing his elusive novel. Elly swims and befriends the locals, but as they ignore her, Elly becomes involved with the arguments of the townspeople. And that's when the suspense kicks in.

I am a big literary wuss. It definitely tested my limits of what I was comfortable with. It was suspenseful and edgy, but I could not turn away. I was fascinated with each word and each turn of the page. Through Elly, I embraced the unexpected. She was strong enough to keep her feet on the ground, and so could I.

Prose flowed so well. The words sang, allowing the story to be fluid. And like the water that Elly loves so well, it is the same for the story - at times calm, other times raging and chaotic, going in many directions without any borders and boundaries. The writing style is different. At times thoughts and words actually said aloud blended together. No quotation marks? I've seen it before, but I was surprised. It worked well and it allowed me to absorb everything in one breath.
Love a good mystery, suspenseful thriller? Bondurant's The Night Swimmer is definitely the book for you.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011 Debra Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

“The Night Swimmer” is a beautifully written novel that tells the story of Fred and Elly and their undertaking in moving to Ireland when they win a pub. It’s a new adventure for them and they dive into it head-long without much thought. Fred is thrilled with the pub and Elly is free to indulge her own passion—swimming in the ocean. Through a genetic defect, Elly is able to swim in cold water without any adverse affects for quite a long time.

While Fred submerges himself in learning how to run a p...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-retired-to-the-shelves

I'm still on Clear and I closed the book (via Kindle) two nights ago. This 'review' will lack the punch of my first go-'round that I neglected to Save. But, here you go...
Bondurant writes like the well-schooled MFA ought to write and embellishes like an accomplished PhD must. By that I mean that he writes lavishly and artistically with descriptions well-researched, so much so that they have infused into my daily thought. I closed the book, but not the story. Bondurant carved the Irishness/clan-...more I'm still on Clear and I closed the book (via Kindle) two nights ago. This 'review' will lack the punch of my first go-'round that I neglected to Save. But, here you go...
Bondurant writes like the well-schooled MFA ought to write and embellishes like an accomplished PhD must. By that I mean that he writes lavishly and artistically with descriptions well-researched, so much so that they have infused into my daily thought. I closed the book, but not the story. Bondurant carved the Irishness/clan-ness of a culture imbued with the over-reaching fears of generational events that had trickled down like genetics. He scripts scenery, flora, fauna, architecture, geography, geology, history, genealogy, birding, sailing, deep-ocean swimming, ecology, bullies, secrets, desperation, submission, acceptance in colors, scents, sounds, tastes, and feels. I tingled with the underlying anxiety the story provokes. It's not an I-can't-put-it-down book; it's a cover-your-face-and-peek-between-your-fingers book. You know something is going to happen.Dare I go back for more. Every scene builds and ebbs like the ocean he writes about. Mentions planted like seeds pop up as I knew they would. And when that ocean got stormy I felt it in my stomach.
When I reached the second analogy of mountains as shoulders I thought the book might be badly edited. When I read the sometimes ad-nauseum lists I thought it might be too this-is-how-we-teach-writing. And when I read so much about drinking to excess I thought that the book was too backwoods-trash, but Bondurant nails it. Coming off his second novel, Wettest County..., I understood how alcohol figures so prominately in his writing. He hails from a line of moonshiners. There is not much I could identify with in the book. I landed in it like one of the migratory birds Bondurant writes so exceptionally well about and kept picking at his writing like the ravens on the island who circled the lambs and with a curiosity that did not have the sense to look away. Thank goodness for that.(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Johanna Garth rated it 4 of 5 stars

My book club meets next week and I'm looking forward to the conversation The Night Swimmer will generate. Beautiful and restrained, this book makes for an unlikely page turner but I found myself picking it up and reading late into the night.

The story of Elly and Fred's ill-fated attempt to run a small pub in a remote part of Ireland is filled with intrigue and mystery. Like so many of the best books, Bondurant leaves room for interpretation and imagination. The story, like life, doesn't end tied...more

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May 01, 2012 Mary Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but with huge qualifications. The main characters, Elly and Fred, were just sort of unbelievably stupid in some profound and unforgivable ways. Elly, a long distance swimmer, seems to have no other occupation other than following her charismatic husband. When he wins an Irish pub in a contest, they go off to the coast of Ireland where he proceeds to drink like a fish, trying to forget a tramautic 9/11 related incident, and she swims like a fish to keep herself busy.
There is...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

A beautifully written book that combined magical realism with the every day hardships of a floundering marriage. The main character is deep and interesting as are her Irish cohorts. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of three is that I couldn't put it down, however the ending is very sad and depressing. It is really difficult to get over the fact that you went through so much with these characters to only have disaster happen anyway. If your life is sucking at the moment I don't...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Jereme Gray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really quite liked this one. Propulsive quick pace with great climax. My only gripe, and I suspect this is probably to be fixed in later editions, was copy editing. My edition had those little niggling misspellings that spell check doesn't catch. Petal for pedal and shift for shirt. Maybe I am being a little nit picky. It certainly didn't take me out of the story.

Local island lore and scary townies created some palpable tension although I would have liked to have had a greater sense of that ten...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a pretty gripping tale, steeped in atmosphere and location. Elly and Fred win a contest that awards them a pub in Baltimore, a town in the extreme Southwest of Ireland. Elly is a swimmer who loves the open ocean, but what she finds on the island of Clear and the lighthouse island of Fastnet is something very strange that exposes the strengths and weaknesses of her marriage, and the strange history of the island.

This is a gripping book, with well-drawn characters and a solid sense of plac...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novel, about a young couple who won a pub in Ireland, was a fun read. Told from the wife's perspective, I got a sense of her as an open water swimmer in an exotic place and the excitement of making that place a home for her and her husband. Then of course it gets interesting as creepy things start to happen. The author does a great job of never really spelling things out, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks and wonder how things might have ended differently. This made a good enough imp...more

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Apr 12, 2012 martha rated it 3 of 5 stars

this book, i have to say, captivated me more than most. Loved the writing, the two main characters, and i was right in there till the end, but damn, all in all, no story. A couple win an irish pub in a contest, move there, she swims, the people don't accept them, and eventually they're done in by them. Is it even a story? There are all these times when it could be knitted together with these oddball characters or the history of the place. But he doesn't do it! You're left with an island, a storm...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Adam Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful and haunting novel, one whose characters are infused with a restless familiarity with dark fates. Ireland here is lush and brooding, and the open-water swimming scenes are dark and dazzling. Read the book for those alone. The soul searching and moral ambiguity of John Cheever opens each part of the novel via an epigram from his journals, and this prepares the reader for the ways transformation, both slow and sudden, becomes a major theme in the book.

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Nov 24, 2012 Andy Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved this book's passages on open water swimming, the author and narrator share that passion which makes the writing about Elly's long distance swims so effective. The swims also become integral to the plot both as an escape for her and later a tie in between her swimming goal while in Ireland and one of the mysteries that dominates the part of Ireland that she and her husband stay while trying to operate a pub won in a lottery.

However, the plot itself is as convoluted and sometimes fantastic...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Jackson Burnett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary

This book is like a European art film. Boudurant tells an interesting multi-leveled story, but at the end, you really aren't sure what it's about. Still, it's a fascinating story. This book should really get a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4. The book slows down in the middle and the protagonist alienated me along the way which almost made me quit reading. I also find it terribly obnoxious when an author doesn't use quotation marks (as Bondurant didn't) to indicate dialogue. It slows the reading...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think I'd recommend this book to others who enjoyed "The Wettest County in the World" with the understanding that it is totally different. I picked the book because I had read the first book and because I traveled to Ireland last year and wanted to see if any of the places I'd been were used in the setting of the book. "The Night Swimmer" was not what I expected but I am pleased with the read nonetheless. The characters are well drawn.

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Jun 06, 2012 Susan Dougherty rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story about a darker side of Ireland - the side that is clannish and secretive. Fred and Ellie are from Vermont and win an Irish pub in a contest. They move their lives to the Southern coast of Ireland where he takes on the running of the pub and she takes to the ocean to swim. Visitors might be welcome but outsiders who come to stay encounter a not-so-welcome reception from the locals. Dark and mysterious.

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11315385-the-night-swimmer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1304783328l/11315385.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11315385-the-night-swimmer?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Night Swimmer by Matt Bondurant[/url]

The Night Swimmer

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The Night Swimmer

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Books by Matt Bondurant

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Other Editions (5)