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Swimming in the Dark

Tomasz Jedrowski (Goodreads Author)

4.19 · Rating details · 315 ratings · 99 reviews

Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political dividea stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of Andre Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.

When university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a ...more

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ebook, 208 pages

Expected publication: April 28th 2020 by William Morrow

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· 315 ratings · 99 reviews

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Jan 27, 2020 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, queer

when the dedication almost makes you cry, you know you're in for a good one

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Oct 14, 2019 Elyse Walters rated it really liked it

Swimming in the Dark is a debut novel by Tomasz Jedrowski a graduate from Cambridge University and the University of Paris. Born in Germany to college parents, he has lived in several countries, including Poland, and currently lives outside Paris, France.

This tender-compassionately-told story is set in the early 1980s Poland.set against the violent decline of communism.

At the very beginning of the story we are introduced to a memory from when Ludwik, (in his 20s), was a young 9 year old boy ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Anna Luce rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites, favourite-romances, favourite-characters, cover-love, loved-it, my-feelings, netgalley, poignant-reads, favourite-protagonists, 2019-reviews

★★★★✰ 4 stars

Its best to start with the beginningor at least what feels like it. I realise now that we never much talked about our pasts. Maybe it would changed something if we had, maybe we would have understood each other better and everything would have been different. Who can say?

Swimming in the Dark is a strikingly elegiac novel. The story, in its broadest terms, explores a young mans identity and sexuality under Communist Poland.
In December 13th 1981 martial law is declared in the ...more

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Sep 22, 2019 anna (½ of readsrainbow) marked it as unreleased · review of another edition

Shelves: polish, 2-lgbt, 2-mlm, 1-historical, polish-lgbt, 5-adult-lit, pub-2020

i'm a polish gay and i deserve to read this novel abt historical polish gays as soon as possible, thanks for agreeing @ edelweiss

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Nov 05, 2019 Dennis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt, romance, historical-fiction, literary-fiction

Swimming in the Dark is Tomasz Jedrowski's debut novel, but this elegantly written queer historical fiction novel is so profound that you'd never know it. Set in Post-World War 2 Poland, the central character Ludwik is navigating life through communism while battling his own demons.

As Ludwik develops his distain for Poland's communist restrictions, he also comes to terms with his sexuality. The novel is written as an epic love letter or story to one of the most important people in his life, a ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Roman Clodia rated it liked it

An elegiac love story filled with melancholy and longing as the narrator struggles with sexual identity against the repressive background of Poland under Soviet rule. The writing flows easily but is spoilt at times through overwriting, especially in the figurative language and forced similes and metaphors. The details of everyday life in Poland are involving and I like that there's no miraculous ending. An intimate book with an emotive aura, simple but striking: 3.5 stars

ARC from NetGalley

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Mar 25, 2020 Jonathan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: queer-lit

I think I've said it before but there is a great opportunity now to be able to give gay men's lives some historical context in novels. This one is set in 1980 in communist Poland, around the time that the workers were first beginning to protest, and when being gay was mostly not accepted in society, and certainly an opportunity for blackmail by the authorities. The main character, Ludwik, meets Janusz at an agricultural labour camp which all students had to attend after their studies. A ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Erik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt

"Swimming in the Dark" is Tomasz Jedrowski's debut novel, and from the turn of the first page this story of young love, lost love, and dystopian realities will have you hooked.

Following Ludzio as he falls in love with Janusz all while confronting the ghosts of the USSR in 1980s Poland, this story shows life for gay people behind the iron curtain. This novel, though, is far more than just a love story; it's a story about the ways in which our politics and our position in society can shape, and ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 The Artisan Geek marked it as to-read

Shelves: bookcase

28/2/20
Got super lucky and found a copy of this book last week during my book scavenging hunt ! :)

You can find me on
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Feb 19, 2020 Ben Howard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, favourites-2020

Told from Ludwik Glowacki's perspective, as if he were writing a letter to Janusz. We follow them as their relationship on at and agricultural camp after their final year at university, and beyond as they begin their adult lives in Warsaw.

Having to keep their relationship secret and differing views of how to live under the Party understandably causes both men a considerable amount of strain.

The story is told in interweaving timelines; present day (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Eleanor rated it really liked it

Shelves: work-heywood-hill, lgbtq

Initially giving the impression of some kind of Aciman/Greenwell love child, Swimming in the Dark doesnt actually dispel that characterization so much as deepen it. Though I havent read Aciman, I dont think hes best known for being tremendously political; Jedrowski, on the other hand, is at least as interested in the effect of state repression on the growth and development of two mens minds as he is in its effect on their romance. Indeed, he makes it clear that the two things are sort of the Initially giving the impression of some kind of Aciman/Greenwell love child, Swimming in the Dark doesn’t actually dispel that characterization so much as deepen it. Though I haven’t read Aciman, I don’t think he’s best known for being tremendously political; Jedrowski, on the other hand, is at least as interested in the effect of state repression on the growth and development of two men’s minds as he is in its effect on their romance. Indeed, he makes it clear that the two things are sort of the same. Ludwik and Janusz meet at a camp for university students, meant to teach intellectuals about the joys of toiling on the land—for this is Poland in the 1980s, half a decade away from Lech Wałeşa and Solidarność. They’re irresistibly drawn to each other, Ludwik with a kind of halting nervousness, Janusz with something more like gracious acceptance, and at the end of the camp, they go on a walking holiday together. They become lovers almost immediately, with a sense of utter naturalness and simplicity. Upon their return to Warsaw, they maintain their relationship, but in secret; in communist Poland, homosexuality is up there with sympathy towards the decadent West as the sort of leaning that can get you into serious trouble. Ludwik, who early in the novel acquires a banned copy of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, is deeply frustrated by this repression. Janusz, by contrast, seems to see it as a necessary evil, the price a gay communist must pay for the satisfactions and rewards of being part of the state. The tension between these mutually exclusive attitudes will eventually render their relationship, and Ludwik’s continued habitation in Poland, impossible: the novel is focalized through his eyes and in retrospect, from the life he leads in New York in the late ’80s, watching news coverage of the revolution in his home country. We are meant, of course, to sympathize more with Ludwik, whose integrity will not be compromised, but Jedrowski is a good enough writer to gesture at the ways in which Janusz may not have made such a bad choice; he has almost certainly survived, his marriage to the fun-loving daughter of a high-ranking Party official both a protection and perhaps a thing enjoyable enough in itself. ...more

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Feb 21, 2020 Christopher Jones rated it it was amazing

For a first novel I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will look forward to seeing what else Tomasz Jedrowski pens ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ...more

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Feb 15, 2020 Aaron Yates rated it liked it · review of another edition

I found this book a bit frustrating. There was an opportunity to tell a different kind of story here and it almost gets there, but in the end it barely skims the surface of Polands political history and instead becomes another gay coming of age story that didnt really have anything new to say. ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 GabrielP (Deleboy) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

ARC provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Swimming in the Dark is the debut novel of Tomasz Jedrowski, the coming-of-age story of Ludwik Glowacki, who personally narrates the recollection of his story with Janusz, alternating it with bits of his childhood in the years of Soviet dominance and communist rule imposed after the end of World War II.

You were right when you said that people can't always give us what we want from them.

It's a good book. The author ...more

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Sep 22, 2019 noah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt, historical, boys-like-boys, arc

i cant wait for this to break my heart ...more

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Nov 13, 2019 Karim Boustani rated it really liked it

This book exceeded all of my expectations. A story of forbidden love, Jedrowski describes the life of a gay man living in Poland in the 70s-80s who falls in love with another man he meets at a summer camp. We follow the journey of a man who struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and who uses James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room" as an aid. The author does an excellent job of describing the struggles during the communist era in Poland. The harsh realities of the political landscape are ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Montana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, read-in-2020

Swimming in the Dark is a very beautifully-written elegy of a novel that impressively takes on a fair amount of weighty themes despite being rather slim in size. This book could have easily been two, three times its length, but I feel that that is one of its strengths; what it is able to accomplish in such few pages.

This book, like another reviewer here on Goodreads, really exceeded my expectations. I've seen a few comparisons to Call Me by Your Name on the internet, and while there are Swimming in the Dark is a very beautifully-written elegy of a novel that impressively takes on a fair amount of weighty themes despite being rather slim in size. This book could have easily been two, three times its length, but I feel that that is one of its strengths; what it is able to accomplish in such few pages.

This book, like another reviewer here on Goodreads, really exceeded my expectations. I've seen a few comparisons to Call Me by Your Name on the internet, and while there are certainly some tonal similarities between the two, I really admired the very broad scope of issues that Swimming in the Dark takes on, as I mentioned.

Beyond the very beautiful and tender (view spoiler) love story and journey of self-discovery, there are a lot of other thoughtfully-explored themes at play here, among them love in the form of friendship and family, loyalty (to others, to oneself, to one's country, government), what it is like to live under an oppressive political regime, the arbitrariness of privilege, and of course, freedom (from what, what it is, and can it ever really be obtained?)

I was very lucky to receive an advance copy of this book, and with it came an essay written by Tomasz Jedrowski about his inspirations for writing this novel that are in part based within his own life and experiences. Truthfully, I did not know a great deal about Poland or the political climate there in the last few decades prior to reading this book and was surprised by a lot of what I read, this book being set in a time that feels not so distant from our own. I liked what Jedrowski said in the closing of his essay:

As that peculiar mid-point between Berlin and Moscow, Polish society finds itself torn between tolerance and traditional values. But this conflict also mirrors a global phenomenon, one that spares next to no country. Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to draw strength and solace from the stories of others, and to share our own.

(view spoiler)

In short, this was definitely a strong start to 2020, and is certainly a novel that I will continue to think back on throughout the rest of the year.

4.5/5 stars ...more

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Feb 02, 2020 Alan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Weve always been a secret, Ludwik. Its just that until now there was no one to hide from.

OK, lets get the for fans of bit over with. Yes, there are echoes of Hollinghurst, of Aciman, of Philippe Besson. But the book that is at the heart of this new debut novel from Tomasz Jedrowski is James Baldwins Giovannis Room both in terms of its social politics and because the central characters both read the book during the course of the novel.

Set in early 1980s Poland, the story of twenty-two-year-old ‘We’ve always been a secret, Ludwik. It’s just that until now there was no one to hide from.’

OK, let’s get the ‘for fans of…’ bit over with. Yes, there are echoes of Hollinghurst, of Aciman, of Philippe Besson. But the book that is at the heart of this new debut novel from Tomasz Jedrowski is James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’ – both in terms of its social politics and because the central characters both read the book during the course of the novel.

Set in early 1980s Poland, the story of twenty-two-year-old Ludwik and the enigmatic Janusz is replayed by the older Ludwik as he writes perhaps a letter, perhaps just his memories, looking back at their brief relationship from his new home in New York. Sent to educational camp, they take off once it is over and spend an idyllic few weeks camping by a remote lake, falling in love and escaping from the real world. This moment of Edenic existence soon comes to an end as they have to re-enter the real world, and very soon the social and political upheaval of 1980’s Warsaw comes to define their relationship. As Ludwik becomes more and more involved in the resistance to martial law and social injustice, Janusz gets a job in the Office of Press Control and sees how he must ‘fit in’ with the political situation. This theme of the book gives it its strength, and as Ludwik tries to start a doctorate on the theme of racism in the (other) novels of James Baldwin – ‘Giovanni’s Room’ not being published in Poland – the parallels between the two works create a deeper structure to Jedrowski’s work.

As the relationship gets strained, and Ludwik finds himself caught up in a group of friends with power and influence, he and Janusz must come to terms with their sexuality, and make tough choices. When Ludwik makes the decision to apply for a passport in order to leave the country, past events come to haunt him and he has to fight for his freedom. The final resolution is as heart-breaking as it is inevitable.

Jedrowski is an interesting writer, and chose to write this in English rather than Polish. At times, perhaps as a result of a debut novel, the prose is a little overwrought, the metaphors a little too heavy-handed. But get past this and some of the writing is superb, handling the sensitive love affair with lyricism and real understanding. And, always, the spectre of Communist Poland lurks in the background, giving this an intellectual depth and a wider political context. This background gives a setting for a book that explores identity, sexuality and finding a space for being yourself. Touching, intelligent and well-written, this is a definite recommend. 4 stars, and I look forward to much more from this promising writer.
...more

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Jan 03, 2020 thebookiv rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Intimate, elegantly written, melancholic and my heart is definitely clenching uncomfortably, letting me know that I'm both sad and mad AF. Smooth, buttery prose reels you in, and then the story unfolds and it makes you feel feelings that do not dissipate after the book is done.

I'm thinking about Janusz and Ludwik and about the choices they'd made. I'm thinking about politics and scarcity and I'm thinking about the way these characters love. I really enjoyed the cadence of this read, and I think Intimate, elegantly written, melancholic and my heart is definitely clenching uncomfortably, letting me know that I'm both sad and mad AF. Smooth, buttery prose reels you in, and then the story unfolds and it makes you feel feelings that do not dissipate after the book is done.

I'm thinking about Janusz and Ludwik and about the choices they'd made. I'm thinking about politics and scarcity and I'm thinking about the way these characters love. I really enjoyed the cadence of this read, and I think Jedrowski did a great job offering real world glimpses into the way citizens were affected by the volatility of Poland's political climate at that time.

This was well written and lyrical and it kept me clinging to the wtfs of J and L. But I'm sad and angry now and I definitely don't like that, but I am happy to have discovered this author, though I'm still feeling scrunchy in the chest, so that might change.

Truthfully, this gay-love melancholy has been prevalent in much of the literature I have been reading lately, and my romantic heart can't take this gut wrenching for much longer. I honestly wish for a beautiful literary read where the two male protagonists find each other throughout tragedy and despair and power through devastating challenges together, whereby proving to the reader that there is a way for love to conquer all. That the possibility exists despite the odds, and that it is reasonable to hope for the best.

I'm really mad that this beautiful human, who wanted people to be free, to love whomever they chose, to be able to eat and to have access to healthcare, especially in an emergency, who had the courage to ask for love to accompany him on this journey of escape, had his story end in such a way. Like a cloudy, milky film obscuring the lens of positive new beginnings. It's almost not worth it, though I am perseverating on everything leading up to the ending, so in a good way any novel that compels radical thought and emotion is one that works.

Jedrowski is very talented so I am looking forward to what he has in store for us in the future.

Good debut regardless.

Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Dickon Edwards rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a tender gay romance / historical drama set in Poland in the early 1980s. All very pretty and touching and sad, but it loses a star for the scene in which Blondie is referred to as the name of the singer (ie Debbie Harry), not the band. No excuse for that, not even under communism.

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Oct 09, 2019 Ola rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, 2019

Swimming in the Dark is a beautifully sad love story. The kind I love the most. What makes this book special for me is the author - it's a book written in English, for British and American market, by a Pole brought up in Germany, who lived in Poland but now resides in France. Even more special, and what distinguishes this book is the subject - gay love in communist Poland.

The book is written as a letter, a story told by Ludwik about his experience as a young boy exploring his sexuality and ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Jeannie Zelos rated it liked it · review of another edition

Swimming in the Dark, Tomasz Jedrowski

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Literary Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)

I was kind of expecting romance from some of the early reviews and comments, although of course its not classed as romance under the genre headings.
Its not though, there is romance in it but its not a romance per se. Its written as a sort of autobiography style, and I guess for me a clue that it perhaps wouldn't be the style of writing I enjoy is the Literary Fiction tag. Swimming in the Dark, Tomasz Jedrowski

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Literary Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)

I was kind of expecting romance from some of the early reviews and comments, although of course its not classed as romance under the genre headings.
Its not though, there is romance in it but its not a romance per se. Its written as a sort of autobiography style, and I guess for me a clue that it perhaps wouldn't be the style of writing I enjoy is the Literary Fiction tag. Sometimes I find I enjoy this type of story telling, more often it seems to be more erudite, as if its aiming at style rather than substance and for me its more the story that's important, not so much the way its told.

This is beautifully written, almost poetic at times and I felt the sheer drudgery of life in Poland in the 80s, the daily grind to just survive that was the lot of most of the population. I can remember well the timing of Solidarność and Lech Wałęsa. I was in my early twenties, had a ringside seat so to speak, seeing nightly on the news here in the UK the progression of the movement.
Its not until reading this novel though that I understand just how tough life was for folk there. How difficult daily life was, the struggle to get enough to eat, to get medicines, to survive, and how oppressing it could all be.
I guess that's really what the issue is for me in enjoying the story, I read to be entertained and educated but I also feel there's enough drear in daily life, and I want a HEA, or at least the possibility from my reading. Here though I got a heart breaking story of two lads in love, but its a romance that had no way of ending well without taking a huge risk. I was almost in tears at the end for poor Ludwik, even for Janusz, as they really were living in a time and place where what they shared had little chance of lasting. Such a waste of love and life, and yet still in the world this type of issue is far too widespread.

Stars: Three, its a beautifully written tale, but the content was just too depressing for me to actually enjoy the story.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Murtaza Kuwarawala rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Title - Swimming in the Dark

Author - Tomasz Jedrowski

Genre - Coming of Age , LGBT

I had first come across this book when I was checking out a certain article on Goodreads and it was recommended one of the books to be read this year. A book that calls itself 'Call Me by Your Name' set in communist Poland attracted my attention instantly and when I got the opportunity to pick up the same, I did not hesitate and here is my take on it.

Swimming in the Dark is the story of Ludwick Glowacki who is on ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Catalina rated it it was amazing

Heartbreaking, raw, full of angst. Plus communism. There's nothing like being "different" under an oppressive political system who endeavours to control even the thoughts of its citizens. "It was the same anger and weariness I'd observed in my schoolteachers, those who struggle to believe in the system yet punished others for doing the same."
A slim but complex novel: a coming of age, sexual turmoil and coming to terms with own sexuality, a in depth portrait of Poland on the brink of overturning Heartbreaking, raw, full of angst. Plus communism. There's nothing like being "different" under an oppressive political system who endeavours to control even the thoughts of its citizens. "It was the same anger and weariness I'd observed in my schoolteachers, those who struggle to believe in the system yet punished others for doing the same."
A slim but complex novel: a coming of age, sexual turmoil and coming to terms with own sexuality, a in depth portrait of Poland on the brink of overturning the oppressive communist regime. It is very obvious that Jedrowski has "inside" knowledge of communism. There's something in the way those who suffered first hand under authoritarian regimes talk about their suffering. Maybe the right word is: authenticity. The geopolitical context touched me because it was too close to home. In fact Romania gets a few nods(a trip to Romania, as most of the time only trips to other socialist countries were allowed - and even those were not so easy to undertake. Snagov cigarettes that my maternal grandpapa was smoking even after the revolution!!).
In many ways it reminded me of Giovanni’s Room who features extensively in the novel. But at least Ludzio was no coward. 'Freedom?' you huffed, and smiled, as if you'd had the same conversation many times before. 'Having oranges and bananas every month of the year - is that freedom to you?' Your smile was gone.
'There is freedom in having what you want.' I said carefully, 'in choosing for yourself.'
He fought for his principals and for love. But having principals under such system means either prison/death or defecting. He had no other options...
All this time, I realise, I've lived like my departure was temporary, your words preventing me from ever really leaving or arriving. [...] I've held on to the idea of us, scanning faces for a scrap of something known, searching for the familiar in the alien. When really, the familiar had already turned alien, and home had ceased being home.
[...]
I want borscht and pierogi and warm poppy-seed cake, and I feel this as a vast cavernous emptiness inside me, a yearning for warmth. But it isn't painful at all. It feels like a promise ...more

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Mar 07, 2020 Liina Bachmann rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

3.5

This gay coming of age tale that takes place in 1970-1980's Poland (parallelly in the US) is a debut novel by German-born Tomasz Jedrowski. The novel rights auctioned apparently for a six-figure sum. I am not surprised because novels on the same subject have been popular for quite a while now (since the Aciman craze).
"Swimming in the Dark" has some fantastically beautiful metaphors and vivid imagery. The atmosphere of the Soviet era is perfectly captured. It is clear that Jedrowski is a ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Siobhan rated it really liked it

Swimming in the Dark is a love story set in Communist era Poland, in which two young men meet one summer at agricultural camp, but then must return to the realities of the city. Ludwik is just graduating university and is worried about the future, both his and the country's. When he meets Janusz they spend time adventuring through forests, swimming in lakes, and falling in love, but then they must return to Warsaw and their very different takes on their own lives.

This is a short, captivating ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Emily rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. Set in Poland in the 1980s, the story follows two young men as they fall in love against the backdrop of communism and social change. Its full of atmospheric scenes, great characters and dialogue. ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Judith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 !
this was amazing - I'm very excited about future books from Mr. Jedrowski ~

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Mar 08, 2020 Daren Kearl rated it liked it · review of another edition

I found this interesting for the historical background of life in Poland under the Soviet Union. I was familiar with the socialism inequality whereby party officials lived extravagant lives and the public queue for what they can get. The new aspect to this in the novel for me was having to hide who you were, to deny your true self because of the repressive regime but also to choose to live a lie in order to get on and be part of the problem.

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