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Swallow
"You wake up, and your sister is dead."
With an absent father and their mother constantly ill, sisters Darcy and Carly Nolan were forced to rely on each other growing up. While unpredictable Carly bounced around, her life's direction uncertain, Darcy fell in love, went to University, and moved to another province. When nineteen-year-old Carly unexpectedly kills herself, Darcy is left to carry the burden of their childhood memories forward alone. The pain of these memories overwhelms Darcy as she struggles to unravel her own feelings of guilt, and to make sense of her sister's death--as an act of destruction, of misery, but also of love.
With an absent father and their mother constantly ill, sisters Darcy and Carly Nolan were forced to rely on each other growing up. While unpredictable Carly bounced around, her life's direction uncertain, Darcy fell in love, went to University, and moved to another province. When nineteen-year-old Carly unexpectedly kills herself, Darcy is left to carry the burden of their childhood memories forward alone. The pain of these memories overwhelms Darcy as she struggles to unravel her own feelings of guilt, and to make sense of her sister's death--as an act of destruction, of misery, but also of love.
- GenresLiterary FictionCanada
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Theanna Bischoff
3 books15 followersTheanna Bischoff is a novelist, creative writing instructor, and freelance editor who currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. She is the author of two novels: Cleavage (NeWest Press, 2008), which was shortlisted for both the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book – Canada & the Caribbean, and the 2009 Re-Lit Awards; and Swallow (NeWest Press, 2012). Theanna holds a Concentration in Creative Writing from the University of Calgary (2006) and a PhD in Educational Psychology (2013). She is also the co-author of a commentary entitled “Social Cognition in the Literary Arts.”
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 28, 2013
I found this book sitting on the new arrival shelf at the National Library and Archives of Quebec on one gorgeous Sunday. I was taking my sister there; another one of my attempts to try and get her to like books… (Mission failed, but I won’t give up.) The beautiful cover caught my eye, and then the title, so simple, Swallow.
I had never heard of the author, Theanna Bischoff, but when I saw she was a Canadian author, I couldn’t resist and check it out from the library, even though I have a mountain of books on my nightstand. It’s nice to read books about places you know.
The writing style was absolutely delightful. I had read a few YA novels before this one, and the elegance of the writing was welcome. The story is told in one of those sad and nostalgic tons, with a tinge of regret. Something I really enjoy.
Darcy goes back and forth into her memories, sometimes she’s in the present, sometimes in the past. The pace of the book isn’t slow, even though you could feel it is. It’s just laden with sadness (in a good way) and it flows really well. I can’t remember any long and unnecessary descriptions.
I could relate a lot to her life, and so this book brought back a lot of memories. It was definitely an emotional read and I enjoyed every pages of it. The length was also perfect. Not too heavy, not to short.
Full review over @ The Hungry Bookster
I had never heard of the author, Theanna Bischoff, but when I saw she was a Canadian author, I couldn’t resist and check it out from the library, even though I have a mountain of books on my nightstand. It’s nice to read books about places you know.
The writing style was absolutely delightful. I had read a few YA novels before this one, and the elegance of the writing was welcome. The story is told in one of those sad and nostalgic tons, with a tinge of regret. Something I really enjoy.
Darcy goes back and forth into her memories, sometimes she’s in the present, sometimes in the past. The pace of the book isn’t slow, even though you could feel it is. It’s just laden with sadness (in a good way) and it flows really well. I can’t remember any long and unnecessary descriptions.
I could relate a lot to her life, and so this book brought back a lot of memories. It was definitely an emotional read and I enjoyed every pages of it. The length was also perfect. Not too heavy, not to short.
Full review over @ The Hungry Bookster
January 10, 2014
The cover of this book quotes Angie Abdou, and she says "A touching and poignant tribute to sisterhood." And I couldn't agree more.
This novel is beautifully written, the language is beautifully wielded to form a perfect picture of a relationship between women. The sections are a bit scattered, but I never felt confused during my journey. It is laid out just like it should be, written from the viewpoint of a person recovering from a family suicide. Darcy thinks of snippets from her recent past, then her distant past; small things remind her of Carly in vivid, explosive ways.
I especially loved how different all the women were, and how we saw depression from inside this family, through the eyes of a child.
A fantastic read!
This novel is beautifully written, the language is beautifully wielded to form a perfect picture of a relationship between women. The sections are a bit scattered, but I never felt confused during my journey. It is laid out just like it should be, written from the viewpoint of a person recovering from a family suicide. Darcy thinks of snippets from her recent past, then her distant past; small things remind her of Carly in vivid, explosive ways.
I especially loved how different all the women were, and how we saw depression from inside this family, through the eyes of a child.
A fantastic read!
May 2, 2013
Swallow by Theanna Bischoff is a lush exercise in pairings, forged and broken, and multiplicities, often layers and layers of them. That this rich layering doesn't become affected or overpowering is testament to Bischoff's ability to keep the effects balanced against the clear, emotionally resonant account of a young woman coping with the sudden loss of a beloved sister and the unravelling around her of other relationships and support.
Read my complete review here: http://bookgagabooks.ca/2012/09/08/sw...
Read my complete review here: http://bookgagabooks.ca/2012/09/08/sw...
May 13, 2013
I read this book with no expectations whatsoever; I hadn't even read what it was about when I started.
But I was hooked from the beginning. I couldn't put it down, I had to know what had happened that lead to Carly's death.
I don't want to include spoilers here, but if you can get a copy, you definitely should! It's one of those few gems you find once in a while that is not only beautifully written, but also one that has a storyline you won't forget easily; a book that will touch your heart and stay with you.
But I was hooked from the beginning. I couldn't put it down, I had to know what had happened that lead to Carly's death.
I don't want to include spoilers here, but if you can get a copy, you definitely should! It's one of those few gems you find once in a while that is not only beautifully written, but also one that has a storyline you won't forget easily; a book that will touch your heart and stay with you.
December 6, 2012
Family dynamics, the good and the bad, unfortunately more bad than good. Mental illness, suicide, bearevment and the burden of guilt.
December 21, 2018
Darcy and Carly are being raised by a single mother in Toronto (their father abandoned the family when Carly was still a baby). Their mother's income as a waitress doesn't bring in a lot of money so the family doesn't have a lot. When their mother isn't working, she is snappy and hard on her daughters. Darcy, as the older sister, has to take care of her sister often but they are so different ... Darcy is more down-to-earth and responsible whereas Carly is more of a free spirit. They have an older cat-rescuing neighbour they call Papi (they adopt him as their grandfather) who looks after them when their mother isn't around and he provides some normalcy in their lives.
When Darcy moves out of the house to go to university locally, she feels bad about leaving Carly behind but she does what she has to do for herself. She and Carly talk and/or visit every day. This continues when Darcy follows her boyfriend, Patrick, to Calgary where they both go to school and eventually find work (Darcy as a teacher). Then Darcy gets the call that her sister has committed suicide. That destroys her world and she has a hard time coping.
This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked the writing style. It is written in first person perspective from Darcy's point of view. It jumps around back and forth in time but I found it fairly easy to figure out what the time period was given the content. As a head's up, there is swearing.
It's a depressing story and while I can't say I liked the storylines (as none were happy), it did keep me interested. There aren't really any likable happy characters (except perhaps Papi but he was still mourning the death of his wife who had died many years before). Darcy had no support and was trying to do the best she could with what she was given.
I'm assuming the title refers to the reference in the book that sailors, who often had to go away for long journeys, had tattoos of swallows. Swallows apparently symbolized hope for their safe return home, back to those they loved.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2018/12...
When Darcy moves out of the house to go to university locally, she feels bad about leaving Carly behind but she does what she has to do for herself. She and Carly talk and/or visit every day. This continues when Darcy follows her boyfriend, Patrick, to Calgary where they both go to school and eventually find work (Darcy as a teacher). Then Darcy gets the call that her sister has committed suicide. That destroys her world and she has a hard time coping.
This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked the writing style. It is written in first person perspective from Darcy's point of view. It jumps around back and forth in time but I found it fairly easy to figure out what the time period was given the content. As a head's up, there is swearing.
It's a depressing story and while I can't say I liked the storylines (as none were happy), it did keep me interested. There aren't really any likable happy characters (except perhaps Papi but he was still mourning the death of his wife who had died many years before). Darcy had no support and was trying to do the best she could with what she was given.
I'm assuming the title refers to the reference in the book that sailors, who often had to go away for long journeys, had tattoos of swallows. Swallows apparently symbolized hope for their safe return home, back to those they loved.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2018/12...
May 15, 2020
A heavily layered story of a woman coping with the loss of her younger sister and sifting through their difficult upbringing. The story is told in snippets of flashbacks mixed with current events.
Trigger warning: suicide, dealing with depression and other mental illnesses
Trigger warning: suicide, dealing with depression and other mental illnesses
June 8, 2019
Unrelentingly dark - even the bright spots can’t impact the void.
April 10, 2014
There was an old woman who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
Theanna Bischoff's novel Swallow follows Darcy in her journey of grief for her younger sister Carly. As Darcy tries to cope with her sister's suicide, she obsessively combs over the past, their childhood together, and her unintentional role in her sister's death.
In many ways I wanted just a little bit more from this novel. Although featured prominently in Darcy's thoughts and memories, I still felt distant to the character of Carly, a character who seemed more like a hollow shell of a person than a person herself. This might have been intentional, as a way to convey the distance moving in between Darcy and the dearly departed, yet I still felt that Carly was too underdeveloped, especially as her action of suicide was the focal point of the novel. In this way the bond of sisterhood was also undercut in places, and while I was glad sisterhood remained at the centre of the work, I found some strain in the relationship, mostly on Carly's end.
Darcy, on the other hand, felt like a very real person to me. Her move from Toronto to Calgary (my home city) really intrigued me. In many ways I think she represents her generation well as she attempts to leave home all the while uncertain about her relationship and her new career. Others may find her contemplative nature a little lurching in text, but I loved it, and really related to her personally.
I think in general familiarity was the greatest strength of Swallow. I loved how Bischoff included childhood rhymes I remember from my childhood, even a passage about public service ads for kids on T.V. I can still recall. As Carly and Darcy both grow up in the 90's (I'm a bit younger than they are), I found Darcy's flashbacks extremely familiar to me, but also nostalgic, even while little else of my childhood resembled Darcy's.
I think Swallow is a true gem of a novel. It's refreshing at times to read a text that does not attempt to tower over you, intimidate you, or demand too much of you. Swallow is humble, founded upon some of the common ground many of us Canadians forfeit when we read American or British lit. Characters like Darcy feel like someone we could be passing on the sidewalk, sitting next to at a bus stop - a strange sort of familiarity we might find in the strangers we also live among. I cherish this, and I hope you will too.
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.
Theanna Bischoff's novel Swallow follows Darcy in her journey of grief for her younger sister Carly. As Darcy tries to cope with her sister's suicide, she obsessively combs over the past, their childhood together, and her unintentional role in her sister's death.
In many ways I wanted just a little bit more from this novel. Although featured prominently in Darcy's thoughts and memories, I still felt distant to the character of Carly, a character who seemed more like a hollow shell of a person than a person herself. This might have been intentional, as a way to convey the distance moving in between Darcy and the dearly departed, yet I still felt that Carly was too underdeveloped, especially as her action of suicide was the focal point of the novel. In this way the bond of sisterhood was also undercut in places, and while I was glad sisterhood remained at the centre of the work, I found some strain in the relationship, mostly on Carly's end.
Darcy, on the other hand, felt like a very real person to me. Her move from Toronto to Calgary (my home city) really intrigued me. In many ways I think she represents her generation well as she attempts to leave home all the while uncertain about her relationship and her new career. Others may find her contemplative nature a little lurching in text, but I loved it, and really related to her personally.
I think in general familiarity was the greatest strength of Swallow. I loved how Bischoff included childhood rhymes I remember from my childhood, even a passage about public service ads for kids on T.V. I can still recall. As Carly and Darcy both grow up in the 90's (I'm a bit younger than they are), I found Darcy's flashbacks extremely familiar to me, but also nostalgic, even while little else of my childhood resembled Darcy's.
I think Swallow is a true gem of a novel. It's refreshing at times to read a text that does not attempt to tower over you, intimidate you, or demand too much of you. Swallow is humble, founded upon some of the common ground many of us Canadians forfeit when we read American or British lit. Characters like Darcy feel like someone we could be passing on the sidewalk, sitting next to at a bus stop - a strange sort of familiarity we might find in the strangers we also live among. I cherish this, and I hope you will too.
April 5, 2013
A great Read! Engaging storytelling, fully developed characters.
Merged review:
Captures the essence of sisterhood, mental illness, and Toronto and Calgary in the 1990's and the new millenium. Fully developed characters and engaging storytelling.
Merged review:
Captures the essence of sisterhood, mental illness, and Toronto and Calgary in the 1990's and the new millenium. Fully developed characters and engaging storytelling.
September 20, 2013
Reminds me a lot of Saleema Nawaz's Bone and Bread: two sisters, one dead, with the book about their tangled relationship and what it means to be sisters and to deal with the guilt and burden of being left alive. Nicely written.
May 14, 2013
An exploration of a relationship between two sisters. The plot revolves around sickness and how things come together and fall apart. One sister tries to uncover why her sister killed herself. This is a lyrical book that is divided between Calgary and Toronto.
February 17, 2015
What exactly is the point of this book? It's depressing from beginning to end, and the main character did not grow, change, or learn at all. And the style it was written in was nerve-racking; and I'm not talking about the flashbacks, but rather the loooooooong chapters and those annoying &'s.
June 16, 2013
Not bad for an early novel. The characters were good and the storyline compelling but I thought the ending left much to be desired.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews