Swimmer

by Bill Broady

This novel charts the life of a girl who becomes besotted with butterflies and swimming on the same holiday when an infant, then grows up to become a world-class swimmer before, at 19, obsolescence overtakes her with disorienting haste.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Rue Baldry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in 2 days (despite what the ‘dates read’ imply - it took me 3 months to start it). Broady is now a poet and I can see how he might have made that progression since 2000. This novella felt to me like an elongated prose poem.

It’s written in past tense, second person (‘you did that’ etc). This would have made for an interesting short story but it gave a story this long too sustained a feeling of dissociation. Broady writes intense descriptions well, and captures a passive feeling that life is happening to the central character. There isn’t quite enough variation of tone, though. I never got a full sense that I knew how the swimmer felt.

It’s a very interesting story to tell. A little girl obsessed with flying takes up swimming as the next best thing, sacrifices her childhood to become an international athlete, and ends up burnt out and trying to make ‘medal-winner’ a career by the time she’s twenty. Broady is cynical about coaches, managers, policemen, in fact men in general. The only nice ones seem to be gay. Everyone fails the protagonist, which doesn’t quite seem realistic. I would have liked more variation of character, too.

This is worth reading for the beautiful descriptive prose and the images of butterflies etc

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η ζωή μιας νεαρής κολυμβήτριας... Από τα πρώτα χρόνια,τα χρόνια της νιότης και των επιτυχιών και η μετέπειτα πορεία της προς την ενηλικίωση και την μαυρίλα της ζωής. Μιας ζωής με τους συμβιβασμούς της και τα άσχημα της. Ένα κορίτσι που το μόνο που ήθελε ήταν να κολυμπήσει η και να γίνει πεταλούδα; Πως κάτι το οποίο αγαπάμε και παθιαζόμαστε με αυτό, γίνεται τελικά ο λόγος γέννησης της παράνοιας και της κατάρρευσης μας;

[Georgia Kapitsaki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Αν και ξεκιναει ωραια το βιβλιο αυτο απο καποιο σημειο και μετα χανει καθε ενδιαφερον. Μαζι με την παρανοια που συναντα την ηρωιδα μαλλον φευγει η εμπνευση του συγγραφεα. Το τελος δεν εχει νοημα. Αξιζει να το διαβασει κανεις για το πρωτο ενα τριτο του βιβλιου.

[Aishu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Struggling to write this review because 4/5 doesn't feel accurate but I also can't bring myself to go down to a 3. At times it felt like trauma for the sake of it, but these kinds of experiences are not unheard of. Later on in the story you can really see how they have shaped this complex character's fall from grace. The 2nd person voice was a bit tedious but did convey the depth of the main character's perspective and mental state well. Enjoyed the recurring butterfly theme. For the first 2/3rds I was on the verge of a DNF but the last 50ish pages really turned it around.

[Cristina]

...muscoli che non conoscevi ti venivano presentati tramite il dolore.....
Mi sono ritrovata molto nella prima parte del libro dove descrive il rapporto di unione con l'acqua. Dove racconta degli allementi pazzi.
Dove spiega come si sente tanto distaccata dalle altre rafazze della sua età e dalle loro frivolezze.

[Harryjazz pendergrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure why this book isn’t better known. The unique second-person writing style is very indicative of its story. The loss of self from a once great swimmer to a crazed mental patient. I had to re read after finishing to grasp the ending. I loved this book

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

great stuff. I’m drawn to books about swimming for some reason and like this is no different, interesting when she speaks about her life adjacent to swimming