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Night Swim (praise)
"Like the adults in Rick Moody’s “Ice Storm,” the central couple in this novel of 1970s suburbia are remote alcoholics. “Love was something distant that retired to a room on the second floor,” Sarah, the 16-year-old narrator, says, referring to her stay-at-home yet absentee mother. This is a woman who makes a divot in the soil for her drink glass while tending her roses...This earnest debut centers on Sarah as she tunnels through new depths of loneliness...moving."
"Keener’s observations perfectly capture a certain kind of 1970s adolescence: the adults who tried too hard, the sudden appearance of a joint when in the presence of older cousins, the way a grownup party could spin from fun to disturbing in a blink. Most exhilaratingly, she taps into the thrilling moments when a girl of 16 can see her future, whether in music or books or a boy’s smile. Sarah watches her mother’s rose garden after her death. Like her children, some “bloomed haphazardly while some wilted,’’ a living symbol of what goes on, no matter what."
"Rooted in personal sorrow, this memorable debut will strike a universal chord with readers: "Life was full of befores and afters."
Keener is a big talent with a particular knack for detail and a finely tuned ear...she gives us a story that makes us cringe and lurch, laugh and, literally, weep. Her writing is never obvious, yet her lyrical prose will wow you. Even when describing the seemingly ordinary, Keener injects poetry. Sarah’s explorations allow readers to examine their own relationship with truth, sorrow, loss, longing and joy. Readers will be glad they dove into Night Swim.
"Jessica Keener's debut novel Night Swim is a masterfully told tale. Dysfunctional family dynamics are revealed in language evocative and honest, and her characters so well-drawn they could be our own kin.
The emotional depth of this novel has me constantly recommending it to friends in book clubs."
Night Swim (praise cont'd)
"It would probably be too glib to sum up Night Swim as "F. Scott Fitzgerald meets That 70's Show," but it's not that far off base. The incredible accuracy (and ever-growing emotional awareness) with which Keener captures the nuance and dysfunction of her parents' social lives is right up there with The Great Gatsby, only in this case we are seeing it through the eyes of a teenage girl. And she nails the heady, confusing time that the 70's were - both for children and parents - with an unerring authenticity and eye for detail. Speaking of detail, Keener's descriptive gifts are considerable, with amazingly insightful similes and descriptive phrases at every turn, without ever becoming flowery or self-indulgent.
Although the tone of the book is quiet, and the cast of characters relatively small, the book's scope is anything but small, touching on the many components that made that era such a turbulent time: class, race, sex, drugs, music, and war. All in all, Night Swim is a thoughtful, satisfying read, and highly recommended. Truly a debut novel to be proud of." Amazon 5 star review
“vivid…dreamlike quality. Keener's evocation of a young woman coming into her own is … moving.”
About Night Swim
"Set in 1970's Boston high-society, Night Swim tells the tale of the Kunitz family, who hide their deep tensions behind a shimmering facade of parties and affluence before tragedy breaks their stable dance."
(Brookline Booksmith)
Feature articles
About a hundred feature articles published in The Boston Globe and other national magazines. Google my name as Jessica Keener or Jessica Brilliant Keener |
