Learning to Swim: A Novel [Hardcover]

Sara J. Henry (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 22, 2011

"If I'd blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn't, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water."

When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. Harrowing moments later, she bobs to the surface, pulling a terrified little boy with her. As the ferry disappears into the distance, she begins a bone-chilling swim nearly a mile to shore towing a tiny passenger.
     Surprisingly, he speaks only French. He'll acknowledge that his name is Paul; otherwise, he's resolutely mute.
     Troy assumes that Paul's frantic parents will be in touch with the police or the press. But what follows is a shocking and deafening silence. And Troy, a freelance writer, finds herself as fiercely determined to protect Paul as she is to find out what happened to him.  She'll need skill and courage to survive and protect her charge and herself. 
     Sara J. Henry's powerful and compelling Learning to Swim will move and disturb readers right up to its shattering conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Troy Chance spots what she thinks is a small boy being tossed off the back of a passing ferry, she instinctively jumps into the icy waters of Lake Champlain. She rescues the youngster and discovers that his arms were bound with an adult sweatshirt. He’s incredibly frightened, speaks only French, and won’t tell her what happened. Troy determines that she will keep him safe rather than turn him over to the police. When he finally begins to confide in her, he tells a bizarre tale of being kidnapped, hearing his mother murdered by gunshot, and then being held for months. As Troy tracks down the boy’s father, she begins to question whether she will be able to let him go, since he has unleashed within her a maternal instinct she had no idea she possessed. In her debut, the first in a projected series, Henry proves herself to be a smooth and compelling storyteller. And her lead is highly appealing: an athletic, fiercely independent young woman who, like crime-fiction author Gillian Flynn’s feisty females, is capable of making delightfully acerbic observations. --Joanne Wilkinson

Review

“A single woman dives headlong from a ferry into Lake Champlain to rescue a child, and then must figure out what to do with him. Compulsively readable, this is all about what we do for love.”  —Boston Globe
 
“In Henry’s tense first novel, a young woman rescues a boy from the waters of Lake Champlain, only to see her unruffled life abruptly give way to an unfamiliar world of wealth, privilege and danger. ”  —The New York Times
 
“From the opening page, Learning to Swim is a terrific debut. This moving and insightful psychological thriller features the inspiring Troy Chance—an everywoman hero who women will admire and men will want to meet. I can’t wait for her next adventure.”
—Michael Robotham, bestselling author of Bleed for Me and The Wreckage
 
“Readers will root for Troy Chance from the dramatic opening of Learning to Swim right through to its surprising close. Move over, Kinsey Millhone.” —Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of The Wednesday Sisters and The Four Ms. Bradwells  
“Learning to Swim is a gut-wrenching, heart-thumping twist of the knife. A compelling tale of mystery’s holy trinity: love, loss, and betrayal.”  —Reed Farrel Coleman, award-winning author of Hurt Machine and Gun Church
 
“From its shocking opening to its stunning conclusion, Learning to Swim is a frightening ride. Sara J. Henry will quite literally take your breath away.”  —J.T. Ellison, award-winning author of Where All the Dead Lie and So Close the Hand of Death
 
“Learning to Swim is a thriller of the most thrilling kind—a smart and crafty story with whiffs of Rebecca that insists from the first sentence that you sit down and not stand up again until you've read the last word. Tell your loved ones to take care of themselves.”
—Quinn Cummings, author of Notes from the Underwire
 
“In her debut, the first in a projected series, Henry proves herself to be a smooth and compelling storyteller. And her lead is highly appealing: an athletic, fiercely independent young woman who, like crime-fiction author Gillian Flynn’s feisty females, is capable of making delightfully acerbic observations.” —Booklist
 
“Sara J. Henry’s debut starts with a bang—or, more literally, a splash—and doesn’t let up until the final page.” —BookPage
 
“Freelance writer Troy Chance, the protagonist of Henry's impressive first novel, impulsively, and literally, dives into trouble when she sees a youngster fall from a ferry boat on Lake Champlain. ... Henry adroitly handles Troy’s exposure to new emotions as she reexamines her life and relationships.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“A compelling plot, a pervading sense of foreboding, well-constructed characters.”  —Kirkus Reviews

 “Take a gulp of air before diving into Vermonter Sara J. Henry’s new mystery, because you’re likely to hold your breath for the whole first chapter.” —Rutland Herald “This debut novel is a stunner. This disturbing, moving, compelling book will keep readers engaged until the very last page. It is smart, intense, and full of unexpected plot twists.”—Tucson Citizen 

“Part mystery thriller, part family tragedy, part tentative romance, it succeeds on all levels.”—Knoxville News Sentinel

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307718387
• ISBN-13: 978-0307718389
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (142 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sara J. Henry's first novel, LEARNING TO SWIM, has been called "an auspicious debut" by Daniel Woodrell (WINTER'S BONE) and "emotional, intense, and engrossing" by Lisa Unger. It won the 2012 Anthony Award and 2012 Agatha Award for best first novel and the 2012 Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was nominated for the Barry and Macavity awards. The sequel is A COLD AND LONELY PLACE, which bestselling author Julia Spencer-Fleming calls "a deeply atmospheric, seductive read and a captivating literary mystery" and award-winning author Howard Frank Mosher describes as "a character-driven thriller set in one of the coldest and loneliest places in the United States: the Adirondack Mountains in mid-winter." Sara is a former Rodale editor and newspaper editor, as well as many other jobs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you up to navigating the deep end? February 27, 2011

By valentine03 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

LEARNING TO SWIM may be the best debut novel I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. It's written in effortless first person, and only moments into the first chapter I found myself thinking of myself AS the book's main character, even though her life and adventures are very different than mine.

Tucked within this thriller are meditations on the nature of family, how bonding happens, the dangers of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable - things you will take with you, when you climb out of the swift-moving river that is LEARNING TO SWIM.

Bring a towel.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Troy Chance could be my new favorite heroine! March 3, 2011

By T. Sutherland

Format:Hardcover

I heard about this book from Read it Forward and was lucky enough to win a signed copy in a blogger's giveaway.

"If I'd blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn't, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water."

If those two sentences grab you like they did me, go out immediately and buy this book! It is well-written, captivating, and ultimately an overall satisfying read. I love the way the author, developed the protagonist, Troy Chance. Troy's comments about being single, sleeping with dogs, and preferring male roommates made her seem like someone I'd hang out with. As a mother myself, I totally understood her quick and deep devotion to the boy she saved and her observation that all of it "seemed to make sense at the time."

I read this book in a little over 24 hours, in between working a full-time job and taking care of a four year old. Yes, it was that engrossing. In the world of TV episodes, this book could have ended at chapter 15, but knowing it was only halfway done, I could only wait for the other shoe to drop. On that note, I could totally see this book as a movie. (But would hate that because they always ruin books that way.) I've been talking about this book so much, that I already have three friends lined up to borrow it now that I've finished!

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense and moving February 22, 2011

By dcbooklover

Format:Hardcover

"If I'd blinked, I would have missed it." The opening sentence of the book in some ways summarizes one of the central themes of this book perfectly -- how, in the blink of an eye, your life can completely change. In this debut novel from Sara Henry, Troy Chance is a free spirit living unencumbered in Lake Placid, New York. On the ferry on her way to Burlington, VT she sees what looks like a child falling from the ferry crossing in the opposite direction. Acting on instinct, she dives into the water and rescues the child, a 6 year old named Paul. This kicks off a chain of bizarre events, when Troy realizes that Paul is a missing kidnapping victim from Montreal. Against her normal instincts to remain aloof and apart from emotional attachments, Troy becomes intensely involved in Paul's life in the aftermath of his reunion with his father, including actively investigating the kidnapping. Along the way, Troy is forced to acknowledge truths about her life, her emotional state and what she really needs in order to be happy and fulfilled.

Some books defy categorization. This is one of them. It is both women's fiction and mystery/thriller, both emotionally moving and suspenseful. The complexity underlying what could have been a pretty straightforward mystery novel makes this a truly unique reading experience. I read this book in a single day -- it has that intangible "something" that keeps you turning the pages even when your eyes are drooping and the hour grows late. I was happily surprised by how much I liked it.