As he arrives with his family at the villa in the hills above Nice, Joe sees a body in the swimming pool. But the girl is very much alive. She is Kitty Finch: a self-proclaimed botanist with green-painted fingernails, walking naked out of the water and into the heart of their holiday. Why is she there? What does she want from them all? And why does Joe's enigmatic wife allow her to remain? A subversively brilliant study of love, Swimming Home reveals how the most devastating secrets are the ones we keep from ourselves.
Swimming Home
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker PrizeA New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year"Readers will have to resist the temptation to hurry up in order to find out what happens . . . Our reward is the enjoyable, if unsettling, experience of being pitched into the deep waters of Levy’s wry, accomplished novel." —Francine Prose, The New York Times Book Review"Elegant . . . subtle . . . uncanny. . . The seductive pleasure of Levy’s prose stems from its layered brilliance." —Ron Charles, The Washington Post
"Here is an excellent story, told with the subtlety and menacing tension of a veteran playwright." —Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal
"Exquisite . . . Levy’s sense of dramatic form, as she hastens us toward the grim finale, is unerring, and her precise, dispassionate prose effortlessly summons people and landscapes." —The New Yorker
"Wholly new, fresh and yes, profound . . . [Swimming Home] floats like a wasp, and stings like one too." —Tucker Shaw, The Denver Post
“Ms. Levy is a stealthy storyteller, lulling us while busy scattering clues.”—The New York Times
"Here is an excellent story, told with the subtlety and menacing tension of a veteran playwright." —Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal
"Exquisite . . . Levy’s sense of dramatic form, as she hastens us toward the grim finale, is unerring, and her precise, dispassionate prose effortlessly summons people and landscapes." —The New Yorker
"Wholly new, fresh and yes, profound . . . [Swimming Home] floats like a wasp, and stings like one too." —Tucker Shaw, The Denver Post
“Ms. Levy is a stealthy storyteller, lulling us while busy scattering clues.”—The New York Times
“Levy winds her characters up and watches them go, and they do as most humans do, which is to mess up in the face of desire. Her novel is utterly beautiful and lyrical throughout, even at the most tragic turns….A shortlisted nominee for the Man Booker Prize, deserving of the widest readership.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Short, simple and haunting.”—Huffington Post, Editor’s Picks: Best Books 2012
“This perfectly written, expertly crafted short book…[is] so well done and so clever.”—Chicago Tribune, Printers Row
“Levy is a keenly attentive writer, alive to the hyperreal nature of things, her prose achieving a hallucinatory quality as things seem to float out of the characters’ minds and into the text … Levy manipulates light and shadow with artfulness. She transfixes the reader: we recognize … the thing of darkness in us all. This is an intelligent, pulsating literary beast.”—The Telegraph (UK)
“A statement on the power of the unsaid … Levy’s cinematic clarity and momentum … convey confusion with remarkable lucidity.”—Times Literary Supplement (UK)
“Witty and poignant.”—Sunday Times (UK)
“One of the finest new novels I have read (and already reread) in a long time … it radiates the sensual languor of sun-drenched afternoons in the south of France and the disquieting, uncanny beauty only perceived by a true daytime insomniac.”—The Guardian (UK)
“Allusive, elliptical and disturbing…Often funny and always acute…Swimming Home reminded me of Virginai Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Although a short work, it has an epic quality. This is a prizewinner.”—The Independent (UK)
“Swimming Home is a beautiful, delicate book underpinned by a complexity that only reveals itself slowly to the reader.”—Financial Times (UK)
About the Author
Deborah Levy writes fiction, plays, and poetry. Her work has been staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company and broadcast on the BBC. She is the author of highly praised novels including Beautiful Mutants, Swallowing Geography, and Billy and Girl. She lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
"Life is only worth living because we hope it will get better and we'll all get home safely." So says Kitty Finch, the central character in Swimming Home, a powerful, offbeat novel that explores the impact an intruding outsider has on the relationships of two couples who are sharing a vacation home in the Alps-Maritimes. Whether any of the vacationers will get home safely becomes the novel's burning question.
Philandering London poet Joe Jacobs (formally known as Jozef Nowogrodski), together with his wife Isabel (a war correspondent) and daughter Nina, are spending the summer of 1994 with Laura and Mitchell, the owners of a failing shop in Euston. The friends are enjoying the sun when they see a naked woman floating in the pool. The swimmer, Kitty French, isn't exactly stalking Joe Jacobs, but it's no coincidence that she's appeared at the villa. Isabel soon asks Kitty to stay on as a guest, a decision that surprises everyone else. Also vexed by Kitty's arrival is a neighbor, Dr. Madeleine Sheridan, who has an unhappy history with Kitty. Madeleine believes "human beings had to suffer real hardships before agreeing to lose their minds" and can find no excuse for Kitty's aberrant behavior.
Kitty clearly has mental health issues. She spends much of her time naked, she's off her antidepressants, and she was once institutionalized and subjected to shock treatments. Kitty seems determined to have Joe read a poem she has written ("Swimming Home"), which she describes as a conversation with Joe and no one else. Believing she has a psychic connection with Joe (she calls it a "nerve contact"), she wants to save Joe from his thoughts, while Joe wants to save himself from Kitty's poetry (and from her depression because, according to Joe, poems written by the depressed always constitute a threat). The text of Kitty's poem is not shared with the reader but its key content is revealed after Nina (perhaps the most well-adjusted of the book's characters) sneaks a peek at it.
Puzzling out the intriguing relationships between the characters is both difficult and rewarding. Why does Isabel (as Madeleine observes) all but push Kitty into Joe's arms? Why is Joe so hesitant to discuss Kitty's poem with her? Why does Madeleine need to be needed by Isabel? Why does Isabel stay with Joe? How does Joe really feel about Kitty? Can Kitty save Joe from his thoughts? Why is Nina so disturbed by what she sees under Joe's bed? Sometimes Deborah Levy answers the questions, sometimes she offers hints, sometimes she leaves the reader to speculate. Yet Levy plays fair; this is a tightly woven novel, not a collection of loose threads. With a bit of thought, every question can be answered to the reader's satisfaction.
Laura and Mitchell turn out to be minor characters but Kitty, Joe, Isabel, and Nina are developed in rich detail. Despite the novel's brevity, we come to know other minor characters well (including cantankerous Madeleine and a character we never meet, the owner of the vacation home). Although the story's harshness is softened with moments of wit and quirky humor, readers who search for likable characters and happy endings will want to bypass Swimming Home. The characters are coping (or not) with pain in ways that make them disagreeably self-absorbed. Many readers will nonetheless find, as I did, that the intensity of the characters' interactions, the lyricism of the prose, and the profound questions that Levy explores make Swimming Home a captivating read. If I could, I would give it 4 1/2 stars.
Philandering London poet Joe Jacobs (formally known as Jozef Nowogrodski), together with his wife Isabel (a war correspondent) and daughter Nina, are spending the summer of 1994 with Laura and Mitchell, the owners of a failing shop in Euston. The friends are enjoying the sun when they see a naked woman floating in the pool. The swimmer, Kitty French, isn't exactly stalking Joe Jacobs, but it's no coincidence that she's appeared at the villa. Isabel soon asks Kitty to stay on as a guest, a decision that surprises everyone else. Also vexed by Kitty's arrival is a neighbor, Dr. Madeleine Sheridan, who has an unhappy history with Kitty. Madeleine believes "human beings had to suffer real hardships before agreeing to lose their minds" and can find no excuse for Kitty's aberrant behavior.
Kitty clearly has mental health issues. She spends much of her time naked, she's off her antidepressants, and she was once institutionalized and subjected to shock treatments. Kitty seems determined to have Joe read a poem she has written ("Swimming Home"), which she describes as a conversation with Joe and no one else. Believing she has a psychic connection with Joe (she calls it a "nerve contact"), she wants to save Joe from his thoughts, while Joe wants to save himself from Kitty's poetry (and from her depression because, according to Joe, poems written by the depressed always constitute a threat). The text of Kitty's poem is not shared with the reader but its key content is revealed after Nina (perhaps the most well-adjusted of the book's characters) sneaks a peek at it.
Puzzling out the intriguing relationships between the characters is both difficult and rewarding. Why does Isabel (as Madeleine observes) all but push Kitty into Joe's arms? Why is Joe so hesitant to discuss Kitty's poem with her? Why does Madeleine need to be needed by Isabel? Why does Isabel stay with Joe? How does Joe really feel about Kitty? Can Kitty save Joe from his thoughts? Why is Nina so disturbed by what she sees under Joe's bed? Sometimes Deborah Levy answers the questions, sometimes she offers hints, sometimes she leaves the reader to speculate. Yet Levy plays fair; this is a tightly woven novel, not a collection of loose threads. With a bit of thought, every question can be answered to the reader's satisfaction.
Laura and Mitchell turn out to be minor characters but Kitty, Joe, Isabel, and Nina are developed in rich detail. Despite the novel's brevity, we come to know other minor characters well (including cantankerous Madeleine and a character we never meet, the owner of the vacation home). Although the story's harshness is softened with moments of wit and quirky humor, readers who search for likable characters and happy endings will want to bypass Swimming Home. The characters are coping (or not) with pain in ways that make them disagreeably self-absorbed. Many readers will nonetheless find, as I did, that the intensity of the characters' interactions, the lyricism of the prose, and the profound questions that Levy explores make Swimming Home a captivating read. If I could, I would give it 4 1/2 stars.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy is a work of beauty. Every year I read a novel or two that take my breath away with their prose. Last year those were Please Look after Mom by Kyung-sook Shin and On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry. So far this year, this was the only book I've read and thought: wow! I'm sure I'll squeeze another one in before 2012 expires.
What did I like about this novel? Well, it would be easier to say what I did not like; the fact that I wasn't the one to write it.
At first the story seems quite simple. A couple, Joe and Isabel, a poet and his war correspondent wife, arrive for a holiday in the hills above Nice, France, accompanied by their young daughter and a friendly couple. So far so good, one would say. The thing is though, that there's more to this group of people that at first meets the eye. To start with the poet he is an egocentric man who's in love with his own voice and a womanizer. His wife doesn't really like him anymore, and seems to be looking for a way to break up the marriage. The other couple hides a big secret, and as for the daughter, well, to put it in a Chinese proverb way: she was cursed to be born in interesting times, and under unusual circumstances.
Things get even more complicated when Kitty Finch, a young and almost ethereal woman, shows up all of a sudden in their holiday villa. She claims that there was a mix-up in the reservation dates and now she has no place to stay.
Well, normally, given the setting and the circumstances, one would offer her a cup of tea and sent her on her way. Isabel though things differently, so she invites her to stay with them, knowing all too well that, sooner rather than later, Joe will go after her.
The daughter, 14 year old Nina, can't really understand her mother's decision, but she can't really question it, so she keeps quiet. Besides, she likes Kitty, with her green fingernails and her wide knowledge about flowers and plants, and the, to put it mildly, strange way she behaves.
Little by little the tension starts to mount in that holiday villa, but it's not so much the agony that the reader comes to enjoy the most but the author's masterful turns of phrase, the seemingly simple way she writes.
"Couples were always keen to return to the task of trying to destroy their lifelong partners while pretending to have their best interests at heart. A single guest was a mere distraction from this task."
Well, that says it all. But if you are wondering whether there's nothing more but beautiful language in this novel, I'd say, wait until you reach the last pages of it before you pass on a verdict. Even though the prose was good enough for me to proclaim Swimming Home as one of the best books of the year, the end did take me by surprise and made me think: That's how you write a story; a very good story.
Highly recommended.
What did I like about this novel? Well, it would be easier to say what I did not like; the fact that I wasn't the one to write it.
At first the story seems quite simple. A couple, Joe and Isabel, a poet and his war correspondent wife, arrive for a holiday in the hills above Nice, France, accompanied by their young daughter and a friendly couple. So far so good, one would say. The thing is though, that there's more to this group of people that at first meets the eye. To start with the poet he is an egocentric man who's in love with his own voice and a womanizer. His wife doesn't really like him anymore, and seems to be looking for a way to break up the marriage. The other couple hides a big secret, and as for the daughter, well, to put it in a Chinese proverb way: she was cursed to be born in interesting times, and under unusual circumstances.
Things get even more complicated when Kitty Finch, a young and almost ethereal woman, shows up all of a sudden in their holiday villa. She claims that there was a mix-up in the reservation dates and now she has no place to stay.
Well, normally, given the setting and the circumstances, one would offer her a cup of tea and sent her on her way. Isabel though things differently, so she invites her to stay with them, knowing all too well that, sooner rather than later, Joe will go after her.
The daughter, 14 year old Nina, can't really understand her mother's decision, but she can't really question it, so she keeps quiet. Besides, she likes Kitty, with her green fingernails and her wide knowledge about flowers and plants, and the, to put it mildly, strange way she behaves.
Little by little the tension starts to mount in that holiday villa, but it's not so much the agony that the reader comes to enjoy the most but the author's masterful turns of phrase, the seemingly simple way she writes.
"Couples were always keen to return to the task of trying to destroy their lifelong partners while pretending to have their best interests at heart. A single guest was a mere distraction from this task."
Well, that says it all. But if you are wondering whether there's nothing more but beautiful language in this novel, I'd say, wait until you reach the last pages of it before you pass on a verdict. Even though the prose was good enough for me to proclaim Swimming Home as one of the best books of the year, the end did take me by surprise and made me think: That's how you write a story; a very good story.
Highly recommended.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Miss Bonnie
Format:Paperback
"Life is only worth living because we hope it will get better and we'll all get home safely."
After spotting this on Netgalley I found myself intrigued but ultimately willing to wait for it to be published. A few days later the Shortlist for the 2012 Man Book Prize was announced and Swimming Home was included, so I decided it was fate that I stumbled upon this book yet again so I went ahead and snagged it.
Kitty, botanist, poet, and part-time exhibitionist suffering from depression, travels to France to meet poet Joe Jacobs who she insists she has a connection with. His wife, Isabel, inevitably gets invited to stay with him and his family and the couple that traveled with them. Isabel Jacobs, a war correspondent, is married to Joe; however, their marriage is in shambles and is obvious to anyone in their proximate vicinity. It is unclear to everyone why Isabel would allow such a girl as Kitty to stay with them, especially considering her obvious fascination with Joe.
"When Kitty Finch took her hand off the steering wheel and told him she loved him, he no longer knew if she was threatening him or having a conversation."
Swimming Home is a short yet trying read that could almost be considered a novella or even a vignette; a snapshot of that fateful week in France. The writing was intermittently lovely but I found myself unclear as to where the story was going. I can't help but feel I'm lacking in something by not being able to appreciate these 'literary masterpieces' as they should be. Comments were made by the judges of the Booker Prize this year that they're steering clear of mainstream books and that readability isn't high on their list of importance. Sir Peter Stothard was quoted as saying: "I felt very, very strongly that I wanted to avoid that thing where people say, `Wow, I loved it, it's terrific'." Suffice it to say, I did not finish this book and say, "Wow, I loved it, it's terrific," so I guess they got something right. I think it's safe to say I won't be venturing into anything else this man considers 'literary masterpieces', they're simply not for me.
After spotting this on Netgalley I found myself intrigued but ultimately willing to wait for it to be published. A few days later the Shortlist for the 2012 Man Book Prize was announced and Swimming Home was included, so I decided it was fate that I stumbled upon this book yet again so I went ahead and snagged it.
Kitty, botanist, poet, and part-time exhibitionist suffering from depression, travels to France to meet poet Joe Jacobs who she insists she has a connection with. His wife, Isabel, inevitably gets invited to stay with him and his family and the couple that traveled with them. Isabel Jacobs, a war correspondent, is married to Joe; however, their marriage is in shambles and is obvious to anyone in their proximate vicinity. It is unclear to everyone why Isabel would allow such a girl as Kitty to stay with them, especially considering her obvious fascination with Joe.
"When Kitty Finch took her hand off the steering wheel and told him she loved him, he no longer knew if she was threatening him or having a conversation."
Swimming Home is a short yet trying read that could almost be considered a novella or even a vignette; a snapshot of that fateful week in France. The writing was intermittently lovely but I found myself unclear as to where the story was going. I can't help but feel I'm lacking in something by not being able to appreciate these 'literary masterpieces' as they should be. Comments were made by the judges of the Booker Prize this year that they're steering clear of mainstream books and that readability isn't high on their list of importance. Sir Peter Stothard was quoted as saying: "I felt very, very strongly that I wanted to avoid that thing where people say, `Wow, I loved it, it's terrific'." Suffice it to say, I did not finish this book and say, "Wow, I loved it, it's terrific," so I guess they got something right. I think it's safe to say I won't be venturing into anything else this man considers 'literary masterpieces', they're simply not for me.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tricky narrative, which seems to float elusively around the reader's...
The first thing one reads in this book is an incredibly pretentious introduction with references to Sylvia Plath, Kafka, Robbe-Grillet, the "emotional and cerebral choreographies... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Alan A. Elsner
1.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to follow and no point in it!
Again, hard to follow and no point. This kind of writing seems to have a secret purpose that only a few special readers "get" and I don't care to waste my time on it.
Published 10 days ago by Pinkjannie
2.0 out of 5 stars
A little boring
Reading page after page without anything interesting happen. When young people are involved you expect more action. The original idea was good though.
Published 10 days ago by DIMOKRITOS AMALLOS
5.0 out of 5 stars
a wonderful book
I loved it, everything about it, every word, every thought, every detail. It's exquisitely written by a master play-write.
I will now read other works by Deborah Levy
I will now read other works by Deborah Levy
Published 17 days ago by galina elisman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for me
I didn't like it. Period. There was minimal character development with some of the key characters. I had to work at finishing it and was sorry I bought it.
Published 23 days ago by Mary M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Safely home
Significant in the brief novel is the desire for the comfort of safety in a relationship. A convoluted theme waives logic in favor of redemption.
Published 24 days ago by savvy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Opening the Car Window to Hear Insects
On the cover is a review by The Telegraph (UK)--"A stealthily devastating book . . ." This novella is more like a slow chess game under a chestnut tree in the corner of a public... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Dennis H. Zeunert
1.0 out of 5 stars
13 Reasons NOT to Read "Swimming Home"
1. The characters are not at all likeable.
2. I could not identify with one single character.
3. The characters are not well differentiated from one another.
4. Read more
2. I could not identify with one single character.
3. The characters are not well differentiated from one another.
4. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Literary Fiction Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy was like reading a poem, novel and play all in one. The language was utterly exquisite. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brenda
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well written with an unexpected ending
A great quick read that was insightful and thought provoking. I enjoyed the character development and descriptions. I would recommend Swimming Home.
Published 1 month ago by marilyn trad
