Customer Reviews

The Swimming Pool

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've seen early reviews of this book that call it many things to many people: beach reading. Airplane reading. Neither of them are true, at least not in the cliched sense. This book rises above easy categorization.

"Beach reading" carries certain connotations -- chiefly, an active plot and lightweight prose -- which is only true here as regards the plot, because the writing is lyrical and complex. The story is an active read, vivid and engrossing. The plot, without giving anything away, centers on an affair, a murder that has taken place in the past, and a second affair (this time, edgily, with the SON of the man with whom the woman had the first affair). But it's not your typical May-December romance, and it is the rippling repercussions of the family secrets that give the story depth and nuance, and made it interesting to me.

Here's why: The subtlety of the writer's perceptions, and expression of each character's grief and needs, provide the depth that kept me rooted and reading. The family relationships -- parents to their children, siblings to one another and to the memories of their deceased parents -- are rich. The resolution of the mystery at the end is important, but for me wasn't the most important thing: It was seeing the conflicted emotions and baggage of each character, which sidesteps easy judgments of people making poor decisions.

While a brief synopsis of Holly Lecraw's debut might lure you into believing that "The Swimming Pool" is a steamy summer page-turner--it is, in fact, something far more intriguing. Beginning with an unlikely and dangerous affair, Lecraw charts a turbulent, but inevitable, path that rips apart two families. But more important than the crimes of the flesh and their immediate repercussions, "The Swimming Pool" picks up years later with a haunting story of loss, regret, and those damaged in the wake of past events. In a surprisingly subtle narrative, Lecraw interweaves past and present to create a disturbingly candid portrait of individuals caught up in deceit and emotional crisis.

The driving force of "The Swimming Pool" is provided by a modern day liaison between Marcella Atkinson and Jed McClatchey. Marcella and Jed's father had an assignation of their own in the past, and it is this knowledge that draws Jed to Marcella initially. They find something surprising and redemptive together, but due to history--it's hard to imagine that anything will ever be validated publicly. For Marcella's affair with Jed's father had serious consequences--one of which may or may not have been the murder of his mother. With Jed's father dying shortly thereafter and Marcella's own marriage disintegrating at about the same time, there is much to regret. And these regrets keep Marcella and Jed's relationship a secret by necessity--both from Marcella's estranged husband and daughter and Jed's unstable sister.

I tried not to make "The Swimming Pool" sound lurid, but with only limited success. But don't be put off--it is, in fact, a tasteful examination of responsibility and family. All of the characters are well drawn and each is, knowingly or not, tied inextricably to the events of a summer many years ago. Delicately rendered, "The Swimming Pool" makes a powerful and compelling case that to extricate ourselves from a web of lies is infinitely harder than to choose correctly in the first place. It is these foibles that make us human. But they also have the power to wreak havoc on those we hold dear. Lecraw doesn't shy away from showing this damage, and this provides the heart and soul of her memorable book.

Some books that I read draw me in so thoroughly that the struggles, hopes, fears, and tragedies of the characters become my own. I feel linked to those characters, emotionally invested in them, and I continue to read in the hopes that they will resolve their problems in the end. Then, there are other books that, during the process of reading them, make me want to reach into the pages and shake some sense into the characters. I become impatient with the blindness of those characters, irritated with their inability to see what is right before them. The Swimming Pool belongs to that latter group.

The writing of The Swimming Pool was very deep, and I often felt that the author was really walking a fine line, but I also felt that, ultimately, she crossed it. I could certainly identify with why the characters felt as they did, but their emotions sometimes just struck me as over the top. To be fair, as a reader, we are very much inside the heads of these characters, and it's fair to say that if we could actually be inside the head of another human being--say, our neighbor--we might find that what's in there is shockingly more dramatic than what is on the outside. Still, while I think the psychology described was conceivable, I couldn't suspend my disbelief, particularly when it came to the character of Callie. It is so obvious that she is just not right, and yet her brother and husband don't do anything about it. While I can understand wanting to bury your head in the sand when faced with something unpleasant, I found myself becoming really angry with Jed and with Billy for their inertia.

Which leads me to the real problem I had with this book: I just didn't connect with any of the characters. There was no point where I felt like I was really seeing things through their eyes. Instead, I felt like an observer. I couldn't really sympathize with any of the characters, and so their behavior was just frustrating. I'm not sure any of the characters were meant to be entirely sympathetic, but they pretty much all felt just very self-indulgent to me. This was so true that when a big secret is revealed, I was utterly unsurprised by it. And, yet, I didn't actively dislike the characters either, really. This is where the book really failed for me. By leaving me unable to engage with the characters, either by liking them or disliking them, I was ultimately indifferent to the novel as a whole.

The plot was also, to me, quite contrived. It felt like each event that happened was created specifically to enhance the drama even more. I would have found it a lot more interesting had more of the events struck me as coincidental. Instead, it felt to me as if the novel was written in such a way that its outcome was preordained and everything that happened before it was a building block in that construction. While I certainly think that most authors have a conclusion in mind when they write, it is necessary for me, as a reader, to feel like the plot grows organically and for it to take me in unexpected directions. That didn't happen for me with this book because everything felt rather formulaic. LeCraw does write well, but her writing is overshadowed by the shortcomings of this novel.

Cape Cod in the Summer, Illicit Entanglements, Family Secrets, Murder Mystery - these are all present in The Swimming Pool, the debut novel by Holly Le Craw. And generally these are all elements of a must read summer novel. Additionally, the book is beautifully written and, with the single exceptions of the murder victim Betsy McClatchery and her son-in-law Billy, the characters are all fully developed. In short, I so wanted to love The Swimming Pool, but . . . I didn't.

While I have no problem with a few loose ends and drawing my own conclusions at the end of the novel, but here the loose ends seemed unsatisfying. Without giving away any spoilers, it was never clear to me why (as opposed to who which is clear) the murder victim was ultimately killed. I also had difficulty relating to Marcella Atkinson's affair with Jed McClatchey, the now grown son of her deceased former lover Cecil Atkinson. Although I do understand what the author wants the reader to believe - that their mutual grief brought them together - it seemed like a funny way of grieving to me. Particularly, as Marcella was significantly older than Jed I felt like she should have been more mature. Moreover, she later learns that her college daughter, Toni, who doesn't know her mom is "dating" Jed, also has an unrequited crush on him. While I don't need to approve of the characters' actions to enjoy a novel I do need to relate, at some level, to their actions and for me Marcella and Jed's affair just seemed tawdry.

There were, however, aspects of the novel I did enjoy. The post-partum depression that Callie, Jed's sister, suffered from was very believable. According to an interview, this part of the novel was based, in part, on LeCraw's personal experience. I also enjoyed the detailed passages depicting Cape Cod. Le Craw was able to make it come alive to me even though I have never (yet) visited the area.

In sum, while The Swimming Pool ultimately didn't work for me it may work for other readers as there was enough to keeping me reading until the end.

Publisher: Doubleday (April 6, 2010), 320 pages.

Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.

I very much enjoyed this book and was able to really get in the head of the characters. I loved the fact that it took place in areas that I am familiar with - from Wellesley to the Cape to Atlanta. The author should be so proud for having this as her debut book. She allows for you to create your own images of the characters - you don't get caught up in mundane descriptions or too much obvious detail. You get to use your imagination.

I would not classify this book as a beach read (although aren't all books good to read on the beach?!) or a murder mystery. It is the story of a family and their relationships - getting through various struggles in their own ways. It is an easy read though heavy topics and emotions.

I would highly recommend this book!

I made it through about 30 pages of the book. It was recommended by a friend who is 36...I am 66 and I should have known better. I was irritated beyond belief by the formulaic, sappy premise of what is being touted as a "riveting," "gripping" and psychologically complex novel. Why is it the characters in books of this sort are always well-off/pretty/handsome/smart and visited by tragedy which of course they overcome. Why are they not stupid/fat/ugly/poor and still able to overcome a tragedy? I got as far as what's-her-names gorgeous legs/hair/eyes/skin tone, her perfectly lovely garden with nothing but the most stunning of flowers, her yearning when looking at a small child and last but certainly not least, her French press coffee maker (single cup only...oh how sad). I would love to know the age group of the five star reviewers. If I may regress a bit to childhood parlance....it began yucky and I'm sure would have only gotten yuckier....You need to add a No Star category for this one.

I think The swimming Pool is a wonderful book. A great first for Holly LeCraw. On the surface the plot keeps you turning the pages...eager to see how a scene develops and resolves itself. And yet there is something much deeper than the type on the pages....it is a story of family....of relationships...of parents and children....of life and its experiences, loss of a parent and birth of a child. You will be missing out on a wonderful new book if you do not buy this. It left me thinking about my own life and my relationships and eager to read another book by Holly LeCraw.

I loved the book. The ending left me a bit up in the air, but overall I couldn't put it down and was happy wiht the journey.

Holly LeCraw is a great writer. That said, based on plot alone, The Swimming Pool may be in line for the next Saturday night Lifetime movie. It really is unfortunate that LeCraw couldn't expand her mind more into an original, not so Lifetime-y plot, because, as I said...the woman can write. Some of the descriptions in this book are just magnificently done, and there never seems to be a point where the narrative lags. But really? A cheating novel? How many of those have we had? Nothing about the plot takes it to a level we haven't seen before, and the characters fit the plot. Meaning they're pretty one-dimensional. The main characters didn't strike me as likable at all, but maybe they weren't supposed to be. I'm not so sure. I don't know if anyone ever really comes off well in a novel where everybody is having sex with somebody else.

With that said, I couldn't base my rating on the plot alone. Holly LeCraw has a lot of potential, and if she sits down at the drawing board for a long time before writing her next novel, she seriously has a chance to be somebody. She has the talent, but if she keeps writing 'family drama', it really seems like a waste. Either way, The Swimming Pool's not a terrible book, and I'd recommend it as a beach/airplane/rainy day read. But not really much more.

The devastation and aftermath of family tragedy is at the heart of this story.

It begins around a swimming pool on a hot summer day in a village on Cape Cod. We meet friends, but specifically, we zero in on two couples: Cecil and Betsy and Anthony and Marcella.

What happens over the next few weeks and months will forever alter all their lives. First, inexplicably, Cecil and Marcella begin an affair.

Then later, on a November evening, death greets Betsy when she arrives home after an outing with friends.

Who is guilty of murder, and what set this chain of events in motion?

Years later, Marcella and Anthony are divorced. Cecil, too, has died, presumably of a heart attack. And Callie, a grown daughter of Cecil and Betsy has returned to the family's summer home. Soon, her brother Jed follows, to help her out while her husband is in the city during the week. She has just given birth to her second child, and she is obviously struggling.

Then Jed, who has been obsessed with Marcella ever since that first summer, begins an affair with her in her summer house a few miles away.

The past, the present, and the uncertain future all collide as events seemingly link together and questions are finally answered. Some questions, however, will always remain a mystery. And the guilt that blankets all their lives will forever remain in place.

At times I found it difficult to follow the transitions between the past and the present, but the story itself was compelling enough that I kept reading rapidly toward the ending. I would grant The Swimming Pool 4.5 stars.