Swimming by Nicola Keegan
Written in the first person, this book tells the story of how a girl (Philomena) who loves to swim tries to survive as her family falls apart. In a riveting voice, Philomena describes her gradual submersion into the world of competitive swimming as a means of escape from the disasters that befall her family. Growing up with a grieving agoraphobic mother, she becomes wholly focused on her life first as part of the local swimming team and then as part of the US National Team. She goes on to amazing success as a swimmer but eventually has to face and come to terms with the past she was trying to escape. Its a riveting and often funny read and the voice of Philomena is completely absorbing. The writing is superb throughout and the book never falters in pace. Interestingly the author was born in Galway but grew up in America. If you like pathos and humour in a story (in a Catcher in the Rye sort of way) you will love this book. Just ignore the gushing acknowledgements page at the back!
Patricia McAdoo
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