Robin Schwarz – Night Swimming
Over the Course of a Year, Charlotte Clapp Sheds Pounds and Despair
Charlotte Clapp is due for a transformation: after being told she has a year to live, she quits her job of 15 years at the local bank, steals $2 million and escapes her humdrum town of Gorham, New Hampshire. But it is the lessons she learns and the people she meets on her journey that help Charlotte morph from an unhappy 253-pound felon to a beautiful, glowing woman.
Although Charlotte’s story sounds unremarkable and has all the makings of standard chick-lit fare, it is anything but. With Schwarz's gentle guidance, Charlotte’s tale is extraordinary; she is not a bumbling, overweight, humorous Bridget Jones-esque protagonist, but a generous, giving, vulnerable woman who must deal with the emotional fallout of her broken relationships.
Night Swimming isn’t a swift page-turner, but Schwarz’s descriptive storytelling steadily moves the plot forward. Like Kim Edwards’ The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Night Swimming is a book that can be enjoyed solely for the beauty of the writing, and Schwarz tells a great story.
From Loneliness to Love: How Charlotte Clapp Blossoms into Blossom
After absconding with $2 million in small bills, Charlotte heads to the Big Easy, leaving Gorham far behind. With nothing left to live for, Charlotte proceeds to do exactly that: live. She attends the funeral of Blossom McBeal, a woman who, according to her obituary, lived her life to the fullest. Inspired, Charlotte rids herself of her plain moniker and adopts Blossom’s name and mantra.
Blossom has a heart-to-heart with a local bartender, one who sheds light on her current unhappiness. He reveals to her that sadness is a part of a life, and it is impossible to have happiness without first experiencing sadness; it’s all about “getting honey out of a rock.” It is with this expression that Blossom bravely makes her way to Hollywood, land of the glitterati and paparazzi.
With each passing day in the Land of Dreams, Blossom grows emotionally stronger, heals old wounds and forges friendships with the eccentric Dolly Feingold and handsome Skip Loggins. She spends her nights swimming, casting off her pounds and sorrows. In her last year of life, Blossom is finally living; at least until Sheriff Makley from Gorham arrives to arrest her for bank larceny.
Themes: Forgiveness, Friendship, Love and Consequences
Blossom’s emotional and physical transformations alone are remarkable, but, as Schwarz shows, relationships are what make life valuable. Blossom must tangle with her past and present mistakes and the imprint each person in her life has left on her heart.
MaryAnn Barzini, Blossom’s estranged best friend, is the source of Blossom’s pain and guilt. With thegift of forgiveness, Blossom hopes to repair what may be irreparable damage. Dolly Feingold takes on the role of Blossom’s honorary mother, a wise and caring septuagenarian who teaches Blossom how to love herself. And Skip Loggins, the condo pool man, introduces Blossom to true love.
Friendship and love may be the foundations of Blossom’s metamorphosis, but reality has to set in eventually. Blossom is destined to face the consequences of her criminal actions, and it is only when she returns to Gorham that she is able to come to terms with who she is and what she has.
Schwarz, Robin
Night Swimming
Warner Books
2004
9780446694582
Night Swimming
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