The First Rule of Swimming

by Courtney Angela Brkic

When Magdalena learns that her younger sister has disappeared, she does not immediately panic. A free-spirit, Jadranka has always been prone to mysterious absences and she has never seen a future on Rosmarina, the isolated Croatian island where their family has lived for generations. But when weeks pass with no word, Magdalena leaves behind her Adriatic home and sets off to New York to find her sister. Magdalena's search begins to unspool the dark history of their family: from the brother and sister who fought as partisans during WWII, at a terrible price; to their children, forced to make devastating choices under the pall of the Soviet era; to their children, the sisters at the center of the novel, who carry the family's secrets in their blood. A haunting and sure-footed debut, THE FIRST RULE OF SWIMMING explores the legacy of betrayal and persecution in a place where beauty is fused inextricably with hardship, where nonconformity - especially by women - is stifled by cultural taboo, and where the lure of leaving is countered by the summons of family and home.

• ISBN10: 0316217379
• ISBN13: 9780316217378
• Publish Date: 28 May 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Little Brown and Company
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 337
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Content Warning: rape, child abuse, torture, fascist state, revolution.

Every time I wanted to quit, something finally happened & made me want to find out what happened next.

Eventually tried to DNF it and read the ending but it didn't make any damn sense so I went back to reading it.

Now that it's over and some time has past I can appreciate the overall story and themes. But damn was it a yo-yo slog to get there.

Might actually be better as a movie. I don't think I've ever said that before.

Liked Magdalena as a kid protecting her sister. Their cousin coming clean as an adult. Even their mom in the end came through. Their aunt was the best side character. Love the side by side Cuban & Croatian experiences.

I guess all well that ends well.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of The First Rule of Swimming from Little, Brown via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.

Beautifully haunting, both sad and elating.

The First Rule of Swimming is a haunting, beautiful and fragile tale of two sisters, their mother, their cousin and their grand-father.

[Lianne]

The First Rule of Swimming is a labyrinth of a read, providing vignettes of stories from various members of this family. It's a fascinating, lyrical and engrossing read that must be experienced because really, even my blog review couldn't quite capture what the story is all about. This novel may not be for everyone as it can move rather slowly for some but I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something new to read or are into reading novels featuring family drama.

My complete review of the novel was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2013/05/14/review-the-first-rule-of-swimming/