The First Rule of Swimming: A Novel

by Courtney Angela Brkic

When free spirit Jadranka mysteriously disappears shortly after emigrating to America, her older sister Magdalena must leave their ancestral Croatian island home and follow her to New York City. Magdalena's search begins to unspool the dark history of their family, reaching back three generations to a country torn by war.

This haunting and sure-footed first novel explores the legacy of betrayal and loss in a place where beauty is fused with hardship, and where individuals are forced to make wrenching choices as they are swept up in the tides of history.

• ISBN10: 0316217360
• ISBN13: 9780316217361
• Publish Date: 31 July 2014 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Back Bay Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 352
• 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/