Nightswimmer

Rating:
Summary: Waterlogged
Review: "Nightswimmer" tries to be deep; credit must be given to Joseph Olshan for good intentions. However, good intentions is nothing without good execution. The novel is comepletely undeserving of its acclaim; it is shallow, uninvolving, and utterly amatuerish. From beginning to end, you'll wonder just how the least interesting book of the ninties could make such an impact.

The premise itself is a weak one, one hundred percent recycled material from countless drugstore romance novels. Will Kaplan, a character somehow underdeveloped in a first-person perspective, is unable to allow himself to get close to anyone after his dearest lover is taken from his life. Not exactly original, is it? Olshan seems to have fallen into the writer's trap that taking an old concept and casting homosexuals as its characters will automatically make it new again. Uh-uh. Putting new twists on old themes is never preferable to new ideas. Pity no one told the author, isn't it?

One of the fundamentals of writing is the "showing versus telling" principle, which entails that simply describing a character's personality, motivation, or lifestyle word-for-word is a weak technique compared with slowly revealing these things through action and dialogue. Unfortunately, Olshan opts for the former, which would be bad enough except that such descriptions repeat themselves verbatum throughout the novel. "I can't bring myself to love another!" "I miss my former lover!" "Will I ever love again?" "Can I BE loved again?" "Why didn't I just visit a $&*%-ing therapist like a normal person? I'd have been better by now!" (That last one was my own. Read the book; you'll understand where I'm coming from.) Readers never want to be told what a person's feeling; it's an insult to our intelligence. Half the fun of reading is figuring out what isn't said. THAT'S how you write an emotion. The feather's touch is more precisely felt than the battering ram.

Little things irritate me further. Olshan lacks prowess for description of action and thought. He brings up personality traits that are never mentioned again (Peter Rocca's sexual quirks, Randall Monroe's violent temperment) while repeating other details endlessly (Chad's daring, Jose's jealousy), all the while never developing anything remotely resembling realistic people. Even the last names of the characters lack imagination. Kaplan? Paris? Monroe? Wallace? Olshan, you're a writer! Write something new!

I've read stronger novels about homosexual issues, and they all have some things in common: a "showing, not telling" frame of mind, round characters, an interesting new story, eloquent prose. "Nightswimmer"'s not even close. One must realize that good intentions are not enough to carry a story. The only reason I have awarded it two stars is that, in spite of it all, it does keep you reading. Olshan does have a talent for maintaining interest in his works. It's not enough, though; this remains one of the most unaffecting books in its genre.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely My Favorite Book EVER!
Review: A heartbreaking tale I read over four years ago, "The Nightswimmer" is still one of my favorites of any genre. It was involving to the point of distraction, forcing this reader to break up his plans for the evening to just finish the damn thing. I was sorry afterward that the experience went by so quickly, but I also walked away resenting other books that fail to get under my skin like this one does---still. Thankfully, Olshan came out with "Veritas" a few years later and reaffirmed my conviction that he is a marvel at characterization, plot and illuminating the rough spots in matters of the heart. This is one of those gems I pray to stumble upon every time I step into a bookstore, but rarely find.

Rating:
Summary: Interestingly written
Review: I don't read much gay fiction because I tire of the stereotypes. Although they do exist in this book, they are not quite as predominent as in other works.

However, this story deals with two men who cannot put their pasts behind them and embark in a healthy relationship. The term "Nightswimmer" becomes a metaphor for issues that the characters cannot put behind them and, although we all have our own "Nightswimmers", the trick is to get beyond them and find happiness, not dwell on the past. The story is written as though the author is speaking to the other main character in the book, a very interesting and almost haunting effect.

I would, in the future, like to see a book about well-adjusted men without emotional baggage carrying on a healthy "normal" domestic partnership-- but then that's not much of a story, is it?

Rating:
Summary: Abreast with the best of them
Review: Joseph Olshan has achieved a nearly impossible task: a successful novel about the kaleidoscope of emotional rides that constitute the anticipation, the terror, the neuroses/psychoses, the obsession and the gamut of highs and lows of that strange encounter called 'falling in love'. Not that potent love stories are oddities, but when the characters are all males in varying degrees of acceptance/indulgence of being gay, such rollercoaster rides often become either merely taudry, steamy sex encounters or distanced longings such as the wondrous "Maurice" of EM Forster. Nightswimmer takes us many places we know and more places we haven't been, and does so in such convincing style that we feel like part of the in-crowd of these perfectly drawn characters. For the reader who wants to understand both sides of the approach/avoidance magnet of being hopelessly in love, here it is. With enough use of metaphor to keep the story universal, Olshan has written a durable novel that already is showing the test of time. I'm happy this book is becoming more available. Recommended highly - thanks to a friend's recommendation!

Rating:
Summary: My favorite gay fiction book ever.
Review: Nightswimmer was actually the very first item I'd ever written a review for here at Amazon. I don't know what ever happened to it, but the book remains my favorite of all the gay fiction books I've ever read. Most gay fiction centers around name brands, a-list stars and a-list cities, lots of gossip and overblown scandals/dramas. While those books are fun to toss in the beach bag on a nice summer day, Olshan created a story that hits much closer to home in the lives of many gay men. He writes about relationships in a palpable way - love, love lost, and love found again. It's really neither gay nor straight, but an exploration of how gay men in particular tend to cling to relationships of the past, leaving pieces of themselves behind until they have the chance to reclaim them in finding new love. He does not glamourize his characters nor does he attempt to apologize for their flaws or shortcomings. They are who they are, and they are well-crafted and quite realistic. The haunting melancholy of the past and the trepidation the main character, Will, has about his future is beautifully written and the story remains a favorite of all the friends I've loaned this fine book to - get it for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Nope
Review: OK, I picked up the book thinking it was going to be a light read for a long airline flight. It turned into my own journey of self. The author challenged me to face the fact that I did many of the same things as the narrator. I constantly think of the "one" who left me (did he really leave? Is he reading this?) and finding Sean's journals - what would YOU do? This has been the frist book in a long long time where I dreaded the impending last pages. Not in the way it ended but that I was so wrapped into the breath of the book I did not want to end the journey. My vacation - - I can't even tell you what or where I was - - but I will remember this book, sitting on a beach and wondering if NIGHTSWIMMER is in front of me OR if Sean is behind me. Great Job - -and sorry guys - - I know some of us have been here - -but it is good to read our own story and have to re-examine what we are doing!

Rating:
Summary: Soulful and powerful !
Review: Once in a while you come across a book which will always have a place in your heart. Nightswimmer is that. It is a powerful story of gay life in New York with characters you could easily empathize and fall in love with. It is a beautiful, at times hearbreaking story of love lost, ensuing pain and love found again. Olshan writes from his heart. The emotions just flow from the fist sentence and never let go. Often, I found my eyes moistening and I have to stop reading and return to the page before to recapture the overwelming moment again. I love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Nope
Review: Starts out strong, then it falls completely apart. Hey, who can say what makes a book work for anyone (other reviewers here obviously liked this one), but it sure didn't work for me. I thought it was an absolute mess.

Rating:
Summary: If you read any Olshan novel, read this one!
Review: What can I say...this is the book that opened my eyes to the incredible talent of Joseph Olshan. I first read Nightswimmer during the summer of 1994. I've re-read it annually since then and I never grow tired of the story or the characters.

The story is haunting. The mysterious death(or was it) of a lover leads to obsession and fear to continue living. Life seems more complicated now for Will. Going back or staying with his obsession for Chad would be easier. New love seems scary and more complex in the 10 years that past since Chad's death.

This book is pure, heart wrenching emotion. The story and character are strong. This book is a must read, especially before reading In Clara's Hands.

Rating:
Summary: If you read any Olshan novel, read this one!
Review: What can I say...this is the book that opened my eyes to the incredible talent of Joseph Olshan. I first read Nightswimmer during the summer of 1994. I've re-read it annually since then and I never grow tired of the story or the characters.

The story is haunting. The mysterious death(or was it) of a lover leads to obsession and fear to continue living. Life seems more complicated now for Will. Going back or staying with his obsession for Chad would be easier. New love seems scary and more complex in the 10 years that past since Chad's death.

This book is pure, heart wrenching emotion. The story and character are strong. This book is a must read, especially before reading In Clara's Hands.