“Writing does not exist unless there is someone to read it, and each reader will take something different from a novel, from a chapter, from a line.”

Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about their marriage. However, instead of sending them the letter or giving them to him, she hides them in the hundreds of books that he has accumulated in their home. When she has written her final letter she disappears from her home, leaving behind her husband and her two daughters, Flora and Nan. Twelve years later, Gil believes he sees his wife from a bookshop window, but he’s getting older and his eyesight and mental state isn’t what it used to be. After Flora, comes home to help Nan take care of their father, the story of their parents passionate and troubled marriage unfolds.

Fuller’s writing style is beautifully descriptive as this tale unfolds. The book takes place in Dorset, which is a rich and beautiful setting for this tale of a trouble marriage. The writing is made all the more interesting by the fact that Flora is a synesthete, colors have a smell for her. This is the first time that I read a character with this ability. The author did more with it than just like lemon yellow and grass green too, so it made the story richer and more descriptive for it.

The front page blurb and a few reviewers have said that it keeps you guessing until the final sentence, however, I didn’t find it to be especially mysterious. I had a sense of where things were going for the story about half way through. I wasn’t 100% correct about everything, but I would give me a solid 80%. However, I won’t give anything away here. I just will say that the relationships between the different members of this family are very messy.

Overall, I enjoyed Swimming Lessons enough to finish it. It wasn’t a fast paced exciting novel by any stretch of the imagination. It was more of a cozy and slower paced mystery, with a heavy focus on family and marriage drama. I am not especially into family dramas, but I liked the links between the letters Ingrid wrote and the book titles. I’m more than willing to read another book by this author and I am already set up to read Fuller’s next novel Bitter Orange.

Have you read Swimming Lessons? Did you enjoy it? How did you feel about the ending (without spoilers)? Let me know in the comments!

Important Bits:
Length: 350 pages
Published: February 7th 2017 by Tin House Books
Awards: RSL Encore Award Nominee for Shortlist (2018)
Also by: Our Endless Numbered Days (2015), Bitter Orange (2018), Unsettled Ground (2021)