Swimming at Night: A Novel
British sisters Katie and Mia couldn’t be more different. Older sibling Katie is the responsible one, getting a good job after university and settling down in London. Mia, on the other hand, is the wild child, shunning work, sleeping around, and succumbing to the temptations of drugs and drink. One day, free-spirited Mia announces plans to travel the globe. Katie suspects nothing; it’s just her sister’s latest ruse to escape the real world. (She might even be a bit envious, wishing she were brazen enough to break from her staid existence.) When Mia is found dead in Bali, Katie can’t believe the authorities, who’ve declared it a suicide. But all Katie has to go on is Mia’s travel journal, returned by the police after her death. Determined to find answers, she leaves her fiancé behind and retraces Mia’s journey. From day one, Katie is rattled by revelations about their father, her soon-to-be husband, and Mia’s best friend, Finn. Alternating chapters juxtaposing the two sisters’ lives engage readers from the start in Clarke’s accomplished debut. --Allison Block