Swimming in the Dark

you can’t walk away without giving something back. This is exceptional writing, orthodox but painstakingly rich. I found myself rereading whole passages just for the feeling they inspired. Younger people who did not live through the time of Solidarity in Poland will still recognize the suppression that haunts us in the form of homophobia, racism and bigotry. For many gay kids in backward states and countries, circumstances haven’t changed that much. So maybe the best they can do is to leave. Much food for thought here. Thanks Tomasz

Its just that it wasnt enough. Getting used to the couples in a book sometimes being the same-sex is one thing, a lifetime of seeing the world through heterosexual couples world view was a given. Now that there are many excellent gay writers wanting to tell honest stories about real people, who just happen to be homosexual, is a huge step toward cultural and personal acceptance. Getting over the cultural induced shame is a process, incremental and not guaranteed.

Acceptance of oneself, the limitations of others, and acceptance of life as it unfolds, changing what you can, not forever pushing against what you cannot change, is one way to describe a Coming of age novel. Doing it in a repressed and stunted culture and country only exacerbates a difficult transition. I just finished the novel, Im hoping a little distance and some reflection will alter how I feel about the protagonist. Hoping that time in a more liberated, more enlightened culture will alter how Ludzio approaches his future and past. I couldnt say how I would have acquitted myself under similar conditions. At least hes unfettered to live his life without always looking back over his shoulder, if he allows it.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, never more relevant than for this one. A topless teenager is demeaning to the content of this story, which took my breath away by its depth and beautiful prose. The author has created an historical masterpiece, which so happens to have two young gay men as its two central characters, each one at opposite ends of the spectrum of their perceptions of life in communist Poland. The young generation should read this book to understand how so many are still deprived of their liberties in countries where regimes still control and suppress. Lest we ever forget, this was a country now in the EU a mere forty years ago. The inner struggles of Ludzio are utterly compelling and heartbreaking, complimented by the beautiful descriptions of the landscape and cities. I never read a book twice (with the exception of War and Peace but forty years apart) but this one I could read again and I am certain would discover more.

This is a beautifully written story that serves as a stark reminder of how repressive social and political mores have found it convenient to destroy human happiness when people perceived as outliers are involved. In this case, the story revolves around two young gay men in Poland before the Solidarity uprising. Any deviation from the shakey orthodoxy of the moment was suspect and not to be tolerated. In fact, personal growth/happiness/professional progress is all dependent on finding sponsors in authority who can provide protection and openings to privilege. Merit and talent are not especially important and deviation from norms is toxic and instantly punished.

The two principal characters of the novel struggle to keep a budding relationship alive while knowing that the odds against them are overwhelming. One of them will eventually succumb to the pressure and the other will choose exile when the hypocrisy and unfairness of times become intolerable.

The language of the short novel is rich and evocative. The characters and their individual situations are easy for the reader to relate to. A sad but beautiful story.

Ironically, I read this book during a week when the presidential administration elect in the U.S. announced the appointment of an openly gay man to a cabinet position. In that announcement, much was made by the President-elect about the nominees partner/spouse and the warmth and supportiveness of the relationship between the two. A stark contrast to the time and dilemma of the men in “Swimming in the Dark.”

Many of us gay men who came out before the mid naughties wave of gay acceptance remember well the feeling of forbidden love that came along with our sexuality. A time when being spoken to by someone over 30 wasn’t the most terrifying thing that could happen to a young gay man, but the ever present threat of ostracisation and violence. A great many of us had loved, or may have even been, that person who buried their feelings for fear of becoming a societal pariah because of the way they were born. This book explores the heartbreak, pain and shame that went along with those times from both sides. An essential ramead for any gay man who remembers the milenium

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member