The Swimmer

“It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, ‘I drank too much last night.'

Reading The Trip to Echo Springs reminded me that I still hadn't got around to reading The Swimmer by John Cheever, the short story on which one of my favourite films is based. This is the haunting and surreal tale of Neddie who decides to make his way home from a friend's house by swimming through the string of pools in his suburbun neighbourhood. The concept is simple but its handling is complex, and the whole thing is a metaphor for alcoholism - time dilates and contracts, seasons change and friends become more and more hostile, and all the while Neddie is blind to his own misfortunes. Reminiscent of Picnic at Hanging Rock, and brilliant. Only four stars because it's too short!