There are books you finish and move on from, and there are books that stay with you long after the last page. Swimming in the Dark is firmly the second kind.
Set in early 1980s communist Poland, the novel follows Ludwik and Janusz, two young men who fall in love during a summer work camp and spend an idyllic stretch of time swimming in lakes and living freely in the countryside, before the reality of the world they live in catches up with them. In a country where everything was monitored and one wrong move could unravel everything, their love is as beautiful as it is impossible, and Jedrowski writes it with a tenderness that makes every page feel precious.
What struck me most was the writing itself. It’s almost poetic in places, lyrical and unhurried in a way that pulls you so deeply into Ludwik’s world that everything else falls away. The story is written as a love letter from Ludwik to Janusz, which gives the whole novel an intimacy that’s hard to shake. You feel everything he feels, the joy, the fear, the quiet devastation of loving someone in a world that won’t allow it.
Image: Courtesy of William Morrow/HarperCollins
Your heart breaks for both of them in different ways. There are moments where you’re smiling and moments where you want to reach into the pages and shake certain characters for the choices they make. That push and pull between happiness and heartbreak keeps you completely absorbed from beginning to end.
It’s also worth mentioning how beautifully the political backdrop is woven into the story. Communist Poland isn’t just a setting here, it’s a force that shapes every decision both men make. The tension between personal freedom and survival under a repressive regime runs through every page without ever feeling heavy handed.
If you’re looking for a love story that is genuinely moving, beautifully written and unlike anything you’ve read recently, this is it. My favourite book of the year so far and one I’d recommend without hesitation.
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A note on spoilers: This review is intentionally vague because the less you know going in the more the story will give you.
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Rating: ★★★★★
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