Book Review: Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire

About the book

Grace lives alone in a coastal village in Northern Ireland, filling her days with wild swimming, fishing, quilting and baiting the tourists who blow in from the city.

One of the visitors is Evan, on an enforced holiday from his family in Belfast as he grieves the death of his infant daughter. But before a week is out, he is trapped there by lockdown.

When Grace grudgingly saves Evan from drowning, and his reserved young son arrives unexpectedly, all three are startled into a reckoning with their past and a reconnection with the outside world.

Why we love it

How could we not love this pure gem of a book?

Written by Downpatrick based author Roisin Maguire and set in Northern Ireland during the early days of lockdown in 2020, it’s a beautifully observed story of resilience, love and community over a time when so many struggled with feelings of isolation.

The novel follows Grace Kielty, a wonderfully eccentric and independent 50 year old, whose holiday cottage becomes an unexpected refuge for Evan and his troubled son Luca when lockdown sees them stranded in the small (fictional) village of Ballybrady. 

While Grace enjoys her life of quiet solitude, Evan and Luca's arrival forces an unexpected connection between the three with repercussions for all their lives.

This is very much a character-driven story - from Grace herself to the various local inhabitants of Ballybrady who feel somehow recognisable, like people you might know from your own town. Grace in particular is a truly unforgettable heroine, so vividly described that I can picture her exactly in my mind.

It’s refreshing to read a love story centred on a strong, capable and self-sufficient woman in her 50s - because this truly is a love story, albeit a slow-building and unconventional one that’s based on mutual acceptance and empathy rather than the usual clichéd meet-cute.

There are ongoing themes around mental health, grief and child loss, but Roisin Maguire writes about this community and these characters with so much warmth, wit and humour that it never feels either overly sentimental or depressing.

Instead, it’s an uplifting celebration of the healing power of quiet and solitude when balanced out by kindness and connection. Thoroughly recommended!