Florence Adler Swims Forever

 I spent a long time waiting for Rachel Beanland's debut novel Florence Adler Swims Forever (#943) to show up in my library's Holds queue, but it was definitely worth the wait.  It's a family drama with a relatively small cast of characters, but how Ms. Beanland makes them come alive!  Except for the title character, Florence Adler, that is.  

Florence Adler is training for swim across the English Channel in 1937.  Her ticket to France is booked and a coach engaged there for the attempt.  Everyone is convinced that Florence will conquer the Channel, just as she has conquered everything else in her life so far.  Her drowning during a routine swim off the Atlantic City beach comes as a complete shock.  Her mother decides that the news would be too much for Florence's sister Fannie to bear in the midst of a difficult pregnancy, and persuades the rest of the family, including Fannie's shiftless husband, to keep the secret of Florence's death until after she gives birth.  Esther Adler enlists the help of the hospital staff where Fannie is confined to bedrest, the local newspaper editor, and Anna Epstein who is living with them temporarily after escaping Nazi Germany on a student visa.

Florence's swim coach Stuart has to be part of the conspiracy, as well as the Rabbi and the ladies who prepared her body for burial.  But the hardest person to control is Fannie's seven year old daughter Gussie who has a hard time keeping her mouth closed about anything, let alone such an important secret.

The view point shifts from person to person revealing the impact of secret keeping on them all as they try to sort out for themselves what truly matters most in life as they come to terms with Florence's death.  Beautifully told, and emotionally gripping, it's a rewarding read.

There was one thing that surprised me about this book, though.  I don't remember any of the laudatory reviews mentioning that a key component of the book was its Jewishness.  Florence's story wouldn't be the same without it.  It just struck me as odd to leave it out, though.  Maybe that's just me...