Overview

17-year-old Hunter Ryan is making a long-dreaded return trip home. He takes a Greyhound bus bound for Victoria, British Columbia with his ex-girlfriend Lee and a 12-year-old named Poppy. There's a reason that Hunter left his parents, his friends, and his sister Bridget behind when he left for Alberta to live with his Aunt Lynne. Now Lee has come to bring him back because it's time for him to face the real reason that he ran away. Swimmers traces their journey home, revealing Hunter's past and the precarious, uncertain present in which he now finds himself.

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9780889955134

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Reviews

Praise for Before We Go by Amy Bright This debut novel takes place in Victoria, B.C., during the course of one New Year's Eve. Emily is leaving the hospital where she has been visiting her terminally ill grandmother when she runs into Alex, who invites her to join him and his sister, Lucy, at a nearby fast-food place. Emily, who has been alone since her grandmother went into the hospital, agrees, and the three teenagers spend the evening together. What Emily does not know is that Alex is also terminally ill, and that he and Lucy have an ulterior (though benign) motive for seeking out Emily's company. The truth is revealed in bits and pieces as the night goes on, and they drive around town, stop at a carnival, and go to a New Year's Eve party. Because the story is told variously from the points of view of Emily, Lucy, and Alex, the reader learns what is going on long before Emily does. The technique works, because it gives the reader the opportunity to watch Emily's reaction carefully and to empathize with her. Bright creates characters who are easy to care about, and flashbacks flesh-out their back stories. Despite the compressed time frame, the story moves at a deliberate, gentle pace. Teens who like character-focused realistic fiction will appreciate this one. (VOYA)

Praise for Before We Go by Amy Bright This debut novel takes place in Victoria, B.C., during the course of one New Year's Eve. Emily is leaving the hospital where she has been visiting her terminally ill grandmother when she runs into Alex, who invites her to join him and his sister, Lucy, at a nearby fast-food place. Emily, who has been alone since her grandmother went into the hospital, agrees, and the three teenagers spend the evening together. What Emily does not know is that Alex is also terminally ill, and that he and Lucy have an ulterior (though benign) motive for seeking out Emily's company. The truth is revealed in bits and pieces as the night goes on, and they drive around town, stop at a carnival, and go to a New Year's Eve party. Because the story is told variously from the points of view of Emily, Lucy, and Alex, the reader learns what is going on long before Emily does. The technique works, because it gives the reader the opportunity to watch Emily's reaction carefully and to empathize with her. Bright creates characters who are easy to care about, and flashbacks flesh-out their back stories. Despite the compressed time frame, the story moves at a deliberate, gentle pace. Teens who like character-focused realistic fiction will appreciate this one. (VOYA)

<i>Swimmers</i> is an amazing novel that can bring hope to many teens experiencing similar issues in their lives. When readers put down this novel, it may be heart-wrenching for them when they realize that Hunter, Poppy and Aunt Lynne have no more to say to them; however, they are characters that will stick with readers forever and their story will hopefully keep speaking to them.<b> Highly Recommended</b>. -- <i>CM Magazine</i>

Author Information

Amy Bright was born in Alberta, grew up in California and Florida, went to university in New Brunswick and British Columbia, lived in Boston, and now makes her home in Alberta. She is the author of the young adult novel Before We Go.

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