About the Book
William “Bill” Eckersley is an unemployed writer, a night swimmer, and a man drowning in alcohol and self-doubt. Trapped in a crumbling seaside town — and within his own mind — he spirals as he searches for creative inspiration and a way out of his own inertia.
His solitary existence begins to unravel, pulling him into an increasingly disorienting world shaped as much by memory and imagination as reality.
Format: ebook (159 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 6th February 2025 Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Find The Night Swimmer on Goodreads
Purchase The Night Swimmer from Amazon UK
My Review
Bill’s story is an emotional rollercoaster with slow ascents as he seems to come close to achieving the future he imagines for himself only to be followed by dizzying drops when disappointment and disillusionment see him seek out the only thing that numbs the pain: alcohol. His other place of sanctuary is the sea. His night-time swims from the beach at Mugborough (standing in for Hastings in East Sussex) give him a sense of peace whilst at the same time providing the possibility of just letting the current take him where it will; to drift, just as he is in life.
Although the story is mostly Bill’s, there are occasional sections from the point of view of other characters. There’s Eileen, Bill’s lascivious landlady, and Preston, the barman of Bill’s favourite pub, who has a world weary but often astute view of the clientele.
Another is Linda, Bill’s nemesis at the local Job Centre, who takes a sadistic pleasure in pressing Bill to accept one soulless job after another with the threat of sanctions if he doesn’t. (I’m sure there are well-intentioned Job Centre employees out there in real life.) Bill’s experiences illustrate how an individual can be ground down by an uncaring system that cannot or will not recognise a person’s potential or their frailties.
It’s impossible not to feel sorry for Bill when he encounters situations where his anxiety becomes so overwhelming he can barely function and his only solution is to run away, usually to the pub. The fact someone so vulnerable should feel so alone and seem destined to be a perpetual outsider is heartbreaking.
At times, Bill seems to have a fragile hold on reality, and there were points in the book where I shared that feeling of not knowing quite what is real and what is in Bill’s imagination. The author actually uses this to great advantage as the story unfolds.
Personally I found the occasional shifts from past to present tense, and the presence of long sentences with commas where I would have expected full stops did impact the flow of the writing. However, the strength of the story outweighed these stylistic choices.
The Night Swimmer takes you to dark places and includes scenes that are difficult to read. But there is humour to provide occasional respite from the darkness. One of my favourites was the thankless and ultimately futile task Bill is given at the local refuse tip.
The epitome of a character-led book, The Night Swimmer is a hard-hitting story about loneliness and the struggle to overcome your demons.
I received a digital review copy courtesy of the author.
In three words: Dark, poignant, thought-provoking
Try something similar: A Place Without Pain by Simon Bourke
About the Author
Simon J. Houlton grew up in Hastings and has worked just about every dead-end job imaginable —pulling pints, driving taxis, and grinding through the last few decades doing whatever was necessary to get by. A product of a bang-average comprehensive school, he was told by teachers he’d never achieve much. Instead, he found his own path, picking up a pen and writing instinctively, inspired as a teenager by the raw energy of the UK punk scene and a do-it-yourself attitude. Having lived poor on two continents, he’s seen life from the ground up, and his stories reflect that grit, resilience, and unfiltered honesty. In 2025, Simon was featured in Sussex World for his literary debut, The Night Swimmer, a psychological novel set in Hastings Old Town.
Connect with Simon
Website | X/Twitter
What Cathy Read Next... 