Tag: contemporary fiction

Book Review – The Night Swimmer by Simon J. Houlton @Pigritudous

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About the Book

Front cover of The Night Swimmer by Simon J. Houlton

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

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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.

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Book Review – The Language of Remembering by Patrick Holloway @epoque_press

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About the Book

Front cover of The Language of Remembering by Patrick Holloway

Returning from Brazil with his wife and daughter, Oisín is looking to rebuild a life in Ireland and reconnect with his mother, Brigid, who has early onset Alzheimer’s. As her condition deteriorates she starts to speak Irish, the language of her youth, and reflect on her childhood dreams and aspirations.

Mother and son embark on a journey of personal discovery, and as past traumas are exposed they begin to understand what has shaped them and who they really are.

Format: Paperback (242 pages) Publisher: époque press
Publication date: 25th February 2025 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

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My Review

The book moves between two timelines. In the present day, Oisín has returned to Ireland from Brazil along with his wife Nina and young daughter Ailish. The author deftly explores the conflict between Oisín’s sense of responsibility for the care of his mother and the disruption caused to the family by their move from Brazil, Nina’s native country. His struggles to find a job that will enable them to obtain a mortgage and move into a permanent home only add to his sense of guilt and frustration. His experiences are narrated in the second person which I found had the effect of giving immediacy to Oisín’s struggles, forcing me to place myself in his situation.

Brigid’s story starts in the 1970s, in rural Ireland. Whilst still a teenager, she discovers she is pregnant. Learning of her condition, her parents react with a mixture of anger and disappointment, well aware of the social stigma this will bring to Brigid and their family. Brigid and James, the father of her child, are pressurised into a hasty wedding by their respective families.

Brigid and James begin to realise their lives will have to take a very different trajectory, the responsibilities of parenthood putting paid to their personal ambitions. They also struggle to extricate themselves from the influence of James’s controlling family. But the birth of her son Oisín, albeit after a very difficult birth, brings Brigid unexpected joy.

With Brigid’s condition worsening, Oisín’s visits to his mother in her care home are often challenging. Sometimes she can recall events from her early life in detail, sharing things Oisín never knew, or remember vividly moments of their life when he was growing up. At other times, she seems in a world of her own, confused by her surroundings. There are heartbreaking moments that will be familiar to anyone who has cared for someone with Alzheimer’s such as when Brigid mistakes Oisín for her dead husband, James, or becomes distressed because of a misunderstanding.

As the title suggests, language and communication are key themes of the book. Along with Brigid’s declining memory is her increasing use of Gaelic, a language she spoke with her father but one Oisín does not understand, although he makes touching efforts to do so as the book progresses. The author includes the reader in this challenge by, from time to time, incorporating phrases in Gaelic without translation, placing us in the same position as Oisín in searching for clues as to their meaning.

Alongside the challenges of communication, I liked how the book explored the vibrancy of language. For example, Brigid’s mother, Kathleen, possesses an extensive vocabulary and interest in the etymology of words. Her speech is peppered with words such as ‘subjugated’, ‘euphemism’, ‘quandary’. And Oisín recalls time spent with his father learning the collective names for birds. However Oisín also knows the ability of words to wound.

The Language of Remembering is a moving and perceptive story about the role language plays in our interactions with others, and how it can be both a barrier and a pathway to understanding.

I received an advance digital copy courtesy of époque press.

In three words: Tender, insightful, emotional
Try something similar: Tiny Pieces of Enid by Tim Ewins

About the Author

Author Patrick Holloway

Patrick Holloway is an Irish writer of fiction and poetry and is an editor of the literary journal, The Four Faced Liar. He completed his Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow, before moving to Porto Alegre, Brazil, where he completed his PhD in Creative Writing.

He is the winner of the Bath Short Story Award, The Molly Keane Creative Writing Prize, The Flash 500 Prize, the Allingham Fiction contest and he was the recipient of the Paul McVeigh Residency in 2023. His work appears in The Stinging Fly, The London Magazine, Poetry Ireland, The Moth, Southword, The Ilanot Review, Carve, The Irish Times and The Irish Independent. (Photo/bio: Publisher website)

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