Swimming With Fishes

With its gorgeous cover and a title like Swimming with Fishes, the story that followed makes sense. It was nice to read authentic Caribbean voices from these interesting characters.

Y'all know what happens when someone in the family dreams of fish, right? Well here is a literary version of events. Set in rural Jamaica, Swimming with Fishes is about the love affair between a London businessman and a native Jamaican. What started as a business trip turned into much more.

Kat wants a baby more than anything in life. She's always been told it is extremely risky because she was born with sickle cell anaemia. She wasn't even expected to survive her first birthday. Yet when the local herbalist/mythological lady foretells a man from across the ocean who will father her child...the dream becomes a possible reality only years later. Fairy tale, right? Not so much. Unknown to Ben, Kat is a sickle cell sufferer; unknown to Kat, Ben is already married with children.

"Being interested or curious isn't being intrusive." ~ 10%

Talk about a doozy! Like so many other books, I found myself rooting for the "wrong" woman until I took my emotions out of it and enjoyed the story for what it was...island love fiction. Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm wrote with the right amount of description so I could picture the characters in my mind without losing interest or reading long paragraphs. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the end and wonder if there was an alternate ending the author had in mind. Hmmm...nevertheless, it was a good read.

Happy Pub Day, Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm! Swimming with Fishes is now available.

LiteraryMarie

There was plenty of drama as well as a good portrayal of how someone can overcome an adverse situation in their lives. However, the end was disappointing as it was rather abrupt.

3 stars

This is a nicely written novel with somewhat likeable characters. But Kat and her London-born friend Ben are a little rough around the edges. Perhaps that what chronic illness did to them.

This is a romantic novel with an interesting twist. The couple each has their own secrets.

This is a romance novel at heart and I really don’t choose to read them. That’s my bad. I didn’t read the review carefully enough when I ordered it.

I want to thank Netgalley and Jacaranda Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.

Swimming With Fishes is a quick read set mainly in Jamaica, focusing on the love affair between a pair of ill fated lovers. Although I was able to read Swimming with Fishes quickly, I did have issues with the story. I did not particularly like either Kat or Ben as characters. They both came across as selfish which made me unsympathetic to their particular emotional pains. I somewhat understood Kat's desire for a child, but I did not like her actions. At twenty eight years old, Kat should be well aware of the consequences of her actions, and should have been able to make better judgments at several times throughout the story. Once Kat knows that she is not just Ben's lover, but his mistress, her decisions and behavior could have been less self serving. I understand being in love with someone and dreaming of a possible life with them, but I do not understand sacrificing your own self respect and disregarding the pain inflicted on other people.

Ben is no better with his weak integrity and self pity, which I find unattractive in a romantic lead. I don't accept general unhappiness and disquiet with the way his life has played out as an excuse to cheat on your wife and children. Ben actually thinks that because Kat is his first affair while a friend of his has had many lovers, that he isn't so bad. No, sir Ben. No, sir. I admit that I am biased against weak willed, self pitying cheaters who refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions; so the character of Ben didn't have a really good chance of gaining my sympathies.

Another issue that I had with Swimming with Fishes is that the dialogue felt stilted and the dialect of the local characters was written in a way that was a bit off putting. The way the secondary characters were written seemed to emphasize how well educated Kat is and that she is somehow smarter and more sophisticated than the majority of the people in her life. Ben, being British born and educated, is her ideal soul mate, and is in fact predicted for her by a local woman who can glimpse the future. The story is populated with stereotypical characters that you would expect to find in a close knit community. A nosy gossipy neighbor, a stern mother with strong religious beliefs, and a sassy straight shooting best friend who is willing to dish out tough love to Kat when needed.

Unfortunately, Swimming with Fishes was not a great read for me, but I think that I would pick up a second book by Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm to see if her writing moves in a different direction.