Tense and full of intrigue, this is a novel that sinks into the depths of obsession and discovers a very dangerous game afoot. The newly opened, glamorous lido calls to Natalie and in one summer her life changes beyond all recognition. The prologue and first chapter declare from the outset that a dramatic event has occurred. The story explores the whole of the summer, occasionally touching on the past and then suddenly switching directly to the aftermath. These jarring changes in time create a feeling of foreboding as the timelines slide towards their inevitable collision. Louise Candlish excels in looking at the darker side of relationships, she discovers thoughts and feelings that are recognisable but at the same time feel dangerously untouched. ‘The Swimming Pool’ is a slow-burning and thought-provoking read, and the last few gripping pages had me immediately reaching for the beginning.
The swimming pool: a perfect stage. In the heady swelter of a London summer, the Elm Hill lido opens. For teacher Natalie Steele, the school holiday typically means weeks of carefully planned activities with her husband Ed and their daughter Molly. But not this year. Despite Molly's extreme phobia of the water, Natalie is drawn to the lido and its dazzling social scene, led by the glamorous Lara Channing. Soon Natalie is spending long, intoxicating days with Lara at the pool - and intimate evenings at her home. Natalie's real life begins to feel very far away. But is the new friendship everything it seems? Why is Natalie haunted by memories from another summer years ago? And, without realising, has she been swept dangerously out of her depth?
'A thriller novel meets soap opera with hints of Rear Window ... addictive and fun ... it will keep you guessing until the end Stylist A master of her craft' Rosamund Lupton
'Absorbing, perceptive and gripping' Daily Mail
'Louise Candlish's stories don't shy away from life's more painful and emotional moments' Glamour
'Tense, twisty and completely addictive, will keep you guessing right until the end Good Housekeeping I loved this book. Full of complicated yet sympathetic characters and riven with the kind of dilemmas that characterise real lives. I honestly didn't see the twist coming. Perfect' Jojo Moyes on The Day You Saved my Life
Author
About Louise Candlish
Louise Candlish was our Guest Editor in July 2010 - click here - to see the books that inspired her writing.
Louise Candlish studied English at University College London and worked as an editor in art publishing and as a copywriter before writing fiction. Though her stories are about people facing dramatic dilemmas, she tries to live an uncomplicated life in London with her husband and daughter.
