Swimming with Ghosts Audiobook By Michelle Brafman cover art

Swimming with Ghosts

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Swimming with Ghosts

By: Michelle Brafman
Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Scott Brick, Sophie Amoss, Pete Cross
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It’s June 2012. The magical and slightly cultish River Run swim club is alive with the spirit of fun competition when a perfect storm brews between team moms and best friends Gillian Cloud and Kristy Weinstein. The ghost of family addiction has turned up, looming over their carefully planned pasta parties, tie-dye nights, and pep rallies, forcing them to face their unresolved childhood trauma.

Gillian responds by trying to control everyone around her while Kristy relapses into her dangerous addiction to love. Real sparks fly on the night of the derecho—a freak land hurricane—which sweeps through Northern Virginia, knocking out power for days. The storm ignites a tinder box of secrets, leaving Gillian and Kristy alone in the hot dark—their shame their only company.

At times humorous and devastating, Swimming with Ghosts is a hauntingly dark, yet uniquely tender story about the various entrapments of addiction and lingering trauma and what it takes to overcome our hidden legacies of disgrace and discover a once unimaginable freedom made possible by confronting life’s greatest storms with the people closest to us.

©2023 Michelle Brafman (P)2023 Dreamscape Media Women's Fiction Fiction Swimming Ghost Witty Genre Fiction Haunted Inspiring Sports

Editorial Review

It’s not safe to go in the water
River Run, a community pool in suburban Virginia and home to the Manta Rays swim team, is the center of the action in Michelle Brafman’s latest novel, Swimming with Ghosts. My favorite part of this story is how it’s told from the point of view of four separate characters—each performed by a different narrator (this cast is so good!). Gillian Cloud is the pool’s Queen Bee; Charlie is Gillian’s recently laid-off realtor husband; Kristy is Gillian’s best friend and a recovering love addict; and Justin is Gillian and Charlie’s “perfect” son. Full of domestic drama born of complicated histories and deep-seated secrets, things come to a head on the night of a swim team party when a once-in-a-lifetime storm hits River Run and its dedicated patrons. Their lives will never be the same again. —Tricia F., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
Well crafted characters and spicy storylines that take you on an emotional roller coaster make this book impossible to pause. The storm of the century hits a Summer Swim community and secrets are revealed that impact everyone. There’s plenty of laughter to be found in these pages…great narration too. Bravo to author Michelle Brafman.

Love Addiction and Storm of the Century Make this Audiobook Impossible to Pause.

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This book is worth a credit and a listen. The author deftly brings to life the complexity of what lies beneath a superficially "perfect" community of upper middle class families. It's really a perfect portrayal of the Virigina-based DC suburbs, as well as the aftermath of the derecho. Well-written, the talented author combined humor while addressing the struggles and consequences of addition. I'll be looking for more books by this author!

Great Listen/Read

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