The Swimmer follows the story of Neddy, a man who is the resident of an affluent neighborhood. Having drinks poolside, he decides to make his way home, swimming through every pool on his journey. At first, they story appears to capture a moment of drunken fun. However, as Neddy interacts with his neighbors and the owners of each pool, it becomes clear that Neddy has gone through some trouble in his life. It is unclear what the trouble is exactly, but we see his situation at the end of the story, when he gets home to see his wife and kids are not there and the doors are locked.

My first take away from this story was how easily it embodied the midlife crisis. The character starts happy, at his baseline, and then goes on a journey home, which can either be perceived as him running away from his reality, physically by going from home to home and drinking, or running towards reality. I thought the incorporation of the pools was also interesting, because it seemed to symbolize Neddy’s need to “water down” his situation, or to cleanse and wash away whatever has happened. Drinking further impedes his ability to come to terms with this.

The reader is never told the actual misfortune that has plagued Neddy. There is a hint given when we are brought to Neddy’s old mistress’s house, which I found to be an interesting choice. If he is trying to get home, why stop there? It felt like more of a plot device than a catalyst for character change.

I admired the passage of time in this story and the detail about the colored leaves. It made it clear that we were not just traveling through the neighborhood, but also through time. Neddy is aging through this process, or perhaps he has always been older, but as he comes closer to reality, we see his true age.