THE SWIMMER

The dual narration by Peter Ganim and Elisabeth Rodgers helps track the meandering plot of this international thriller, but, disappointingly, it doesn't do much more. With alternating points of view, geographic locations, and time periods, listeners can easily find themselves lost. The story about a spy, voiced by Ganim, and the daughter he never knew, voiced by Rodgers, also contains a plethora of subplots and characters who overshadow the daughter, making a second male narrator seem more appropriate than a female one. The extraneous content also weighs down the momentum of the novel; both narrators echo that sluggish pace, causing the listener to question the label of "thriller." Fans of the genre can safely bypass this audiobook. J.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2015]