{"product_id":"9780062890016","title":"Swimming in the Dark : A Novel by Tomasz Jedrowski","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA DUA LIPA BOOK CLUB PICK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImagine\u003cem\u003eCall Me By Your Name\u003c\/em\u003eset in Communist Poland and you'll get a sense of Jedrowski's moving debut about a consuming love affair amidst a country being torn apart.\u003cem\u003eO, The Oprah Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCaptivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying depths. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer.Justin Torres, bestselling author of\u003cem\u003eWe the Animals\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSet in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of Communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political dividea stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of Andr Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a summer agricultural camp, he is fascinated yet wary of this hand-some, carefree stranger. But a chance meeting by the river soon becomes an intense, exhilarating, and all-consuming affair. After their camp duties are ful-filled, the pair spend a dreamlike few weeks in the countryside, bonding over an illicit copy of James Baldwins \u003cem\u003eGiovannis Room\u003c\/em\u003e. Inhabiting a beautiful, natural world removed from society and its con-straints, Ludwik and Janusz fall deeply in love. But in their repressive Communist and Catholic society, the passion they share is utterly unthinkable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce they return to Warsaw, the charismatic Janusz quickly rises in the political ranks of the party and is rewarded with a highly coveted government position. Ludwik is drawn toward impulsive acts of protest, unable to ignore rising food prices and the stark economic disparity around them. Their secret love and personal and political differences slowly begin to tear them apart as both men struggle to survive in a regime on the brink of collapse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShifting from the intoxication of first love to the quiet melancholy of growing up and growing apart, \u003cem\u003eSwimming in the Dark\u003c\/em\u003e is a potent blend of romance, postwar politics, intrigue, and history. Lyrical and sensual, immersive and intense, Tomasz Jedrowskis indelible and thought-provoking literary debut explores freedom and love in all its incarnations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56222372823413,"sku":"9780062890016","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780062890016.jpg?v=1762207449","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9780062890016","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}