Swim

By: Eric C. Wat

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Carson Chow is a high-functioning addict. For years, he's been able to meet the increasing demands from his aging immigrant parents, while hiding his crystal meth use every other weekend. One Friday night, as he's passed out from a drug binge, he misses 38 phone calls from his father, detailing first the collapse and eventually the death of his mother.

Carson has always been close to his mother; he was the only person she confided in when his father had a one-night affair with her younger sister 20 years ago. For the following two weeks, he throws himself into the preparation of his mother's funeral, juggling between temptations and obligations. Sometimes slipping into relapse, his efforts are thwarted by a stoic father who is impractical and unable to take care of himself, a grandmother suffering dementia, a sister with a failing marriage, and a young niece with unknown trauma that can be triggered by the sound of running water.

He tries to find support from his ex, Jeremy. Now clean and sober, Jeremy rebuffs him. As Carson assumes his mother's caregiving role, her secret resurfaces and now haunts him alone. Will this tragedy plunge him deeper into his abuse or finally rouse him from his addiction stupor?

©2019 Eric C. Wat (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Multilayered Simplicity

Swim by Eric C. Wat caught me by surprise. I chose to listen to this book because an app recommended it to me, it had an interesting synopsis, I liked the cover art, and it was short. Then I heard the opening sequence which is explicit, gay sex. I was exasperated and sad. Why did the app recommend this book to me? However, the characters lived in places that I knew, and their culture and family were interesting to me, and so I kept reading.

I am torn about this because it is an excellent book that only got better as it went along and I would love for it to reach a much broader audience.

On the other hand, I am also very supportive of diversity in books and I understand the importance of amplifying many voices and their stories. It is also very important for more people to learn about addiction as it actually occurs in real life. Many addicts like the one in the book are highly functioning, especially in their careers.

The dichotomy between the main character’s life on his own and his life within his multigenerational family is the heart of the book and provides its richness and challenge.

The author clearly knows the San Gabriel Valley, Monterey Park and other areas of Southern California very well. I would recommend this book to readers who can perceive and enjoy nuisance, multidimensional intergenerational stories and for whom diverse stories resonate. I would not recommend this book to anyone who can’t see nuisance and I would also not recommend this book to anyone who is disturbed by explicit sex scenes.

The narration performance by Feodor Chin is excellent. His command of his voice and his ability to portray each of the characters strengthens and enhances the impact of the story.

Ultimately, I was glad I chose to listen to this book, because warts and all, it was a very humane story about the many forms of love and ultimately respect.

TITLE REVEALED IN LAST CH.

this is a very nice story about a Chinese American Family who loses its matriarch.
however it is also a story shot through with very explicit scenes of gay sex and drug use. if you can get through the latter, you will find the former quite endearing.

A nice mix of Chinese family dynamics & drug use

I’ve never gotten to read about an Asian man, his gay life, & meth use all combined together in one. So, it was a rare find that I appreciate. The drug use aspect written about is very revealing & open. I also have never read about drug use in that stage of a person’s life before either. A really good & eye-opening experience!

Excellent Book about Addiction

One of the best I have ever read. Relentlessly honest, so much so it was at times hard to listen too... But also funny, hopeful. Wonderful also to hear the immigrant experience as primary for once.

A rare find

Rarely do I trip over an unknown author, listen to a book, and remain gobsmacked thereafter. This book was just tremendous. Such brutal honesty, cringeworthy love, and heart stunning beauty. This is my first A+ book in forever. Thank you, Eric C. Wat, for this book. And thank you, Feodor Chin, for such spot-on narration. ❤️

A Dive into deep waters.

And a refreshing divergence from my normal genre. A candid, raw and rare look into the human heart. I’ve read a lot of Program literature but this story grabbed me and left me wanting more. Although I could have done fine with less graphic accounts of gay sex and our digestive system. There isn’t a human experience that is not addressed; love, sex, parents, divorce, sons and daughters, extended family, cultures, customs,
Respect, regret, loneliness, careers, addiction, recovery and the resistance there to, the list goes on. Kudos to the narrator who “made” the book. I had to look to confirm that the author and he were not one and the same. I tend to love books that take place in L.A., and you could almost smell the air As always, I wonder how a book like this appeals to a broader market. All in all, a great story and if I said it already I’ll say it again…the narration was A++++

I really liked it!

not your average recovery book. loved learning culture of the family! was a very good read.

Excellent

I normally do not give full book reviews, and must admit even 4-5⭐️ books have not held my attention. This was refreshing with a jarring look into addiction, obligatory family ties, romantic relationships, career and even peeking into another culture was something I have not experienced in a book in a long time…Highly recommend.

Amazing listen!

The story was heartfelt as well as very life like. The family is a normal family with real life issues such as death, drug abuse and cheating. Love the author and the audiobook actor!

Must read/listen

This book was so good, a wonderful picture of the main character’s family including the high and lows but also the fierce love. Narrator did a beautiful job! Overall 5 stars.