Geese Are Never Swans

June 15, 2020
Sixteen-year-old Gus Bennett lives in the shadow of his older brother, Danny, a former Olympic swimming hopeful who recently died by suicide. Gus does not have an easy home life: He has a strained relationship with his mother, a single parent who's still struggling after Danny's death; and his older sister, Darien, has a drug addiction and abandoned her now 18-month-old child to the care of their mother. But Gus hopes to train with Coach Marks, the renowned trainer who worked with his brother. He even sneaks into the country club to get access to the pool, willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. He has his eye on qualifying for the national team and seems poised for success, but he soon experiences a downward spiral and engages in reckless behavior. Although the side characters are underdeveloped, Gus' first-person narration carries the story along smoothly. Conceptualized by the late Academy Award-winning basketball player Bryant and written by Clark, this emotional novel contains lyrical prose that beautifully captures the energy of swimming and short chapters that will keep readers engaged. Physical descriptions are limited, suggesting a white default, but naming conventions suggest some diversity among the swim team members. An earnest examination of mental health in sports. (resources) (Fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 23, 2020
Grades 9-12 Seventeen-year-old Gus Bennett is still dealing with the trauma of finding his brother, Danny, dead by suicide. Though they were family and both swimmers, Gus felt he was constantly in Danny's shadow. Angry, depressed, and grieving, Gus throws himself into becoming the Olympic swimmer that Danny never got to be. Going as far as hiring Danny's old coach, Gus strives to escape the shadow of his brother's legacy and be his own person, yet when the trauma becomes overwhelming, he must confront his grief before he can find success. In this novel, similar to Amy Giles' That Night (2018), co-creators Bryant and Clark, a psychologist, successfully combine the importance of mental health and the healing power of sports, packing it full of emotion as Gus struggles to overcome grief and bitterness. His journey toward healing is inspiring and may encourage high-school athletes dealing with their own trauma to reach out for help. An influential book with a powerful message.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.