“This lovely little book — little only in the physical sense — began as an O. Henry Prize-winning serialization in
Redbook in 1975 (when magazines did such things with exceptional fiction). The story too is not new, but one of the oldest humans tell, about longing, hope, love, birth, death, and carrying on. But Kotzwinkle, who's successfully published an eclectic mix of fantasy and experimental novels, children's books, science fiction, and film novelizations (
E.T., for one), brings to Johnny Laski, a would-be father and self-sufficient rural artist, a deeply-nuanced humanity. On the surface, the story might be considered scant — only one thing really happens: a baby struggles to be born, a couple hopes, then mourns. But within that story, the author presents most human emotions worth writing about.”
from the ForeWord Magazine
review of Swimmer in the Secret Sea,
by William Kotzwinkle
It was my pleasure to write that review of this book. Thanks for excerpting it.
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