Night Swimming by Sharon Kernot is a groundbreaking novel that merges the intensity of crime fiction with the lyrical depth of poetry.The story follows January Clare Colson, a woman plagued by insomnia and haunted by her teenage past.

A fatal incident involving drug experiments and a mysterious disappearance haunts her, driving her to seek answers through a labyrinth of medical treatments, alcohol, and dangerous encounters.

Told in fragmented poems and first-person present tense, the narrative oscillates between personal turmoil and a thriller plot that escalates with each chapter.Kernot’s work explores themes of memory, identity, and justice, while weaving a complex tapestry of emotional extremes.The novel’s structure mirrors its protagonist’s fractured psyche, creating a visceral experience that lingers long after the final page.

With echoes of Dorothy Porter’s Monkey’s Mask, Night Swimming stands as a modern Australian literary achievement, blending poetic precision with narrative urgency.