Synopses & Reviews
Sometimes to be who you really are, you haveto pretend youre already who you want to be.
At two, Deloress mother dropped her into the shallow end of a lake, trusting instinct would teach her daughter to swim. From then on, the water is where Delores Walker feels most at home. Now, nearly seventeen, shes boarding a Greyhound bus leaving the Bronx for sunny Weeki Wachee Springs, a tacky roadside attraction in the shadow of Walt Disneys new Florida phenomenon.
With a hundred silver dollars left behind by her runaway dad, Delores is chasing her dream of being a mermaid with a group of other aquatic hopefuls—girls just as awkward and uncertain out of water as they are beautiful and graceful in it. And in this make-believe world of sequined tails and amphibious fantasy, Delores will learn some very real lessons about growing up and surviving in a world where everyone sometimes feels like a fish out of water.
A heartfelt novel of coming-of-age no matter what age you are, populated with characters offbeat, outcast, and thoroughly lovable, Swim to Me is filled with the kind of wise magic thatll have you believing in the impossible before the final page.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Synopsis
It's a fresh start for Delores Walker as she arrives in Tampa to become a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs. Carter ("The Orange Blossom Special") conjures up a time in America when even mermaids from the Bronx were possible.
About the Author
Betsy Carter is the author of
The Orange Blossom Special and her memoir,
Nothing to Fall Back On, which was a national bestseller. She is a contributing editor for
O, The Oprah Magazine and writes for
Good Housekeeping and
New York magazin
e,
among others. Carter formerly served as an editor at
Esquire, Newsweek, and
Harpers Bazaar, and was the founding editor of
New York Woman. She lives in New York City.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Reading Group Guide
Hailed as “poignant and at times rollickingly hilarious” (
Miami Herald) and “a delightful escape” (
New York Magazine),
Swim to Me has captured readers’ imaginations coast to coast. A coming-of-age novel for every age, this is the story of Delores Walker, a seventeen-year-old girl from the Bronx who dreams of becoming a mermaid. And not just any mermaid: Delores wants to join the troupe of dazzling, sequined aquatic showgirls at Weeki Wachee Springs, a Florida tourist attraction she visited on a vacation with her parents. Her father has since abandoned the family, leaving Delores, her mother, and her little brother to make it on their own. Then Delores decides to strike out by herself, boarding a bus and heading back to the sunny state where a seemingly glamorous underwater career beckons. Brimming with colorful characters and poignant turns of fate, her new life is a wondrous lesson in magical living.
The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Betsy Carter’s Swim to Me. We hope they will enrich your experience of this exhilarating novel.
1. What did the novel’s opening scene mean to Delores? How did the reality of her grown-up world compare to the memory of that trip?
2. How did the novel’s two distinct settings—New York versus Florida—reflect two distinct parts of Delores’s identity? What did she discover about finding a true home, and her true self?
3. What were your first impressions of the Walkers’ marriage? What was at the heart of their quarrels? Despite the hardships it caused, did Roy’s departure strengthen his family?
4. What makes the early 1970s an ideal time period for this storyline? How did the details in Swim to Me match your memories or impressions of this era? How did the novel’s “soundtrack” of song references affect your reading?
5. How did Gail’s early life influence her approach to adulthood and mothering? What did Avalon teach her about being a confident woman?
6. Is Thelma a good surrogate mother to the girls she supervises? Is her personal legacy a story of shame or triumph, or both?
7. Discuss the varied personalities of the girls of Weeki Wachee. Who are the most powerful members of Thelma’s circle? What do all of them, including Delores, have in common?
8. How does Delores respond to attention from men? Is her role in the weather segment on television very different from the roles she performs at Weeki Wachee? What is the difference between a woman whose sex appeal is exploited and a woman whose beauty is admired?
9. What does Roy discover about himself after he is reunited with Delores? How are they transformed by their jobs in Florida?
10. Delores was worried that Thelma and the others would discover that she had lied about aspects of her family. What did Delores’s image of her family, both the fantasy and the reality, say about her hopes and fears? In what ways have you reinvented yourself in your lifetime?
11. Swim to Me is populated by many characters who are pursuing their dreams, ranging from Delores’s and Gail’s career pursuits to Dave Hanratty’s vision of an Aqua Zoo. What is the boldest goal you have ever envisioned? How far did you pursue it?
12. How does the novel’s title echo the dilemmas of trust and learning faced by the characters? What makes the world of water—by turns alluring, tranquil, and perilous—a good metaphor for the process of becoming an adult?
13. What does the future hold for Delores and Westie? What do you predict for their family?
14. How do this novel’s themes of survival and determination, enhanced by a whimsical spirit, also shape Betsy Carter’s debut novel, The Orange Blossom Special?
Author Q&A
A Q&A with author Betsy Carter on her new book,
Swim to Me
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about having a book published?
I write alone either in my living room or at the library. Sometimes I play music and always, when I write at home, I talk to Lucy, my dog. I find it remarkable that what happens in those hours gets turned into books that people actually read.
Which came first: the characters, or the storyline?
My characters always come first. I do tons of research before I begin a book so I feel comfortable in the time and place in which I’m writing. I let my characters act out and say whatever comes to mind. Even though I delete a lot at the end of the day, often a surprising twist presents itself and carries the story to a place I hadn’t anticipated. My advice is to allow yourself the opposite of writer’s block: even if you think you have nothing to say, just write to write–let your characters talk, describe a detail, play two characters against one another. It could surprise you. If not, erase it.
Is there something in your Bantam Discovery Novel that you are particularly proud, or happy, about?
Most of the characters in Swim to Me, start out in tough situations. They are broke, unhappy and in some cases, desperate. By the end, each has found his or her redemption–no matter how bizarre or unexpected.
Can you tell us about the book you are working on now?
It’s an historical novel called The Puzzle King, that’s based on a small nugget of family mythology. The novel takes place between 1880 and 1936 and goes back and forth between New York and a small town and Germany. The events lead up to World War 11 and the main character is based on a great uncle of mine who earned his fortune during the depression by figuring out how to make inexpensive jigsaw puzzles out of paper and cardboard instead of wood. He gave these away as premiums with things like toothpaste and soap, and eventually put out a puzzle a week for $.05. That’s how he became known as America’s Puzzle King.
When you finish writing your answers to this Q&A, what will you do next?
Go for a swim.
From the Trade Paperback edition.