The Swimmer

A fresh twist on a triangular relationship. A novel about love, compassion, selfishness, grief, bravery, sacrifice. An elegy, a reckoning, told with touches of magical realism.



Psychotherapist Bess Lynch makes a sojourn to Cape Cod to deal with her impending demise from pancreatic cancer. While swimming, she encounters an enigmatic, handsome man, Stephen, who is mourning the loss of his husband. Together, they find solace in a tender affair until Bess' son, Nathan, arrives and explodes their relationship and Bess' mission to make decisions about her marriage, life, and death.



"A psychotherapist with end-stage cancer contemplates the end of her life and marriage and her failures as a mother, while saving the life of a beautiful swimmer grieving over the death of his husband. Egan's story is for anyone contemplating the meaning of death, life, and everything in between: fear, regret, desire, hope, acceptance. A novel written with deep compassion and beautiful storytelling." -Lori Ostlund, author of After the Parade



"This captivating novel reflects the realities of life's challenges and normalizes the conversation about end of life, illustrating a way to find peace with our own impermanence." -J. Redwing Keyssar, RN, author of Last Acts of Kindness






"A plot featuring very difficult subjects, requiring technical and emotional mastery. The pacing, the exactitude of emotional tenor, and the mystery at its heart, all recommend this author and this book very highly." -Luke Sherwood, Basso Profundo



"A lovely, direct-even eerie-exploration of what it means to die with dignity and purpose. As Bess Lynch ties together the loose ends of her waning life, life brings her new mysteries and reveals more secrets. Humanists will find her journey inspiring as she seeks a meaningful death while balancing self-care with compassion for her loved ones." -Michael Cluff, president, South Jersey Humanists