An incantatory trip through place and time, fueled by grief and animated by magic ... The fable-like novel's middle sags beneath confusing story lines and clunky dialogue — word salad posing as ancient wisdom. The expanded cast of villagers steals focus from Damien's journey and we are left with only scant understanding about Damien's brother or the motives of Carla's killer ... Swim Home to the Vanished preserves some memorable stories, memorably.
Readers willing to sacrifice a need for coherent explanations can revel in being swept away by Basham’s creation of a sensually rich world in constant and often violent change.
The novel’s prose is lush and evocative, and there’s an almost erotic charge to Basham’s writing about food ... An ambitious first novel whose intriguing parts never fully come together into a satisfying whole.
