Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

 

This is the story of the Jewish Adler family living in Atlantic City in the 1930's.  Esther and Joseph rent out their house every summer to tourists and move into the small apartment above their bakery.  This summer, the apartment is full.  Their daughter Fannie is pregnant with a high-risk baby and has been hospitalized for the end of her term.  Gussie, the Adler granddaughter is living with her parents so her father Issac can work in the plant and rest at night.  Florence, who is college aged, is home for the summer and plans to spend it training to swim the English Channel, coached by her boyfriend Stuart.  Then there is Anna, who has managed to escape Hitler's Germany to attend school in the United States.  She and Joseph, who knew the parents before he immigrated, are trying to get visas to bring Anna's parents over as well.

But tragedy awaits.  Early in the summer, Florence goes swimming alone in the ocean and drowns.  The family is devastated but also fearful that if Fanny hears about it, she will go into premature labor and lose another baby.  They get everyone including the press to not report the name of the woman who drowned and swears Gussie to silence.  In the meantime, Issac is getting more remote from his family while Anna is becoming attracted to Stuart.  What will the summer bring?

Rachel Beanland is an American author who grew up in Connecticut but has lived in the South as an adult.  This is her debut novel and I really enjoyed it.  I enjoyed learning about the history of Atlantic City and about the foreshadowing of World War II and the influence Hitler had before the war started  The glimpse into a Jewish family's traditions and family life was interesting.  Gussie is a delightful ten year old, not always sure what is going on and just wanting someone to love her as her mother does.  This book is recommended for historical fiction readers.