The High Dive

class conscious summer vacation

I’ve been following Chelsea Fagan’s work on The Financial Diet for years now an I wanted to read her fiction debut, A Perfect Vintage, but it’s hard to get a copy in the UK. I was so excited when her sophomore effort, The High Dive, became available on Netgalley.

I appreciate Fagan’s insight into the financial aspects of relationships. Romance and relationships are inherently political and romance that tries to gloss over this falls flat. Fagan makes sure to explore class differences in the context of the friendship group that Alex and Danial are part of. The group meets in university where Aex and Danial are the only on-wealthy members of the group. Their initial relationship is bolstered by this bond, but their circumstances change in the years since graduation. Their relationship was already adversarial, but this new change adds an extra layer of complexity.

I initially did not like Danial – both in the present timeline and the college-era timeline. I love unlikeable characters and the challenge they present, but I was worried that Alex would end up romanticizing misbehavior and bad treatment. He grew on me, but more importantly, my discomfort with him made me realize that Alex is also unlikeable in some ways. Their initial pairing highlights both of their flaws, especially because of their early adversarial relationship.

I found the pacing of the narrative a bit jarring, but I cannot figure out exactly why. Maybe we spent too much time on the guy that insults Alex at the beginning of the sailing trip or perhaps not enough time setting up Alex’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend-turned-bestie Paul. I think the book itself is the perfect length, so I wouldn’t want to add or subtract anything, but the reconciliation felt rushed.

Now that it is spring, I am in the mood to read sumptuous summer vacation narratives and The High Dive is literally a summer vacation set on a yacht surrounded by delicious Mediterranean food and wine. The vibes of this book are perfect and exactly what I was looking for.