Swallow (2009) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Sophie Hegel: The protagonist
• Fist Ball or F-B: The name Sophie gives to the antagonist - the imaginary ball she feels in her throat because, it feels like a fist.
• Stephen Walsh: Sophie's fiance
• Miss Alana: Stephen's longtime, childhood friend, who could be his former girlfriend (he won't tell Sophie), who has been away at school for much of the time Sophie has known Stephen, and whom Sophie meets toward the beginning of the novel. Alana wickedly delights in harassing Sophie throughout the novel.
• Thom Morgan: One of Sophie's best friends from law school, who left Yale to pursue a career as an artist.
• Francie McKenzie: An older woman, involved in the fashion industry, whom Sophie met after moving to New York and who's taken a liking to Sophie and takes her under her wing, so to speak.
• Samia: Sophie's best friend from law school who used to be public interest (ie: legal aid)-oriented, but who has decided inexplicably to "go corporate" and strongly pressures Sophie to do the same.
• Tobias Carter: One of Sophie's clients, who calls frequently from Sing Sing to ask about his case, and ends up giving her advice.
• Johnson Hegel: Sophie's father, who works as a director and producer of soft-core porn films, and with whom Sophie has a very difficult relationship.
• Ms. Bebe Babcock: Sophie's sister, who lives in a trailer park in Arizona and has had several abusive relationships with men and several children out of wedlock. She and Sophie used to be close, but after their parents divorced, they begin to grow more distant. Ever since Sophie left home for college, they have had a very difficult relationship.
• Peppi Harden: Sophie's father's girlfriend, who often acts in his porn films. She's nice and well-intentioned, but often gives Sophie too much information about her relationship with Sophie's father and their films, making Sophie very uncomfortable.
• Daisy Kane: Sophie's boss who, despite her name and penchant for dressing in pastel florals, is a hard-ass in court and who often intimidates Sophie.
• Justices Park, McKinley, Boyd, and Simonella: A panel of judges Sophie often appears before, who are generally very conservative and don't want to give her cases and clients the time of day. They often give her a very difficult time during oral argument.
• Dr. Ames: Sophie's psychologist.
• Jeannie: Sophie's favorite co-worker. Sophie looks up to her, but eventually develops an up and down relationship with Jeannie.
• Cedric: The doorman in Stephen's apartment building, whom Sophie often gets odd vibes from, but who may turn out to be a friend to her.
• Patrick Parks: Sophie and Stephen's very annoyingly nosy next-door neighbor.
• Sophie's mother, Pablo, Francisco, and Jared: Sophie's family back in Arizona. Her mother wants to help her but doesn't know how. Pablo, Francisco and Jared and sister Bebe's misbehaved children.
• Tad and Marcus: Stephen's brothers, both doctors, with whom Stephen has difficult, competitive relationships.
• Jorge: Francie's friend, a fashion designer.
• Curtis: Thom's boyfriend and muse.
• Professor Bloatum: Sophie's intimidating professor of property law at Yale, in whose class Sophie had an early but fleeting experience with the ball, and who returns later in the book.
• Mr. White, Mr. Delaney, and Mr. Ricks: Sophie's clients, all of whom Sophie feels a great deal of sympathy for, though she knows she likely won't win their cases.
• Mr. Frey: The head of the Capital Defender's Office, for whom Sophie wants to work.
• Mr. Rickets: Add a description of this character.
• Mr. Morant
• Randall Cooper
• Michael Schmidt
• Adele Parks
• Joey Gonzago
• Mr. Robert Froster
• Mr. Carter
• Paulina
• Mr. Walsh
• Yelena
• Eddie Delaney
• Dr. Pratt
• Ruiza
• Roger
• Gloriana Simonella
• Coco
• Mr. Lansing
• Marlena
• Joseph White
• Justice McKinley
• Larry
• Katrine
• Mr. White
• Sisco
• Ms. Hegel
• Pete
• Jack Lansing
• Justice O'Grady
• Chris

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Upper West Side: Posh area of Manhattan where Sophie lives with her boyfriend - turned fiance.
• Cafe Des Artistes: A well-known (but currently closed) five-star restaurant in New York City where Sophie's fiance proposes to her.
• Serendipity: A fun, well-known dessert restaurant in New York where Sophie is dining with her fiance when she experiences her first episode of Globus Hystericus.
• Harvard Club: Sophie's fiance graduated from Harvard, and he often takes her to this alumni club, located in mid-town New York, where Sophie often feels uncomfortable.
• New York City Appellate Courthouses: Courthouses in Manhattan and Brooklyn where Sophie argues her appeals cases.
• Waldorf Astoria: Famous NYC hotel where Sophie participates in a fashion show.
• Chelsea Art Gallery District: Sophie's friend, Thom, is an artist and he has an art opening in Chelsea gallery.
• World Trade Center: Much of the novel takes places before 9/11 and Sophie's office is near the World Trade Center.
• Century 21 Department Store: Well-known downtown NYC department store where Sophie and her friend, Samia, shop.
• New Museum: A trendy, alternative museum in NYC.
• Alice in Wonderland Statue: A large sculpture in Central Park.
• Greenwich Village: Arty downtown area in NYC where Sophie's friend, fashion maven, Francie, lives.
• Fire Island: A small island off of Manhattan where Sophie and her fiance spend a nerve-wracking weekend with her fiance's former female friend, Alana.
• Florence, Arizona: Sophie returns for two chapters to visit her mother and sister, who live in this small Arizona town, known for housing a large prison.
• Cafe Omonia: Cafe in Astoria, Queens, NYC, known for making the cake used in the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

Organizations edit see section history

• Yale Law School: Add a description of this organization.
• New York City Public Defender's Office: The governmental office whose attorneys are assigned to represent defendants in criminal cases who can't pay for a private attorney. The main character, Sophie, works in this office's appeals department, where she appeals the convictions of indigent defendants. (Note: in New York City, there are actually several non-profit organizations that are funded by the government that perform this function. So, this office, in name, doesn't actually exist. The actual organization in NY that Sophie would work for would be most akin to Legal Aid Society's Criminal Appeals Bureau.)
• New York City Capital Defender's Office: The governmental department in NYC that deals with death penalty cases.

First Sentence edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Globus Hystericus: Freudian term for psychosomatic disorder where patient feels a ball (globus) in their throat, which can make it difficult to eat, drink, speak, and sometimes breath.
• Globus Sensation: Contemporary term for psychosomatic disorder, Globus Hystericus.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Class privilege: Describe this theme.
• Father - daughter relationships
• Female lack of self-esteem
• The use of art to re-imagine oneself
• Criminal justice

Series & Lists edit see section history

List the series to which this book belongs.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Tonya Plank (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Living Now Book Awards (April 2010: Women's Fiction, Gold Medal)
• Independent Publisher Book Awards (May 2010: Best Regional Fiction, Gold Medal)
• ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards (April 2010: General Fiction, Finalist)
• National Indie Excellence Awards (May 2010: Regional Fiction, Finalist)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Tonya Plank: Author's website, which contains links to the book's reviews, author interviews, and the awards the book has received.

More Books Like This edit see section history