Fiction

The Swimmers

The Swimmers

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  • Create Date：2022-02-21 08:53:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Julie Otsuka
  • ISBN：0241543886
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Summary

A Vogue Best Book of 2022
A Bookseller Editor's Choice
Red Magazine's '10 Best New Books Out This Month'


'Here comes the new Julie Otsuka novel， so we can begin to live again' Colson Whitehead， author of Harlem Shuffle

'Heartbreaking and astoundingly good' Rebecca Makkai， author of The Great Believers

'Haunting， ironic and poetic in its resonance， this slender volume is a must-read。。。Don't miss this beautifully written， heartfelt， wry and wistful exploration of loss。' Woman & Home

'I'm in awe of how this beautiful， graceful novel can hold so much grief and loss and love in its pages: a literary gem。' Nicci Gerard， author of Soham: A Story Of Our Times

From the internationally bestselling author of The Buddha in the Attic

Up above there are wildfires， smog alerts， epic droughts， paper jams， teachers' strikes， insurrections， revolutions， record-breaking summers of unendurable heat， but down below， at the pool， it is always a comfortable eighty-one degrees 。。。

Alice is one of a group of obsessed recreational swimmers for whom their local swimming pool has become the centre of their lives - a place of unexpected kinship， freedom， and ritual。 Until one day a crack appears beneath its surface 。。。

As cracks also begin to appear in Alice's memory， her husband and daughter are faced with the dilemma of how best to care for her。 As Alice clings to the tethers of her past in a Home she feels certain is not her home， her daughter must navigate the newly fractured landscape of their relationship。

A novel about mothers and daughters， grief and memory， love and implacable loss， The Swimmers is spellbinding， incantatory and unforgettable。 The finest work yet from a true modern master。

'An unforgettable novel about mothers and daughters by a spellbinding talent' Daily Mail

'Stylistically ambitious and deeply moving' Kirkus Reviews

'A goddamn heartbreaker' Emma Straub， author of The Vacationers

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Reviews

Diane ，

4。5/5 stars - unusual story - review coming soon

Sue ，

Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers is sure to be one of the most creative and emotional new books I will read this year。 Many readers of When the Emperor Was Divine or The Buddha in the Attic will understand this author’s ability to create vivid images in her reader’s mind and her unusual uses of point of view。 Otsuka opens The Swimmers with the second person plural point of view。 As the title indicates， at least part of the book is about swimmers， not a swimmer， and swimmers （like all people） come in Julie Otsuka’s The Swimmers is sure to be one of the most creative and emotional new books I will read this year。 Many readers of When the Emperor Was Divine or The Buddha in the Attic will understand this author’s ability to create vivid images in her reader’s mind and her unusual uses of point of view。 Otsuka opens The Swimmers with the second person plural point of view。 As the title indicates， at least part of the book is about swimmers， not a swimmer， and swimmers （like all people） come in a all shapes， sizes， and ages， with different levels of ability， different speeds， different motivations， and different thought processes。 These swimmers also swim their laps in a different pool than most—an underground pool in which a crack appears， disappears， and reappears。 In paragraphs comprised of colorful and artfully astounding lists， Otsuka reveals who these swimmers are， what challenges they face above ground， why they swim， how they swim， the many ways they react to the crack’s appearances and changes， the varying opinions of experts， and the differing ways the swimmers cope when worsening conditions force closure。 The remainder of the book focuses on one of the swimmers—Alice， an aging Asian American woman， whose mental decline following the pool closure lands her in a memory care facility—and on Alice's family。 The lists continue now and then， itemizing the things Alice remembers and does not remember， the rules for living in the facility， and the types of people living there。 As Alice declines， the focus shifts more to her daughter， a novelist。 The point of view also shifts to suit Otsuka’s immediate focus。Julie Otsuka deftly paints an emotional portrait of life， of people suddenly confronted by the unknown， of declining mental capacity and its impact on those who love a person slowly disappearing from the world。 You may feel that much seems familiar in this heart-rending novel even if you have not experienced a family member’s dementia。 It is fiction， an at least semi-autobiographical account， and a striking allegory。My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advance reader copy of one of the rare books that will stay with me for years to come。 。。。more

Alisa ，

I like to pick up books knowing next to nothing about what to expect。 This one had me confused and left me with a gut punch。 It is both vague and insightful， full of detail and devoid of answers， emotional and detached。 Worth the read。

James Beggarly ，

Thanks to Edelweiss and Knopf for the ebook。 The first part of this book takes place in an underground pool in Northern California。 There’s a large cross section of swimmers， we get a first name， job and if the swimmer is in the fast or slow lane only。 Then a crack in the bottom of the pool leads to concern。 Several other unexplainable cracks lead to existential dread among the swimmers and eventually the permanent closing of the pool。 In the second part of the book the focus is only on Alice， a Thanks to Edelweiss and Knopf for the ebook。 The first part of this book takes place in an underground pool in Northern California。 There’s a large cross section of swimmers， we get a first name， job and if the swimmer is in the fast or slow lane only。 Then a crack in the bottom of the pool leads to concern。 Several other unexplainable cracks lead to existential dread among the swimmers and eventually the permanent closing of the pool。 In the second part of the book the focus is only on Alice， an older Japanese swimmer who is mentioned more than once by the other members as having memory issues。 Those issues turn into full on dementia and we see her daughter， a novelist who lives on the East Coast， come back home to help out as Alice is put into a care facility full time for an existential dread of a completely different kind。 。。。more

Canny Mike ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m so happy to share this wonderful testimony thank you dr。okpodo for the help you restored to me I will be forever grateful to you now my Husband is back to me and everything is alright now if you have a problem with your ex or in your relationship with your partner contact dr。okpodo today （dr。okpodosolutionhome@gmail。com）or whatsapp +234815105617 his website https://okpodosolutionhome。blogspot。c。。。 I’m so happy to share this wonderful testimony thank you dr。okpodo for the help you restored to me I will be forever grateful to you now my Husband is back to me and everything is alright now if you have a problem with your ex or in your relationship with your partner contact dr。okpodo today （dr。okpodosolutionhome@gmail。com）or whatsapp +234815105617 his website https://okpodosolutionhome。blogspot。c。。。 。。。more

Emmanuel Orta ，

I’m currently listening to the audiobook on this and another book from Julie Otsuka two of my favorites， romance and thriller combined。 Got to love Kindle Unlimited！！！！Firewood DenverFlooring Contractors Denver I’m currently listening to the audiobook on this and another book from Julie Otsuka two of my favorites， romance and thriller combined。 Got to love Kindle Unlimited！！！！Firewood DenverFlooring Contractors Denver 。。。more

Angela ，

Cool

Dk ，

How to read a book on this site

Chris Haak ，

This is a beautiful but sad story about dementia。 I found it impressive and heartbreaking， but did not like the repetitive style and enumeration， particularly in the first half of the book。 It annoyed me and made me want to skim read。Thank you Fig Tree/Penguin for the ARC。

Elena L。 ，

[4。5/5 stars]In THE SWIMMERS， there is a pool located deep underground where every type of people （the swimmers） attend religiously and obey to certain rules。 This place offers a sense of comfort and order missing from above ground lives， becoming their refuge to escape from the pain and chaos from the land。 One day， a crack appears at the bottom of the pool。When I first read it， I found it quite disjointed。 However after some discussion， I thought that Otsuka is just genius！ Otsuka brilliantly [4。5/5 stars]In THE SWIMMERS， there is a pool located deep underground where every type of people （the swimmers） attend religiously and obey to certain rules。 This place offers a sense of comfort and order missing from above ground lives， becoming their refuge to escape from the pain and chaos from the land。 One day， a crack appears at the bottom of the pool。When I first read it， I found it quite disjointed。 However after some discussion， I thought that Otsuka is just genius！ Otsuka brilliantly uses the pool and the crack as a metaphor of freedom and living with dementia。 The obsession over the crack， over its origin is fully dissected throughout the second half of the book。 Sometimes satirical， sometimes melancholic with meditative tone underneath， what this novel does is dive deep into the complexity of dementia - too see your loved one forget oneself， to deal with pain and loss; the power of the memory and the focus on the damage。 With lyrical prose， sometimes too sparse， the beginning is somehow light while towards the end it becomes harder to read。 In less than 160 pages， this novel provides plenty of substance to digest。 My final comment is to take your time to read and interpret this surprising book。[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Knopf Publishing - in exchange for an honest review ] 。。。more

Hannah Rafferty ，

This book was a beautiful， thoughtful exploration of aging， memory loss， tragedy inside a community that anyone outside just wouldn't understand and of course， swimming。 The book was divided into four chapters， with a large portion of the book focused on a group of people who swim at a particular pool -- and who eventually see a crack in their pool。 The crack causes all sorts of dramatic introspection and the author does an incredible job weaving a variety of experiences together。 The novel was This book was a beautiful， thoughtful exploration of aging， memory loss， tragedy inside a community that anyone outside just wouldn't understand and of course， swimming。 The book was divided into four chapters， with a large portion of the book focused on a group of people who swim at a particular pool -- and who eventually see a crack in their pool。 The crack causes all sorts of dramatic introspection and the author does an incredible job weaving a variety of experiences together。 The novel was such an in-depth exploration of swimming and those who regularly swim laps， with all their different personalities， reasons for swimming， and lives above the ground。 The second half of the book focuses on dementia and is incredible powerful。 A beautiful novel indeed！Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

brontë reads ，

brb just going to stare at a wall for a few hours。 this book hurt me

Libriar ，

The first （fairly long） chapter of this book works as a brilliant stand-alone short story that should be read by anyone who has ever swam laps。 Otsuka absolutely nails every aspect of swimming laps and the different types of people who swim laps。 I have written some of the best lines from that chapter at the end of my review。 The book eventually focuses on one of the swimmers， a Japanese-American woman with dementia。 The first two chapters actually left me confused as to where the book was leadi The first （fairly long） chapter of this book works as a brilliant stand-alone short story that should be read by anyone who has ever swam laps。 Otsuka absolutely nails every aspect of swimming laps and the different types of people who swim laps。 I have written some of the best lines from that chapter at the end of my review。 The book eventually focuses on one of the swimmers， a Japanese-American woman with dementia。 The first two chapters actually left me confused as to where the book was leading。 The woman's story is interesting （and sad。） This is a short book so even if you only end up getting it to read the first chapter， you might as well read the whole thing。 ARC provided by NetGalley。"The medium-lane people are visibly more relaxed than their fast-lane brethren。 They come in all sizes and shapes and have long ago given up any dreams they may have once harbored of swimming in a faster and better lane。""People to watch out for: aggressive lappers， determined thrashers， oblivious backstrokers， stealthy submariners， middle-aged men who insist upon speeding up the moment they are about to be overtaken by a woman， tailgaters， lane Nazis， arm flailers， ankle yankers， the pickup artist。。。""After New Year's and other major holidays during which alarming quantities of food have been steadily consumed， you may notice a sudden influx of newcomers frantic to swim off the pounds。 Binge swimmers， we call them。。。。Try not to get angry with them。 Defer judgment if you can。 For they are temporary defilers of our waters， weak-willed interlopers who will not be with us for long。" 。。。more

Barbara Hall ，

Julie Otsuka's slim novel is a tender and exquisite gem。 At just under 200 pages， the first section is written in a Greek chorus style narrative in which the reader is introduced to the regular and dedicated lap swimmers of a recreational pool center。 In turns of phrases that are absolutely spot on: e。g。， the current husband of a woman whose ex still swims in his preferred lane， thus making him feel it best to swim in another lane， is heard to say -- "I know my place，" the reader cannot help but Julie Otsuka's slim novel is a tender and exquisite gem。 At just under 200 pages， the first section is written in a Greek chorus style narrative in which the reader is introduced to the regular and dedicated lap swimmers of a recreational pool center。 In turns of phrases that are absolutely spot on: e。g。， the current husband of a woman whose ex still swims in his preferred lane， thus making him feel it best to swim in another lane， is heard to say -- "I know my place，" the reader cannot help but feel how real and knowable the swimmers are。 A crack in the pool is discovered and soon， the pool must close for repairs， profoundly changing the swimmers lives。 The second half zeros in on the story of Alice， one of the dedicated swimmers， whose dementia is hinted at during the first half: "And even though she may not remember the combination to her locker or where she put her towel， the moment she slips into the water she knows what to do。" The symbolism of the pool's crack connects directly to the furthering "crack" in Alice's brain as she slips deeper in her dementia， resulting in her family committing her to a residential facility。 The second person narrative becomes the voice of Alice's 40-something daughter， a writer， as she grieves in love and loss for her mother's life （the internment of her Japanese family when she was a young girl， her first love and subsequent marriage to another man， her miscarriage）， and their relationship。 The descriptions of the swimmers and their daily pool routines felt meditative and even introspective。 The mother-daughter relationship depicted had a haunting beauty in its portrayal， rendering the book's ending very impactful。 I have not read Otsuka's previous 2 works of fiction but know that I will soon find myself binging on them。 Her writing is not to be missed。 。。。more

Jesika ，

This is an exceptional book， I will be ordering both of Julie Otsuka's previous novels。For such a short book， I'm blown away by how much this book achieves。 The scope is so large and yet the experience of human life is so perfectly depicted。 The first chapter is a love letter to swimming。 I was in tears by page nine because it just felt so real， so close to home for me。 That emotional urgency and closeness then stayed with me for the full book， which is why I took my time and read this very shor This is an exceptional book， I will be ordering both of Julie Otsuka's previous novels。For such a short book， I'm blown away by how much this book achieves。 The scope is so large and yet the experience of human life is so perfectly depicted。 The first chapter is a love letter to swimming。 I was in tears by page nine because it just felt so real， so close to home for me。 That emotional urgency and closeness then stayed with me for the full book， which is why I took my time and read this very short book over several days。 Moving on to the life of one of the Swimmers， Alice， the book explores the relationship between mothers and daughters， the experience of being Japanese in America from the second world war to the present day， the long term love of a spouse losing their chosen person。Alice has a form of dementia， and towards the end of the book the capitalisation of care and the need for families to know they are trying to provide every tiny help they can to their loved ones is depicted with heartbreakingly haunting writing。 It hit home to me again， that experience of wishing you could fix the world for someone so that you could see them truly themselves again。Honestly this book broke my heart， and I would let it do so again。 。。。more

Ari Levine ，

This is a genuine heartbreaker of a short novel， especially for one whose storytelling approach is so elliptical and enumerative。 Otsuka's prose style is impeccably precise and minimalistic， accumulating into five chapters which are unsifted piles of Post-It Notes with different narrative frames whose foci draw ever tighter。The novel begins as a Greek chorus in the 1st-person plural， voicing the collective observations of the regular lap swimmers at an underground Californian university pool: a This is a genuine heartbreaker of a short novel， especially for one whose storytelling approach is so elliptical and enumerative。 Otsuka's prose style is impeccably precise and minimalistic， accumulating into five chapters which are unsifted piles of Post-It Notes with different narrative frames whose foci draw ever tighter。The novel begins as a Greek chorus in the 1st-person plural， voicing the collective observations of the regular lap swimmers at an underground Californian university pool: a multicultural mosaic people from all walks of life。 When the authorities permanently close the pool after a series of scientifically inexplicable cracks emerge in its bottom， this community suddenly evaporates， leaving one of the dozens of swimmers， an elderly Japanese-American woman named Alice， bereft。 It isn't until about 2/5 of the way into the novel that Otsuka shifts from multi-perspectival pointillism to an extreme closeup， and that we realize that Alice has been the novel's central figure all along。 （Have you seen the video of a gorilla playing basketball， designed to illustrate the psychological phenomenon of selective attention？ That's the closest analogy to this astonishing shift in perspective that Otsuka masterfully pulls off here。） Without a meaningful way to punctuate and structure her time， Alice's inner life subsides into dementia， as observed by her daughter， a middle-aged novelist who might or might not be an autofictional stand-in for Otsuka。 As Alice's world shrinks ever further， and she moves out of her suburban tract house into a memory-care nursing home， the novelist sifts through what she knows （and can never know） about her mother's life， and all the life stories her mother will no longer remember as her inner life contracts ever further: her childhood in an internment camp， her long and contented good-enough marriage， the death of her first child as an infant， the loss of the great love of her life， her experiences as an Asian-American mother in the Bay Area suburbs。This was an extremely unsentimental account of a beloved parent's decline， written by her adult child with whom she had a complicated but loving relationship， and all the more powerful for it。Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。 。。。more

Hally ，

3。5A gentle and poignant story， half of which is in the collective voice of a group of swimmers。 When a crack is found in the floor of the pool， the narrative cracks open too and focuses in on one swimmer， Alice， whose memory is being encroached upon by dementia。 I do love vignettes， but struggle with detached writing styles， so this was a mixed but interesting reading experience。

Kate TerHaar ，

Oh that crack！ So much symbolism in the crack in the pool and the "crack" in Alice's brain。 This is a beautifully told story of a mother- daughter relationship as well as the heart break of dementia。 Oh that crack！ So much symbolism in the crack in the pool and the "crack" in Alice's brain。 This is a beautifully told story of a mother- daughter relationship as well as the heart break of dementia。 。。。more

Nancy ，

The first half of The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka is about a group of people who obsessively swim at a local underground pool。 Swimming is a huge part of their daily or weekly routine but that all stops when the pool develops cracks in it。 The second half， is about one of the swimmers， Alice， who has dementia。 This part is very poignant and familiar to me as my mother also suffers from advanced dementia。 So much of the experience is universal。 The love from her daughter is palpable。 It's a beautifu The first half of The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka is about a group of people who obsessively swim at a local underground pool。 Swimming is a huge part of their daily or weekly routine but that all stops when the pool develops cracks in it。 The second half， is about one of the swimmers， Alice， who has dementia。 This part is very poignant and familiar to me as my mother also suffers from advanced dementia。 So much of the experience is universal。 The love from her daughter is palpable。 It's a beautiful little book。 。。。more

Nicole ，

I read a majority of this book at a coffee shop。 Emerson string quartet played in the background and that’s what reading so much of this book was like， a beautiful piece of music that flowed seamlessly， picking up in parts and slowing down in order to savor the moment。 Definitely more experimental as the second part goes into the mind of Alice。 I enjoyed the first part but was a little lost/ bored after the pool stuff。 Overall enjoyable， albeit heartbreaking。 I received a free copy of this ebook I read a majority of this book at a coffee shop。 Emerson string quartet played in the background and that’s what reading so much of this book was like， a beautiful piece of music that flowed seamlessly， picking up in parts and slowing down in order to savor the moment。 Definitely more experimental as the second part goes into the mind of Alice。 I enjoyed the first part but was a little lost/ bored after the pool stuff。 Overall enjoyable， albeit heartbreaking。 I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All expressed opinions are my own and do not reflect any stance or position held by the author or publisher。 This did not affect my rating or review in any way。 。。。more

Terri Suda ，

Oh， this book。 It is precious and perfect， and came to me at just the right time as I witness my own mom and her day in and day out descent into dementia。 I've already begun talking it up with fellow readers， for this is novel not to be missed。 The writing is crystal clear and gorgeous， and so personal。 I gained such clarity and insight into what my own loved one must be experiencing。 This is perfect fiction， walking in hand with fact and experience， lighting the way for this reader。 I love this Oh， this book。 It is precious and perfect， and came to me at just the right time as I witness my own mom and her day in and day out descent into dementia。 I've already begun talking it up with fellow readers， for this is novel not to be missed。 The writing is crystal clear and gorgeous， and so personal。 I gained such clarity and insight into what my own loved one must be experiencing。 This is perfect fiction， walking in hand with fact and experience， lighting the way for this reader。 I love this book。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy。 #NetGalley #TheSwimmers #JulieOtsuka 。。。more

Katie Cusumano ，

！！

Diane S ☔ ，

Otsuka has written three books， around a decade apart。 She is one of those authors with such a distinctive writing style， that her books are easily recognized。 Her last wasn't a favorite， I compared to to Green Eggs and Ham， not in subject matter but in stylistic endeavour。 Nonthless， her books， intrigue me， she writes slim books all with a different subject。 This one is as the cover shows， about swimming。 The first part follows her collective we voice， showcasing a group of swimmers at a local Otsuka has written three books， around a decade apart。 She is one of those authors with such a distinctive writing style， that her books are easily recognized。 Her last wasn't a favorite， I compared to to Green Eggs and Ham， not in subject matter but in stylistic endeavour。 Nonthless， her books， intrigue me， she writes slim books all with a different subject。 This one is as the cover shows， about swimming。 The first part follows her collective we voice， showcasing a group of swimmers at a local pool。 She describes why they swim， how they swim， what they get from swimming。 This daily exercise means alot to these swimmers as apparently does the rules and sameness。 That is until a crack appears a crack appears in one of the lanes。 Their reactions and actions took after the crack appears， follows。 None of these people are named except one swimmer named Alice。 Alice， who is allowed to swim an extra life。 So far， this first section follows her previous books。But then， the second and we learn why Alice is named。 What now follows becomes personal， and it is poignant， and heartbreaking。 Mother， daughter， husband， Alice a woman who is mentally deteriorating。 This part sounds like it might be a fictional memoir and I thought， though I may be wrong， that this is her mother/daughter story。ARC from Netgalley。 。。。more

Susie | Novel Visits ，

3。5 stars - Just hit close to home - full review to follow

Brigitte ，

This slim and deceptively humorous novel hit me hard。 The opening section is first person plural narration from the perspective of members of a community swimming pool。 Each personality shines through with funny and poignant reflections on importance of the pool for all of the members。 This community—the swimmers—loves the pool and each other， for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies。 But when a mysterious crack in the bottom causes the pool to close， the community drifts apart。 The next section This slim and deceptively humorous novel hit me hard。 The opening section is first person plural narration from the perspective of members of a community swimming pool。 Each personality shines through with funny and poignant reflections on importance of the pool for all of the members。 This community—the swimmers—loves the pool and each other， for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies。 But when a mysterious crack in the bottom causes the pool to close， the community drifts apart。 The next section of the book feels completely different—in a way， jarringly different—focusing on one swimmer， Alice， an older woman with dementia。 She remembers her childhood but not what she ate for lunch， her youth in a Japanese internment camp but not her husband’s name。 I found this section excruciating to read。 By the time Alice goes into memory care， I seriously considered abandoning the book。 It’s beautifully written， but for personal reasons， I found this very very painful。 I recommend it as an inventive， emotionally sharp， and concise novel， but know what you’re getting into。Thank you， as always， to one of my favorite imprints @aaknopf for the #gifted ARC。 The swimmers comes out 2/22/22 。。。more

Bonnie Brody ，

It's difficult to review a book as heartfelt and true as The Swimmers。 Julie Otsuka has written a masterpiece that will be with me forever。The novel is about Alice， a woman with Pick's disease， a type of dementia。 The narrative follows the relationship between Alice and her daughter as Alice's disease progresses。 The daughter is a writer and the novel has some of the aspects of the best memoirs。This short novel starts with a chapter about swimmers in an underground pool， probably a YMCA。 Each sw It's difficult to review a book as heartfelt and true as The Swimmers。 Julie Otsuka has written a masterpiece that will be with me forever。The novel is about Alice， a woman with Pick's disease， a type of dementia。 The narrative follows the relationship between Alice and her daughter as Alice's disease progresses。 The daughter is a writer and the novel has some of the aspects of the best memoirs。This short novel starts with a chapter about swimmers in an underground pool， probably a YMCA。 Each swimmer obeys the pool's unspoken rules and keeps to the same lane every day。 They are happy to be away from the hustle and bustle of 'the'outside'' because in the pool everything is quiet and peaceful， perfect for all the swimmers。 One day， however， a crack appears at the bottom of the pool and this is horribly upsetting to the swimmers。 What can it be and what caused it？ As the book progresses， I found it a clear metaphor for the beginning of Alice's demise， the crack in her mind so to speak。The next chapter， Diem Perdidi， is a short story， one I believe that Ms。 Otsuka has previously published。 It is about the progression of her mother's dementia as her daughter looks on。 Diem Perdidi， translatesd something like 'the lost day'， is beautifully rendered as is the profound sense of loss it conveys。Ultimately， Alice is sent to reside in a long-term care facility that is regimented， cold， and like many medical facilities， caring more about the profit than the patient。I loved the parts of the book that explored the daughter's relationship with Alice， especially her distance from her mother since leaving home for college。 Alice sounds like a powerhouse in her youth but it is easy to see how fractious a mother/daughter relationship might have been。Ms。 Otsuka writes like no other author。 She is unique in her style which I found mesmerizing and lyrical。 The book never slows down。 It rides， like the wind， on the beauty of the author's words。 Her style reminded me of music， with its repetitions and short rifs。 The composers Erik Satie and Philip Glass come to mind。 This will be one of my top 10 books of 2022 and one of my favorite novels of all time。Thank you to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for this early review copy。 。。。more

Mrs Blesing ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I feel amazed after a long period of emotional depression with my husband which I almost lost hope in but all thanks to my girlfriend （Annie） who had same problem years back so I confided in her and she gave me hope to smile again by giving me an advice on how she got through her emotional depression pains with the help of a great spiritual priestess called Dr BleBle who helped me restored my broken/lost relationship back happily and I am so grateful for her help thank you Annie baby girl for gi I feel amazed after a long period of emotional depression with my husband which I almost lost hope in but all thanks to my girlfriend （Annie） who had same problem years back so I confided in her and she gave me hope to smile again by giving me an advice on how she got through her emotional depression pains with the help of a great spiritual priestess called Dr BleBle who helped me restored my broken/lost relationship back happily and I am so grateful for her help thank you Annie baby girl for giving me this positive contact advice that brought back my happy marriage again email Dr BleBle via （drbleble525@gmail。com） of joyWhatsApp him via +234 705 703 4263 。。。more

Diane Ferbrache ，

I'm a huge fan of Julile Otsuka's writing style。 Her novels are short and to the point， yet always leave me with a lingering ache。 They are emotional， heartbreaking， and real without any excessive emoting or flowery descriptive language。 This one is a perfect example of her incredible talent。The pool in town attracts a wide variety of people who swim on a regular schedule。 Although few names are given， we get to know them by their swim style and their habits。 When a crack appears in the pool， it I'm a huge fan of Julile Otsuka's writing style。 Her novels are short and to the point， yet always leave me with a lingering ache。 They are emotional， heartbreaking， and real without any excessive emoting or flowery descriptive language。 This one is a perfect example of her incredible talent。The pool in town attracts a wide variety of people who swim on a regular schedule。 Although few names are given， we get to know them by their swim style and their habits。 When a crack appears in the pool， it portends a change that has an impact on everyone， especially Alice who is battling dementia。This book is really in two parts -- the pool and Alice。 While not a straight narrative plot （with an introduction， building tension， and climax）， nor is there typical exposition and dialogue， the story is still very clear。 I think this is the brilliance of Otsuka's writing。 I'm sure some will be put off by the writing style， and it is different。 Otsuka writes in short seemingly random sentences that （at first） do not even seem connected。 Some will find it distracting， but I fell the style is what adds to the impact of the story。 I found myself thinking about this book long after I finished it。 This would be a perfect "book club" selection。 。。。more

Kimi Loughlin ，

Wow。 Julie Otsuka did it again！ Despite her unusual use of form and perspective （something that on the surface I would assume I would react badly to）， I cannot help but fall deeply in love with her books。 The Swimmers may be my favorite because I LOVE the examination of a pool and all the people that that make it a community。 And then as it progresses， I couldn't help but see parallels to my own aging family members and their struggles。 It was beautiful and I couldn't recommend it more。 Wow。 Julie Otsuka did it again！ Despite her unusual use of form and perspective （something that on the surface I would assume I would react badly to）， I cannot help but fall deeply in love with her books。 The Swimmers may be my favorite because I LOVE the examination of a pool and all the people that that make it a community。 And then as it progresses， I couldn't help but see parallels to my own aging family members and their struggles。 It was beautiful and I couldn't recommend it more。 。。。more

Emma Dale ，

3。5

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Swimmers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Swimmers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Swimmers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0