Book Blurb:
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka: The Swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief.
One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese internment camp in which she spent the war.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka was at once a poetic piece of literature as well as a powerful metaphor about dementia. Otsuka has a definitive voice in that is recognizable in her work, much like a rhythmic cadence.
This book is broken into three distinct parts, starting with the collective voice of we, that describes the multiple swimmers at the community pool. This moves onto the reactions of the swimmers after a crack is noticed in the pool. Some notice it and keep swimming, some notice it and obsess over it and others never even look. Remember folks, a crack in the foundation of a pool can be the beginning of the end of it.
By part three, the story of Alice, the only character mentioned by name, becomes more intimate as her dementia is worsening. Through her daughter’s observations, the whole allegory of the pool and Alice comes together. Written with pure nuance and poignancy, this book will stay with you long after you read it.
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