From the Bookshelf of DMPL Book Chat…

The Swimmers

Julie Otsuka

Start date: August 26, 2023

Finish date: September 21, 2023

Why we're reading this: The Swimmers is South Side Book Discussion's September selection! This book club will be held in person a…more
[close] The Swimmers is South Side Book Discussion's September selection! This book club will be held in person at South Side Library on Thursday, 9/21 at 2:00 PM. Visit our website or call 515-283-4152 for more details.

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May 16, 2022 Andy rated it really liked it

It’s difficult to describe Julie Otsuka’s slim novel accurately:
• It’s a story about swimming, and the community surrounding that activity.
• It’s a story about frontotemporal dementia.
• It’s a story about caring for aging parents.
• It’s a story about reconciling your past when you have no future.
• It’s an exploration of for-profit assisted living facilities.
• It’s a treatise on how Americans deal with the elderly compared to other cultures.

All that in 192-pages! A lot of it went over my head, It’s difficult to describe Julie Otsuka’s slim novel accurately:
• It’s a story about swimming, and the community surrounding that activity.
• It’s a story about frontotemporal dementia.
• It’s a story about caring for aging parents.
• It’s a story about reconciling your past when you have no future.
• It’s an exploration of for-profit assisted living facilities.
• It’s a treatise on how Americans deal with the elderly compared to other cultures.

All that in 192-pages! A lot of it went over my head, but I understood the broad strokes (get it!) of what Otsuka was trying to do, and I appreciated how she writes in a way that allows you to fill in the gaps with your own perspectives.

Told in five chapters, each one presents a different view of the same situation – Alice’s slow mental decline. There was a lot in the story that personally spoke to me and that could be why I enjoyed it more than most (according to the Goodreads rating).

As a former competitive swimmer and a lifeguard (my favorite job), I was immediately hooked by chapter one, “The Underground Pool,” which is probably the most perfect description of life in and around a pool I’ve ever read. People who haven’t spent a significant amount of time at the same pool, day in and day out, for years won’t get it, but trust me, it’s pitch perfect.

The dustjacket description leads you to believe there is a hefty historical fiction component to “The Swimmers,” but there are only passing references to Japanese internment during World War II as her daughter recounts what she does and doesn’t remember.

The closing chapter, “Euroneuro,” presents a hauntingly realistic and heartbreaking view of watching a loved one die while alive. This is something my family has experienced, and I applaud Otsuka for spotlighting the little moments that stick with you long after the person has physically died, such as trying to recount the last time they spoke, wrote or recognized you.

“Belavista,” while the penultimate chapter, feels more like a post-script as it is somewhat of an outlier in the broader story. Outlining the rules and experiences of the residents of the assisted living facility where Alice lives the rest of her life, it presents a juxtaposition to the community Alice had at the pool, while also delivering a saccharine stab to the entire industry and the dehumanization of the elderly. It is difficult to read – especially when you consider it may be your fate one day – but it’s a well-done quasi-satire.

“The Swimmers” doesn’t fit neatly into a genre box. It’s not a straightforward story, and you won’t get all the answers. If you want that in your reading – don’t pick this up. But, if you’re someone who has experienced the meditative power of lap swimming or has experienced loving a person with dementia, parts of this will feel like a hug.

Traci Kato-Kiriyama narrated the audiobook and it was totally fine and completely unremarkable. Otsuka’s writing is accessible and understated, so given the short length of the novel, I’d recommend this as a physical read.
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