The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

THE SWIMMERS by award-winning author Julie Otsuka (When the Emperor was Divine and The Buddha in the Attic) is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time. The writing is exquisite and it is difficult to pick out favorite quotes. The first part of the book is written as though the swimmers were collectively sharing the small moments of their time at the pool: “one of the best things about the pool is the brief respite it offers us from the noisy world above …and slowly, slowly, the chatter in our minds begins to subside as stroke after stroke, length after length, we swim.” There are lists and lists and lists describing rules, the participants, and the pool itself until one day a crack appears, then disappears, but ultimately leads to change. Alice, who is developing dementia, feels the loss: “Up there, she says, I’m just another little old lady. But down here, at the pool, I’m myself.” Without the routine of swimming, her condition worsens and the narration and focus of the book shifts to Alice’s estranged daughter and their relationship. THE SWIMMERS received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus (“The combination of social satire with an intimate portrait of loss and grief is stylistically ambitious and deeply moving.”), Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. It will be on our shelves soon.