The critics were almost universal in their praise of The Swimmers, and I really wanted to like this work, given its emphasis on two topics close to my heart: the purpose of swimming and the loss of memory, through Alzheimer's. The novel is both powerful and poignant, but I found its structure dissonant. Some asserted that this is deliberate, representative of the fragmentation of self, and Otsuka guilty of potentially seeking to pack too much in. Where The Swimmers was strong was on the importance of routine and how upsetting disruption can be to this, both physically and mentally. Otsuka's take on the conflict between Alzheimer's trauma and the commercial importance of how care clinics are run was also superb. The depiction of loss (the closure of the pool and the eventual death from dementia) were handled well. There is pain, but we have to move on. Where I struggled more was on the complex mother-daughter relationship and also the contrasts between Japan (the central protagonist's homeland) and the U.S. (her adopted country). Much of the detail here struck me as unnecessary, distracting from the bigger picture. Distance matters, but more in the relationship between memory and truth. Eight out of ten.
By Julie Otsuka