The Swimmers

This is a compelling look at aging and dementia through the eyes of a swimmer exploring her personal backstory in Japanese American incarceration camps. But it's also a fine set up for relationship conflict/love with her daughter. With a speculative imagination, Julie Otsuka spins a unique tale of heroism and literally propels us through with her beautiful writing just as the swimmers propel themselves through the pool.

I loved this book so much that after reading it, and returning it to the library, I wanted to buy my own copy. I wanted this book to sit on my shelf, right behind my desk, even if I never read it again, though I know I will.

The Swimmers is a book that swallowed me up into a world, which at first, I didn’t quite understand. Yet, I didn’t care. I would have gone anywhere that the author was taking me. The language carried me along, the voice touched me deeply, and finally, as the story became clear, broke… show more.