The Swimmers is a 2022 novel by American author Julie Otsuka, published by Knopf. Otsuka's third novel, it was written and finished during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction in 2023.[2]
 | |
| Author | Julie Otsuka |
|---|---|
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Knopf |
Publication date | February 22, 2022 |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | 978-0593321331 |
| Preceded by | The Buddha in the Attic |
Synopsis
editThe book follows Alice, an old swimmer with dementia whose troubles with memory involve her past experiences in a Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II, as well as her daughter's attempts to care for her and reach her in her decline.[3]
Critical reception
editIn a starred review, Kirkus Reviews observed that "The combination of social satire with an intimate portrait of loss and grief is stylistically ambitious and deeply moving."[4]
Many critics noted the bifurcated structure of the novel, with the Financial Times remarking: "Divided into two very different halves, The Swimmers is structured a bit like a lateralized brain, with distinctly rational and emotional sides in melancholy dialogue with one another."[5]
Several publications, like The Atlantic, noted the poignancy of the novel's release during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Rachel Khong, writing for The New York Times, found Otsuka's prose "powerfully subdued" and an "exquisite companion" to recent events.[7] NPR called it "a slim brilliant novel about the value and beauty of mundane routines" that "could also be read as a grand parable about the crack in the world wrought by this pandemic."[8] The Washington Independent Review of Books admired Otsuka's voice, structure, and approach to the topic of memory.[9] The Los Angeles Review of Books observed that the novel, along with Jessica Au's Cold Enough for Snow, offered "new understandings of familiar dynamics" for Asian American identity politics in wake of the pandemic and its subsequent increase of hate crimes.
The Los Angeles Times found the novel's presence "cloying at times" but appreciated how "Otsuka's language lifts off" on her signature themes.[10] The Spectator wrote that Otsuka "has good rhythm, sentences that move to a satisfying beat."[11]
Vogue placed Otsuka's "elegant third novel" on their list of Best Books of 2022.[12]
References
edit- ^ Ciabattari, Jane (2022-02-22). "Julie Otsuka on Writing Memory Loss and the Power of the First-Person Plural". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ "Julie Otsuka, Ed Yong win Carnegie Medals for Excellence". AP News. 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Otsuka, Julie (February 2, 2022). The Swimmers. Knopf. ISBN 978-0593321331.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ THE SWIMMERS | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Whittle, Natalie (April 8, 2022). "The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka — the memory of water". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Tadepalli, Apoorva (2022-03-02). "The Big Secret in Our Small Routines". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Khong, Rachel (February 11, 2022). "Julie Otsuka Dives Into the Underground World of the Community Pool". The New York Times.
- ^ Corrigan, Maureen (March 14, 2022). "Still waters run deep in 'The Swimmers,' a brilliant novel about routine and identity". NPR.
- ^ "The Swimmers: A Novel | Washington Independent Review of Books". www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Aron, Nina Renata (2022-03-02). "Review: A survivor of internment sinks into forgetting in Julie Otsuka's 'The Swimmers'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Ashby, Chloë (2022-02-24). "That sinking feeling: The Swimmers, by Julie Otsuka, reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ Vogue (2021-12-20). "The Best Books of 2022 So Far". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-10-27.