The Swimmers

The Swimmers is a unique novel written in a style specific to Otsuka. Those drawn to the book by its description might be disappointed to find it changes significantly in content almost halfway through, but an open-minded reader who loves strong metaphor and emotional writing will likely enjoy it.

The first two sections of the novel focus on a community of people who find solace in regularly attending a university pool. On the surface it's an interesting story that encourages a lot of introspection. Many of the swimmers use their time at the pool to forget about the complications of their “real lives,” and live according to different rules inside the pool than out.

My personal interpretation is that this part of the book is all an extended metaphor–the pool representing the mind and the crack signifying the dementia that damages it. People with dementia and other memory disorders find comfort in routine and can become distressed when these routines are disturbed. When Alice is able to follow her preferred routine and the set rules within the pool, she is happy–and then the crack starts to disrupt this. Some attendees stay home, some are distressed by the crack, and some ignore it. Eventually the crack ruins the pool entirely, causing it to close, and beginning the next section of the book: Alice transitioning into an extended care facility.

The pool story is very enjoyable to read, but features a few sections that add to its eerie feeling. These eerie sections lead me to believe this is not meant to be taken literally (although many members of my book club were certain these pool sections were meant to be taken at face value). I found the following two excerpts to strongly hint towards the more abstract nature of the pool:

“Others have heard that the crack opens up onto a second and deeper world that lies just beneath the surface of ours. An alternate and perhaps truer world with its underground pool filled with faster, more attractive people in less-stretched-out suits who nail their flip turns every time... and a vast and vapid emptiness so great that to contemplate it for even more than a few moments would cause your mind to implode. It's like we've been swimming over a void.“

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“Often, the lifeguard is late. Timely or tardy, young or old, male or female, the lifeguard never lasts for long. Last month, the lifeguard was an out-of-work IT guy from the next town over. The month before that, the local football coach's son. Land people, we say.

The Swimmers

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