Reviews with content warning for Racism - De zwemmers

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

De zwemmers by Julie Otsuka

19 reviews

caseythereader's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

sfbookgirl's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Swimmers is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Written in the collective first person Julie Otsuka’s newest novel describes what happens when a crack is found at the bottom of a private, members-only pool and the repercussions it has for its swimmers. But this is not just a story about a pool. It’s also a story about one of its swimmers - a woman named Alice who is diagnosed with dementia.

While reading The Swimmers, I felt the world around me go quiet. Otsuka’s writing style offers readers a beautiful, yet devastating story about what it means to lose someone, to grieve, and to reflect on the life we have been given. While short in length, the prose feels full. As a result, I found it best to read this one over a longer period of time to appreciate the beauty of its concise, heartbreaking narrative.

Content Warnings

alyssancoon's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A beautiful book that I can not recommend enough! I ugly cried through the whole second half of the book.
For me, 5 stars is "would read again", and I don't think I could bring myself to read this book again, because it was very sad for me personally. But I would still recommend it to anyone.

Content Warnings

serena_hien's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

krys_kilz's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

I had a hard time getting into this book - there were just a lot of fatphobic remarks and other comments that didn't sit quite right with me in the beginning. But once I got beyond the first two chapters, I really enjoyed the final three.

I liked the voice Otsuka wrote from - the first-person plural we and the second-person singular you. It blurs the distinction between the collective and the individual and complicates conceptions of the "self." Even with the sort of disembodied narration style, the story is still incredibly emotional and heartbreaking.

I loved the mirroring between the cracks forming in the pool and the fog descending on Alice's mind. It was a very clever parallel about being with the unknown, losing pieces of yourself, and the painfulness of a community coming to an end. It also really makes you reflect on how we treat elders in the so called united states - the isolation, abuse, and exile from community we put them and their families through.

tw: dementia, forced institutionalization, death of a parent, Japanese internment camps

Content Warnings