Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

6 reviews

flower_mail's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Dementia, Ableism, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Confinement and War

Minor: Child death

balfies's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

For the swimmers, the pool is at the centre of their lives. The swimmers' most sacred rule is to be kind to Alice, who is losing her memory. Then inexplicable cracks emerge in the pool.

An incredibly affecting piece of autofiction about having a parent with Alzheimer's, and the daily griefs of watching a loved one's sense of self give out under them. 

I've never read one of Otsuka's full novels, but if they're all as moving, beautiful, and precise as this then I'm gonna have to bump them up the list. Read if you like Crying in H Mart or No One is Talking About This.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Medical content, and Dementia

Minor: Confinement and Genocide

hullosweetpea's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

5.0

For such a small book, it packs a punch. The second pov never felt forced or ham-fisted and instead lent itself to an easy dive into the story. Masterful in its execution with beautiful and concise language.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Dementia

Minor: Death of parent and Confinement

tindin's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Dementia, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, War, and Medical content

Minor: Abandonment, Racism, and Xenophobia

venetiana's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness

Minor: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Car accident, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Child death, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, War, and Ableism

ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

Have you ever read a book that affected you so much that it had a tangible effect on your life? The Swimmers, and specifically, Julie Otsuka’s writing in it, was that book for me. In fairness, I was primed for it. I was a competitive swimmer from the ages of 7-17. I quit swimming because I quit competing, and I hadn’t even attempted to swim a lap in more than a decade. 

But then I read Otsuka’s gorgeous, simple prose. And she wrote about the equalizing effect of the water. How our bodies are different, better in the water than on land. And I was hit with such a deep recognition and longing that I immediately made plans to start swimming again. I ached for it. I needed it. 

And, after all of that, after this huge effect on me, this book isn’t even really about swimming. It’s about memory, the nature of memory, and how forgetting affects not only us, but those who love us. Otsuka’s words stirred my memory and prompted me to revisit the thing I once loved most. But she also connected me to Alice, her family, and the heartbreak that is dementia, and made me ache for them as well. I loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Death of parent