Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

7 reviews

robinks's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

The tone of the first two chapters was so different from the remainder of the book that it was a little jarring. I was not expecting where the story went, but I appreciated the depth. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Dementia

Moderate: Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Confinement and War

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

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

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: Dementia and Grief

Minor: Confinement and Death of parent

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

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

Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, and Abandonment

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

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

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: Forced institutionalization and Dementia

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Death of parent