A review by siobhanward
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

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

2.5

This book started so strong - the story of the swimmers was fantastic, and I hoped that was the direction it was going to continue in. I found that Alice's story and how it was told just didn't work for me. It felt disjointed from the first part of the book and that it didn't go deep enough into anything to stand on its own. I think this might have been better as a short story focused only on the swimmers, or as a longer novel that had more time to focus on Alice and her relationship with her daughter. 
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