A review by kswimz1993
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

4.0

I have been a lover of water my entire life. I swam in high school and college and worked as a lifeguard at pools and lakes. I have been a member of 4 different Masters swim teams and have successfully completed marathon distance swims in open water. I routinely train in the frigid waters of the SF bay… but I have never been privy to the inner workings of the relationships among “lap swimmers.” This book had me absolutely tickled as it described the personalities and social hierarchy of the underground lap pool swimmers as they navigated the crack forming in their beloved pool (that served Downtown Berkeley YMCA vibes).

4 stars solely because I wish this book was *only* about the swimmers. The entire thing was written beautifully, but it would have been a 5 stars from me had the book ended just before “Diem Perdidi.”