A review by akhcreates
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Through a collective first person, The Swimmers tells the story of lap swimmers at a local pool and the mysterious crack that has appeared at the bottom of it.

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I don’t know if I have read a book that came more highly recommended recently. I have seen so many people, particularly on #TheStacksPack discord, rave about this book, and while I certainly believed them and knew the book would be great, it’s often hard for anything to live up to that much praise. And yet, The Swimmers manages to do so. This is the kind of book that packs a punch with every single word. It’s pretty short, just 192 pages, but it leaves you thinking about so much for so long after. I don’t want to give much away, since it’s one of those books where the less you know, the better, but this one had me feeling and thinking, and was that perfect amount of specific that really makes it universal.

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I wish I had something poignant to say to go with such an incredible book, but all I can do is urge you to read it.