A review by bookwoods
Turning by Jessica J. Lee

2.0

Turning is what it sets out to be: Jessica J. Lee’s experience of swimming in 52 lakes surrounding Berlin, regardless of the season, combined with personal memories and reflection as well as Lee’s expertise – environmental history. But I found the book way too long and meandering. For me the details of the swimming and the history of the landscape are fascinating, unlike Lee’s personal journey. If that side had been edited more, maybe following the narrative would have been less confusing and more enjoyable. As it is, I couldn’t help but feel bored, which is in no way to discredit Lee’s life, just the amount of detail: characters are named when they aren’t mentioned ever again and there’s plenty of other information I just didn’t get anything from. And that undermines the effectiveness of the insightful paragraphs, which do exist.