The Swimmers

Dive headfirst into Julie Otsuka’s pool, a solace that relieves swimmers of their many maladies, both physical and emotional, lest they drown in them. When a crack suddenly forms, loyal swimmers struggle to stay afloat. Alice, drifting closer to dementia without the pool’s routine, is swept away by memories of a childhood spent in Japanese American incarceration camps. At the same time, her estranged daughter suddenly reemerges to finally bear witness to her mother’s life. The novel is slighter than most historical fiction—forget to come up for air and you’ll finish it in one sitting. —CF