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(3.76) | 23 | "A novel portraying a group of dedicated recreational swimmers and what happens when a crack appears at the bottom of their community pool"--
"The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world. One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese American incarceration camp in which she spent the war. Alice's estranged daughter, reentering her mother's life too late, witnesses her devastating decline"--… (more) |
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For Andy  | |
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The pool is located deep underground, in a large cavernous chamber many feet beneath the streets of our town. | |
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At first that mildly-baffled looking woman staring back at you from the bathroom mirror? She is you. Solitary self-soothing activities such as bead “work”, placidly coloring between the lines and pretending to read in the Library also have a naturally calming and, some might say, even sedating effect and are strongly encouraged. You may worry…That you are not missed (but you are, more than you will ever know). Because, like everyone else, you too, got old. “Her” car, the blue one, he takes out for a drive once a week to keep the engine running. Some of us come here because we are injured, and need to heal. We suffer from bad backs, fallen arches, shattered dreams, broken hearts, anxiety, melancholia, anhedonia, the usual aboveground afflictions. All of us have questions: Is the crack brief or enduring? Banal or profound? Malignant or benign or—ethicist James in lane two—morally neutral? Where did it come from? How deep is it? Is there anything in there? Who is to blame for it? Can we reverse it? And, most importantly, Why us? | |
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▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English
None ▾Book descriptions "A novel portraying a group of dedicated recreational swimmers and what happens when a crack appears at the bottom of their community pool"--
"The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world. One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese American incarceration camp in which she spent the war. Alice's estranged daughter, reentering her mother's life too late, witnesses her devastating decline"-- ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description
| Book description |
The swimmers are unknown to one another except through their private routines (slow lane, medium lane, fast lane) and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief.
One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese American incarceration camp in which she spent the war. Alice’s estranged daughter, reentering her mother’s life too late, witnesses her stark and devastating decline. | |
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4
For me, it was just not engaging at all. Regardless of Otsuka's undeniable skill, I struggled to finish this. Not having to think about it feels like a huge relief. (