The Swimmers

Consider the structure of the novel, focusing on how the five parts fit into the narrative as a whole. What effect does this structure have on the reading experience? Does it support or detract from the effectiveness of the book’s themes and messages? Provide examples to support your answer.

Compare and contrast the setting of the pool with the setting aboveground in Parts 1 and 2. What do their differences or similarities say about mental health and anxiety? Identify one example of a different setting that could be used to explore these concepts and explain your reasoning.

Which point of view (first-person, second-person, or third-person) is used most commonly in the books you’ve read? Why do you think this is? For each point of view type, identify at least one way it might be most appropriate to tell a particular story. In what ways would the experience of reading The Swimmers differ if it was written from another point of view?

Find at least two examples of personification and describe their effect. What other literary devices can you identify in Otsuka’s writing? Provide specific examples.

How do you think being held in a detention camp during World War II influenced Alice’s life? What evidence can you see of that in The Swimmers? Identify another person or character in literature who experienced oppression or racism. How did they cope with their experiences? Why do you think authors choose to write about topics like this?

Why do you think Alice’s husband and daughter are not named? What effect does this have on their characterization? Do you consider them static or dynamic characters? Explain your reasoning.

If you made the original marketing decisions for The Swimmers, how would you have categorized its genre? Would you have labeled it fiction, non-fiction, memoir, autofiction, autobiography, or something else? Explain your reasoning.

Analyze the pool and the swimmers from a psychoanalytic lens. What does this analysis reveal about the author? How does it tie into the book’s thematic concepts of identity, grief, loss, and memory?