Had to take a DEEP BREATH cause WOW that was something.

You'd never expect that a book less than 200 pages ARE PACKED with so many things :') This is my first read from Julie Otsuka and I have to say, she bloody excels in The Art of Narration . To date, this would be one of the most unique books I've read with each chapters transitioning from A Third Person POV with a First-Person Plural (us and we) to the chapters transitioning to a A Third Person POV with a Second-Person Plural (Describing She and addressing You) and it goes on with that towards the end.

The narration technique was one of the most intriguing things in the book, and not to mention that Each Parts (there are 5 parts overall) are unique on its own, and its somewhat written in short paragraphs but all of them interconnect with one another.

Disclaimers: This review might be long, so I will give a brief thoughts on it and a more breakdown review on each parts of the book

The Short Review
Bloody BRILLIANT! There is beauty in writing in such a way that makes you see the people as a community. We start the story from the collective story of a group of enthusiast swimmers, in which they are nameless apart from Alice who has dementia. The story progresses and gave hints to how the memories of people with dementia are, and at the end, the memories of the person to the lenses of her daughter. The first part was relatable, fun and it progresses to be very very sad and heartbreaking, in a way leaves you a bittersweet taste at the end. Paired with the writing style that feels like short diary entries, its packed with emotions while having such a unique style of narration. Recommeneded!
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The Longer and More in Depth Review (might contain some spoilers)

There is a beauty in the art of narration , and Otsuka was such a great storyteller.

We'll break down this review into 5 parts, as I feel that each parts has its own story and message that Otsuka wanted to convey, told in a way that makes it feel like flipping through a memory book of a woman that is slowly losing her mind, through the lenses of a Community , a Place, and The Daughter.

Part 1: The Underground Pool

Notice the usage of the word US and even the title itself, in its way is such an amazing metaphor in which how portrays the relationship of the water and sport itself with the community. Speaking from my own experience, as an asthmatic child, Swimming had basically saved my life, and in some ways, it created a sort of relationship with water and its one that I still cherish to this very day as an adult.

For this people, swimming is not just a sport. Its a place where they can be free from their pain, the woes and mostly a form of escapism in which even the people in their lives can't provide.

You would think that writing in a first-person plural will be daunting and weird, but in this case, it was actually one of the smart things that Otsuka has integrated in the book, in which she wanted to showcase the community within. In this context, the usage of the word US and WE gives a more meaningful tone to the whole story and makes the narration of the story believable. The characterization in which her observations of the people in the community, the rules and regulation was not only fun to read but also very relatable. In a sense, the narrative makes us more open to be accepting to this people in the swimming pool and the baggage that they carry, and how swimming literally gives them freedom.

The usage of the word 'Aboveworld' and 'Underground Pool' is just one that makes the book super intriguing. Otsuka gave the metaphors of any life above the pool is something different, a world that is beyond our imagination and the 'Underground Pool' is The Safe Haven, a place where everyone and anyone can be anything, without discrimination. There are actually multiple ways to interpret the story, and I love that the author gave the freedom to the readers to decide on this, in which it is very prominent in the second part of the story, The Crack.

Part 2: The Crack

In this part, Otsuka gave a more dramatic effect, where a crack was found in the pool. This chapter was one that is super interesting as the author gave the freedom for the readers to interpret it in whichever way that the readers can relate too.

The dramatic effect gave the book a sort of climax to the story, while slowly allowing us to see into the reactions of the community and the people when there is something bad suddenly appeared and happened.

There are many ways to interpret this chapter, and in some sense, while it feels dramatic, it also portrays how some people's minds resurface and acts when a problem occurs. I had a long discussion with a friend of mine, and she took it as a bad omen, of something that is about to happen, a crack in seemingly good place, the place where they all consider it a safe haven. For myself, I see it as a the start of cracks in your feelings, in how something so little can affect your livelihoods, and in some ways can lead to depression as well.

This chapter also integrates the subtle topic of the environment and how humans are the cause of some of the cases of cracks that can actually change the very core of Earth. We also get to see how the local bodies reacts with problems in the community and how there are some government bodies don't take problems seriously, in which can be seen in our real life scenario as well. Otsuka is smart in a way that she knows how to subtly criticize authorities in a satirical way.

Part 3: Diem Perdidi

Taken from the context of Diem Perdidi :

This is where the narrative of the book gets super interesting, in which Alice, where she was mentioned in the first two chapters, were highlighted in this chapter, and Otsuka uses the phrase
'She Remembers at the start of every sentence in this chapter. Going through this chapter, in the Third POV with a Second-Person plural makes us go through a series of events in Alice's life, told to her daughter, which is addressed to the readers as YOU. This chapter portrayed patients with Dementia and how their memories evolve, in which selective memories that they hold on too, and towards the end, almost nothing. Its interesting that we can get a sense of the daughter's personality through the way the story is told.

One of the main takeaways from this chapter was how we can't take time and people for granted. There is always "a tomorrow" for us, but life is so unplanned in that way, and when time has passed, we can never get it back.

Part 4: Belavista

A chapter that is so very interesting, as it takes the voice of an institution and how of each residents in the institution will have to do and how they act. Its somewhat a quiet observation of life, but told in the voice of a profit-driven institution. I loved that even told in this way, Otsuka managed to bring out the characters, their lives and the livelihoods during this time. This chapter had shown how very stunning her writing was in which she lets the readers be enamoured into the lives of the people there, especially the patients who has no one to go too, and in showing Alice's life in a glance and her routine everyday, living as a person with dementia.

Part 5: Euroneuro

One of the most heartbreaking chapters, told in the perspective of the daughter, in the memories of her mother. It was one thing to learn on how Alice loses her memories, but the one thing that is highlighted in this book was to appreciate the NOW. Otsuka had also included some facts of the Japanese war and how it affected her parent's relationships. I teared up reading this, in the perspective of the daughter having to care for her mother, and her father in missing his soulmate. It was a chapter that made me tear up, broke my heart and showed how caretakers for patients with degenerative diseases has it hard too.

Overall

Fuh, that was a long one. I honestly loved how Otsuka narrated her story. Tho it was short, but it left a huge impact to the readers, and the narration made this book a stunner. Will remember this book for a very long time and would highly recommend it to everyone!

Thank you so much to Times Reads for generously providing me this gorgeous copy of the book.

Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review copy, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.