The Swimmers

Alice, who is only a peripheral character in Parts 1 and 2, becomes the protagonist of Parts 3-5. She is a dynamic and complex character based on the author’s own mother. At the start of the novel’s timeline, Alice is in the early stages of dementia. She is introduced as one of the titular swimmers, one part of a dedicated community that offers a sense of belonging. Her dementia symptoms are merely one example of the myriad stressors and frustrations in the swimmers’ lives. Starting in Part 3, the narrative zooms in to focus on Alice, creating an intimate portrait of her life through her and her daughter’s memories.

Like everything in the book, Otsuka portrays Alice’s character through an accumulation of details, always in the context of examining who she was before dementia, and how dementia is changing her over time. Alice is a Japanese American, a retired lab technician, a swimmer, a wife, and a mother. Some of her traits are revealed through authorial interpretation. For example, the narrator informs the reader directly that Alice had previously been a stylish dresser who always had her hair and makeup done perfectly. Other traits can be derived from her actions, like the efforts she makes to stay close to her daughter and her kindness toward the other Belavista residents.

Alice’s flaws receive minimal attention, apart from those personality changes caused by dementia. The narrative does not proclaim her to be flawless or make any overt statements about what type of person Alice is. Rather, it treats her with the tenderness of a daughter mourning her mother and seeking to honor her memory. There is no claim of objectivity in Alice’s portrayal, only a depiction of Alice as her daughter sees her.

Though the narrative of The Swimmers is not presented linearly, the general order in which things occur for Alice can be inferred, at least enough to trace the relevant aspects of her character arc. In the early stages of dementia, swimming laps at the local pool helps provide routine and meaning in her life, anchoring her to the world she’s made for herself. When the pool closes and she loses that anchor, her cognitive decline accelerates. Belavista provides a level of supervision that Alice’s family cannot, but the poor quality of care they provide expedites her deterioration rather than slowing it. As more and more of her memories fade and her body becomes frailer, her daughter nevertheless observes small moments that suggest Alice’s identity and legacy will not be lost.

Alice’s daughter is based on the author. She is not present in Parts 1 and 2, but Parts 3 and 5 are narrated from her perspective, as though she’s writing to herself. She doesn’t narrate Part 4 but is referenced occasionally.

Alice’s daughter is never named in the book. Her appearance is described only minimally—she looks more like her father than her beautiful mother. She has two younger brothers and knows about a sister born before her who died at birth. Like many of the swimmers in Parts 1 and 2, she has compulsions stemming from anxiety, which manifested by the time she was five years old. This informs her fascination with, and understanding of, the swimmers’ need for order in their pool routines and lives.

As a child, Alice’s daughter had a close relationship with Alice but distanced herself when she reached adulthood. Her comments about moving away from home at a young age and rarely visiting indicate a source of guilt now that her mother is dying. She found her mother overwhelming and exhausting. Her realization that she overlooked many signs of her mother’s dementia before it was diagnosed is another source of guilt and regret. The lessons she learns about mother-daughter relationships, grief, and loss shape the novel’s themes.

Alice’s daughter mostly plays the role of observer, compiling the details of Alice’s life and disease to illuminate Alice’s true identity—before dementia changed her—and to honor her life and legacy. She also examines her own relationship with Alice, in the big and small moments they shared and within the larger construct of mother-daughter bonds. She creates resolution for Alice’s story by seeking answers after her death. Sending Alice’s brain to be analyzed is her way of grappling with the profound questions that accompany significant loss—in her case, not only her mother’s death but the loss of the woman she knew to dementia.