When the Emperor Was Divine

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

A child's father is away at a military camp. The family looks forward to hearing from him. Later, they are required to leave their home in California to attend family camp. From the point of view of a child, the World War II Japanese internment is difficult to understand. They see that people don't like them, but don't understand exactly why. (Sometimes they have to ask who they are because they can't tell the difference between Japanese and other Asians.) They learn they need to behave in certain ways, to limit harm. 

The family finally does get to return home. They find their home has been trashed and valuables have been stolen. At least they have a house. Their mother struggles to find a job, but does eventually. Money remains tight. The long-awaited return of father finally occurs. Alas, it does not live up to expectation. Father is emaciated and lacks the vigor he had before. They barely recognized this man as their Dad. The internment had significant impact on all involved.

The Swimmers: A Novel

I had initially thought The Swimmers was an essay collection. It had the feel of a writer extolling the virtues of swimming together. Then it pivoted to the story of a woman losing her memory and moving into a home. Only afterwards did I notice the "A Novel" section of it.

The novel starts with the story of swimmers. These are a group of casual swimmers that go at their swimming time each day. They are not accomplished like the fast masters swimmers at another time. They have their unspoken rules and each have their own lap goals. One day a mysterious crack appears in the pool. This leads to fear and eventually a pool shutdown period.

The pivot is then to the life of an older women who is moved to a memory care home. She no longer has her freedom. The stipulations are called out in detail. The family makes sacrifices to put her there. She doesn't want to be there. It feels like a poor way to live out one's life.