Anonymous Swimming Assasins or Odd Books I Read This Week

 This was a week for odd books. 

 

    The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka starts with the thoughts of a community of swimmers. Otsuka leaps from swimmer to swimmer describing their thoughts and pool philosophy. Then, the pool develops a mysterious crack. The swimmers perseverate about how to interpret the crack. Some explain it away, and others say it's a sign of imminent collapse. Finally, the story narrows to a particular swimmer, Alice, who has dementia. Otsuka mirrors well the pain of dawning knowledge that a loved one's mind fissures and its vital functions diminish. The book itself is short, but the story feels entirely told. 

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    Becoming Duchess Goldblatt: A Memoir by Duchess Goldblatt. To fully appreciate this book, you need to be on Twitter. I'm not, but I did enjoy the book. A fictional character--an alter ego--was created on Twitter anonymously. It is a famous 82-year-old author who is sharp, pithy, insightful, creative, and uplifting. The unknown author tells the twin tales of why she created Duchess Goldblatt and what Duchess Goldblatt has accomplished. Also, Lyle Lovett. Because I'm a curious person, I was irritated that the identity of Duchess Goldblatt wasn't revealed, but I enjoyed the isolation of pain turned to into an opportunity to creatively make connections.

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    Here is the premise of Deanna Raybourn's Killers of Certain Age, four women in their late 50s, early 60s are retiring from their forty year job as elite assassins. However, their employers, "The Museum," intends more permanent plans for them. Raybourn has created a globetrotting escapade as the women seek to stay alive and discover how they became targets of their own organization. I found it breezy and fun. A good book for gloomy January. 

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