The Swimmers

‘Something of Kafka, something of Lynch, something of Auster’ Diario de León


Jonás Ager is disappearing: a recent separation has left him aimless, his once promising photography career has ground to a halt, and his assignments at the newspaper are drying up. And an ever-deepening mystery is threatening to engulf him. His mother disappeared without a trace two weeks ago; his gallerist can’t locate his fellow photographer Oliver; and every time he and his best friend Sergio visit the pool for their regular swim, another lane is empty. An entire city seems to be evaporating into thin air.

For readers of The New York Trilogy and The Trial, The Swimmers is an unsettling journey through modern city life: a detective story without a detective, and an investigation into a mystery that defies explanation.

Joaquín Pérez Azaústre is a Spanish writer. He has published several novels, including La suite Manolete, for which he was awarded IX Premio Fundación Unicaja Fernando Quiñones in 2007, as well as a number of poetry collections and a collection of short stories. A journalist and columnist, he has also won the Premio Adonáis de Poesía, the Premio Loewe and the Premio Loewe a la Creación Joven, among other prizes.

‘This is an excellent novel, reminiscent of the work of Verlaine, Proust, and Kafka. Immerse yourself in this book (if you dare).’ Mobile Perceptions

‘So if I say that Azaústre's The Swimmers makes me think an awful lot of Kundera's Immortality, you must understand that I intend to pay it a compliment of high order.’ Davey Jones, Amazon.com

‘Joaquín Pérez Azaústre displays a mesmerizing command over language … his journey through a twisted maze of societal fears and personal demons is eye-opening.’ Typographical Era