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The Union of Synchronised Swimmers
It’s summer behind the Iron Curtain, and six girls are about to swim their way to the Olympics – and a new life.
In an unnamed Soviet state, six girls meet each day to swim. At first, they play, splashing each other and floating languidly on the water's surface. But soon the game becomes something more.
They hone their bodies relentlessly. Their skin shades into bruises. They barter cigarettes stolen from the factory where they work for swimsuits to stretch over their sunburnt skin. They tear their legs into splits, flick them back and forth, like herons. They force themselves to stop breathing.
When they find themselves representing their country as synchronised swimmers in the Olympics, they seize the chance they have been waiting for to escape and begin new lives.
Scattered around the globe, six women live in freedom. But will they ever be able to forget what they left behind?
In an unnamed Soviet state, six girls meet each day to swim. At first, they play, splashing each other and floating languidly on the water's surface. But soon the game becomes something more.
They hone their bodies relentlessly. Their skin shades into bruises. They barter cigarettes stolen from the factory where they work for swimsuits to stretch over their sunburnt skin. They tear their legs into splits, flick them back and forth, like herons. They force themselves to stop breathing.
When they find themselves representing their country as synchronised swimmers in the Olympics, they seize the chance they have been waiting for to escape and begin new lives.
Scattered around the globe, six women live in freedom. But will they ever be able to forget what they left behind?
112 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2019
26 people are currently reading
1475 people want to read
About the author
Cristina Sandu
14 books19 followersCristina Sandu was born in 1989 in Helsinki to a Finnish-Romanian family who loved books. She studied literature at the University of Helsinki and the University of Edinburgh, and speaks six languages. She currently lives in the UK and works as a full-time writer. Her debut novel, The Whale Called Goliath (2017), was nominated for the Finlandia Prize. The Union of Synchronised Swimmers (2019) won the Toisinkoinen Literary Prize.
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August 24, 2021
‘The swimming suits hung from the branches like crows—like fateful omens, people would say, but only afterwards.’
As the second week of the Summer Olympics continues on, I decided it was fitting to pick up The Union of Synchronized Swimmers by Finnish-Romanian author Christina Sandu to commemorate the games with some reading. Written in Finnish and stunningly self-translated into English (Sandu is impressively fluent in six languages), this is a novel of young factory girls in an unnamed ‘non-country’ behind the Iron Curtain that are transformed by shared dedication into Olympic swimmers and their lives later once they’ve disperse around the world. Told through six narrators with a poetic third-person account of the past threaded between each, the novel shows what comes after a major event—one barely mention and only vaguely so at that—in their lives while reflecting back on their collective efforts leading up to it. While just tipping over 100pgs in length, this book is overflowing with cryptic meaning and themes on language, freedom, futility and alienation with the fragmentary narrative slowly amalgamating into something beautiful.
This book runs into the issue where the blurb possibly gives away far too much. If you haven’t read what it is about yet, perhaps don’t as it explicitly states something that only happens in the final pages of the book. Though, without knowing what the “event” is, I’m curious how many would feel lost without that defining clue and the book can occasionally seem much like the description of how these women were moving through life ‘with no apparent sense of direction, they didn’t seem to be heading anywhere in particular’. However, I do trust that a reader willing to press forward would eventually put it together and see the fragments forming a larger picture that transcends plot. So does Sandu and unspoken agreements of trust make up a large theme within this novel. In fact, much of the book is contained in the abstract and what lies just beneath the spoken.
Language itself becomes a primary theme in the novel, particularly for people coming from a country where the wrong words could find you in a lot of trouble. We see characters in their new homes learning new languages as a method of integrating but also hiding where they are from, such as the opening story of Anita who never speaks her first language and never lets her boyfriend—an insecure acrobat who she demands wear his bird mask during sex—know despite it being a shared first language between them. To speak a word of her language would betray who she was before. Then there is Sandra learning French and being mocked for her accent by the man driving her to Paris. Language is not always about hiding or feeling alienated for not understanding, however, as with Nina who sees it as a further method of transformation:
The interplay between past and present shows another sort of transformation into who each would be as an individual. In the past, there is little to separate or isolate any of the characters or point to who in the past scenes is who in the present. ‘At a quick glance their faces looked identical,’ Sandu writes, ‘but after close inspection one could tell that each was terrified in their own way.’ The book rotates between the collective group to them separate as an individual, often alone and in terrifying realities. ‘Perhaps they were happier then,’ she says omnisciently of the women as they know they are headed to the Olympics, ‘more complete and satisfied, than they ever have been or would be.’ There is an interesting duality to this book where freedom comes as a cost of being isolated.
‘The beauty of the threshold: on the other side of it, everything was still possible.’
Much of this book shows how the grass is not always greener on the other side, as the saying goes. For the most part, these women see they have changed one hardship for another and while they are no longer living under Soviet oppression there are terrifying elements of life and other oppressions to be found everywhere. Toxic men such as a driver with his knife that may or may not be trustworthy, abusive boyfriends, a man who is pressuring Betty into prostitution for their financial benefits, and other fears are found no matter where they go. In the United States, Paulina finds her status as a foreigner with an accent makes her isolated and seen as a potential threat to people there while also recognizing that her white skin grants her more passing status than the two Black boys from Camaroon she encounters on a fishing expedition who are subjected to open racism by the other white women on the boat. The final story shows the reversal of all these tales, with Lidia finally having enough and returning home years later only to remember why she left in the first place and realize that she is not safe back in her homeland.
This book opens an interesting insight into the frequent defections from athletes that have occurred during the Olympics over the years. It has been said that ‘defection in the Olympics during the Cold War was almost an unrecognized medal event’ and here is a great article in the Washington Post that covers many notable defections. Just this week Poland granted an emergency humanitarian Visa to Belarusian Olympian Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. In the 70s, Soviet officials sent handlers to ensure their athletes wouldn’t defect, so it took a lot of careful planning and cooperation, much like is hinted at in this book. ‘Nothing is as beneficial for both financial profit and national pride as sports,’ Sandu writes, showing how becoming an Olympic team gave these women the opportunity to flee but also made their act an extreme slap in the face to the oppressive regime from which they fled. This is a short book, easily read in an afternoon, but with a lot of lasting power.
3.5/5
As the second week of the Summer Olympics continues on, I decided it was fitting to pick up The Union of Synchronized Swimmers by Finnish-Romanian author Christina Sandu to commemorate the games with some reading. Written in Finnish and stunningly self-translated into English (Sandu is impressively fluent in six languages), this is a novel of young factory girls in an unnamed ‘non-country’ behind the Iron Curtain that are transformed by shared dedication into Olympic swimmers and their lives later once they’ve disperse around the world. Told through six narrators with a poetic third-person account of the past threaded between each, the novel shows what comes after a major event—one barely mention and only vaguely so at that—in their lives while reflecting back on their collective efforts leading up to it. While just tipping over 100pgs in length, this book is overflowing with cryptic meaning and themes on language, freedom, futility and alienation with the fragmentary narrative slowly amalgamating into something beautiful.
This book runs into the issue where the blurb possibly gives away far too much. If you haven’t read what it is about yet, perhaps don’t as it explicitly states something that only happens in the final pages of the book. Though, without knowing what the “event” is, I’m curious how many would feel lost without that defining clue and the book can occasionally seem much like the description of how these women were moving through life ‘with no apparent sense of direction, they didn’t seem to be heading anywhere in particular’. However, I do trust that a reader willing to press forward would eventually put it together and see the fragments forming a larger picture that transcends plot. So does Sandu and unspoken agreements of trust make up a large theme within this novel. In fact, much of the book is contained in the abstract and what lies just beneath the spoken.
Language itself becomes a primary theme in the novel, particularly for people coming from a country where the wrong words could find you in a lot of trouble. We see characters in their new homes learning new languages as a method of integrating but also hiding where they are from, such as the opening story of Anita who never speaks her first language and never lets her boyfriend—an insecure acrobat who she demands wear his bird mask during sex—know despite it being a shared first language between them. To speak a word of her language would betray who she was before. Then there is Sandra learning French and being mocked for her accent by the man driving her to Paris. Language is not always about hiding or feeling alienated for not understanding, however, as with Nina who sees it as a further method of transformation:
’Her lips, which have grown accustomed to silence since her arrival in this country, now feel supple. Words do not come to her from the outside, but from within, whole and ready. The articles slip into their places effortlessly: they don’t make her stutter, but drip from her lips. The endings of words, which are forever changing in her mother tongue, straighten. Diminutives, usually everywhere, fade.’
The interplay between past and present shows another sort of transformation into who each would be as an individual. In the past, there is little to separate or isolate any of the characters or point to who in the past scenes is who in the present. ‘At a quick glance their faces looked identical,’ Sandu writes, ‘but after close inspection one could tell that each was terrified in their own way.’ The book rotates between the collective group to them separate as an individual, often alone and in terrifying realities. ‘Perhaps they were happier then,’ she says omnisciently of the women as they know they are headed to the Olympics, ‘more complete and satisfied, than they ever have been or would be.’ There is an interesting duality to this book where freedom comes as a cost of being isolated.
‘The beauty of the threshold: on the other side of it, everything was still possible.’
Much of this book shows how the grass is not always greener on the other side, as the saying goes. For the most part, these women see they have changed one hardship for another and while they are no longer living under Soviet oppression there are terrifying elements of life and other oppressions to be found everywhere. Toxic men such as a driver with his knife that may or may not be trustworthy, abusive boyfriends, a man who is pressuring Betty into prostitution for their financial benefits, and other fears are found no matter where they go. In the United States, Paulina finds her status as a foreigner with an accent makes her isolated and seen as a potential threat to people there while also recognizing that her white skin grants her more passing status than the two Black boys from Camaroon she encounters on a fishing expedition who are subjected to open racism by the other white women on the boat. The final story shows the reversal of all these tales, with Lidia finally having enough and returning home years later only to remember why she left in the first place and realize that she is not safe back in her homeland.
This book opens an interesting insight into the frequent defections from athletes that have occurred during the Olympics over the years. It has been said that ‘defection in the Olympics during the Cold War was almost an unrecognized medal event’ and here is a great article in the Washington Post that covers many notable defections. Just this week Poland granted an emergency humanitarian Visa to Belarusian Olympian Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. In the 70s, Soviet officials sent handlers to ensure their athletes wouldn’t defect, so it took a lot of careful planning and cooperation, much like is hinted at in this book. ‘Nothing is as beneficial for both financial profit and national pride as sports,’ Sandu writes, showing how becoming an Olympic team gave these women the opportunity to flee but also made their act an extreme slap in the face to the oppressive regime from which they fled. This is a short book, easily read in an afternoon, but with a lot of lasting power.
3.5/5
April 30, 2021
This is something of an odd book – more novella than novel – about six girls who join a synchronised swimming team in order to leave an unnamed country, behind the Iron Curtain. I thought it sounded really interesting, but, in fact, the story mainly consists of snippets of what happened to the girls afterwards, rather than the journey.
Of course, I get the idea of wanting to leave somewhere not always being the idealised version of the future that the girls dreamed of while they planned and plotted. Still, this is a very short read and six points of view, plus flashbacks, meant that it was all very fragmentary. More of an interesting idea, than a satisfying read, if I am being honest, which was a shame, as much of the writing was very poetic and immersive. I just felt like I wanted more depth.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Of course, I get the idea of wanting to leave somewhere not always being the idealised version of the future that the girls dreamed of while they planned and plotted. Still, this is a very short read and six points of view, plus flashbacks, meant that it was all very fragmentary. More of an interesting idea, than a satisfying read, if I am being honest, which was a shame, as much of the writing was very poetic and immersive. I just felt like I wanted more depth.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
August 18, 2021
This short novel was well done and thought provoking. It alternates between two storylines. One is the story of six girls in an unnamed Soviet-bloc country who swim in their hometown river and ultimately develop into a competitive synchronized swim team. They defect at at competition (but we do not see the details of their defection). By day these women all work in a cigarette factory, so the novel includes some well drawn descriptions of life in Soviet times.
The other storyline is actually in six separate chapters - one for each of the girls/now women. After defecting, each of them has moved to a different country. Each of these stories contains a snapshot of the life of one of the women. The writing is beautiful and sparse. I was amazed how very well these stories, moods and senses of space all came together in 106 short pages.
The other storyline is actually in six separate chapters - one for each of the girls/now women. After defecting, each of them has moved to a different country. Each of these stories contains a snapshot of the life of one of the women. The writing is beautiful and sparse. I was amazed how very well these stories, moods and senses of space all came together in 106 short pages.
October 29, 2019
Vesileikit on ohut ja nopeasti luettu, mutta se mietityttää pitkään. Häikäisevintä tässä vain 118-sivuisessa pienoisromaanissa on se, että Sandu on pystynyt loihtimaan vähiin sivuihin kokonaisen maailman ja kertomaan kunkin kuuden naisen koskettavat kohtalot vielä lyhyemmin, vain muutamalla sivulla. Kustantajan sivuilla sanotaan tätä maagiseksi kudelmaksi - ja sitä tämä on. Jokainen lause on harkittu ja hiottu, jokainen sana valittu niin, että se vie tarinaa eteenpäin ja taikoo lukijan lumoonsa. Kaunis kansigrafiikka ja kirjan nimi viestivät kepeää ja iloista kesäistä tarinaa, mutta siitä ei ole kyse. Tarina on koskettava, surullinenkin.
February 7, 2021
A short read (112 pages) and six POV’s. The blurb said it was about six female swimmers behind the Iron curtain who began a journey to the Olympics. I thought it would be interesting, reading about their lives, the harsh workouts, their longing for more freedom. But the story is more what happened afterward, told by those six swimmers. It reads like seven short stories, one what happened before (in fragments) and for every swimmer a different story about what happened afterward.
This is not my kind of book. Seven stories in only 112 pages, just snippets out of their lives, distant. I couldn’t attach to either of them. The country the girls were living in was not mentioned (one of the Baltic states?). Besides there were no quotation marks in the (few) dialogues and I hate that. I don’t understand why it’s modern in literature to do so. And piercings and tattoos back then? Behind the Iron curtain? I have my doubts.
I hope other readers will like this story far more than I did.
I received an ARC from Scribe UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is not my kind of book. Seven stories in only 112 pages, just snippets out of their lives, distant. I couldn’t attach to either of them. The country the girls were living in was not mentioned (one of the Baltic states?). Besides there were no quotation marks in the (few) dialogues and I hate that. I don’t understand why it’s modern in literature to do so. And piercings and tattoos back then? Behind the Iron curtain? I have my doubts.
I hope other readers will like this story far more than I did.
I received an ARC from Scribe UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2021
Maybe 4,5*.
So, I was intrigued by the author (Romanian name) and this particular book (translated by the author from Finnish into English), so I ordered it at the local bookstore.
I was particularly fond of the stories of the six protagonists and I could feel their wish to belong, as well as their struggles with a foreign language/ culture. Although in the ”short” department, the stories felt complete to me.
So, I was intrigued by the author (Romanian name) and this particular book (translated by the author from Finnish into English), so I ordered it at the local bookstore.
I was particularly fond of the stories of the six protagonists and I could feel their wish to belong, as well as their struggles with a foreign language/ culture. Although in the ”short” department, the stories felt complete to me.
February 6, 2022
This book is truly THE Romanian Immigrant experience in several short stories and I have no words to say how much I loved it but hated it but loved it (much like I feel towards my country).
August 16, 2021
Coming in at just over 100 pages, I read this book in one sitting as part of a Tiny Book Challenge that I took part in during July & all I can say is what a delightful, unique & engaging novella it is. Originally written in Finnish & then translated to English by the author herself, needless to say she will impress you!
Our story is set in an unnamed state behind the Iron Curtain as we follow 6 women who all work at a cigarette factory & meet frequently at the river to practise their synchronised swimming routine. The flow of the story is very unique, we follow their collective journey via short chapters that feature between each individual chapter. The collective chapters explore how they come together, practise, the toll it takes on their bodies, the lengths they are willing to go to & often highlighting how frequently they look to the state on the other side of the river, symbolising their desire to leave their current homeland. In between these chapters we have a chance to explore snippets of these women’s lives after they have left their homeland, exploring how they are faring, where in the world they have ended up & small insights into their individual ambitions. There is a common theme with all 6 women as we watch them learning new languages & masking their accents, why are they hiding? What does the synchronized swimming symbolise? If they are good enough, could they make it to an international championship…that would mean an opportunity to cross the border….and so we watch these 6 women tirelessly train.
If you are looking for an in depth look into what it may be like to be a synchronized swimmer, this isn’t for you! However if you are looking for a novella that is beautifully written, smart, experimental in its structure & style – that also happens to be translated wonderfully – well then this one may be for you. The aspect that I enjoy most about novellas is how they can pack so much into so few pages, however what I enjoyed most about this one is how Sandu manages to leave so much open to interpretation by the reader – allowing you to fill the gaps. I thoroughly enjoy this little book & would recommend it if you fancy a nice short & unique read, needless to say I am very interested to read more by Sandu.
An enormous thank you to the publisher for kindly sending a gifted copy!
Our story is set in an unnamed state behind the Iron Curtain as we follow 6 women who all work at a cigarette factory & meet frequently at the river to practise their synchronised swimming routine. The flow of the story is very unique, we follow their collective journey via short chapters that feature between each individual chapter. The collective chapters explore how they come together, practise, the toll it takes on their bodies, the lengths they are willing to go to & often highlighting how frequently they look to the state on the other side of the river, symbolising their desire to leave their current homeland. In between these chapters we have a chance to explore snippets of these women’s lives after they have left their homeland, exploring how they are faring, where in the world they have ended up & small insights into their individual ambitions. There is a common theme with all 6 women as we watch them learning new languages & masking their accents, why are they hiding? What does the synchronized swimming symbolise? If they are good enough, could they make it to an international championship…that would mean an opportunity to cross the border….and so we watch these 6 women tirelessly train.
If you are looking for an in depth look into what it may be like to be a synchronized swimmer, this isn’t for you! However if you are looking for a novella that is beautifully written, smart, experimental in its structure & style – that also happens to be translated wonderfully – well then this one may be for you. The aspect that I enjoy most about novellas is how they can pack so much into so few pages, however what I enjoyed most about this one is how Sandu manages to leave so much open to interpretation by the reader – allowing you to fill the gaps. I thoroughly enjoy this little book & would recommend it if you fancy a nice short & unique read, needless to say I am very interested to read more by Sandu.
An enormous thank you to the publisher for kindly sending a gifted copy!
January 3, 2020
Kahdessa tasossa kulkeva pienoisromaani. On taso Erään joen varrella, jossa joukko nuoria tyttöjä löytää vedestä harrastuksen ja reitin. Ja sitten on taso, jossa joukko aikuisia naisia kipuilee eri puolilla maapalloa itsenäisissä novellinomaisissa kertomuksissa. Nautin paljon Erään joen lyyrisestä poljennosta ja tarinasta, joka avautui hitaasti, jopa trillerimäisesti. Novellit puolestaan eivät sytyttäneet niin paljon, vaikka niistä ihan kiinnostavia ihmiskohtaloita piirtyikin, hetkiä elämästä uudessa maailmassa, naisena, taustaisena, minä missäkin. Mikään lukusukkula pieni kirja ei minulle ollut, mutta nyt luettuani viimeisenkin naisen tarinan, luin vielä Erään joen varrella -kertomuksen, joka siis kulkee novellien välissä, uudestaan ja ihastuin.
Pidän siitä, että Sandu onnistuu olemaan samaan aikaan kielellisesti ja tarkennuksiltaan umpisuomalainen kirjailija ja sen päälle/ohella/rinnalla kuvaamaan itäeurooppalaista juurettomuutta, noh, jotenkin eurooppalaisesti.
Pistän panoksia sille, että Sandu tulee voittamaan joskus Pohjoismaiden neuvoston kirjallisuuspalkinnon.
Pidän siitä, että Sandu onnistuu olemaan samaan aikaan kielellisesti ja tarkennuksiltaan umpisuomalainen kirjailija ja sen päälle/ohella/rinnalla kuvaamaan itäeurooppalaista juurettomuutta, noh, jotenkin eurooppalaisesti.
Pistän panoksia sille, että Sandu tulee voittamaan joskus Pohjoismaiden neuvoston kirjallisuuspalkinnon.
December 15, 2023
very interesting, i wish the concept had been explained or introduced just a tiny bit earlier
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September 30, 2021Cristina Sandu’s spare and sparkling prose is intimate and visceral. A deeply moving story about six women who dare to dream bigger than their muddy river, whose lives splinter from their tight synchronized formations into an unflinching, often unforgiving world. An exquisite and powerful read.
Lindsay Zier-Vogel, Author of Letters to Amelia
Cristina Sandu's narration is magical … Her poetic and airy prose weaves together the strongly metaphorical and the realistic … In these moving stories about the fates of Eastern European women, her narrative is universal and titanic.
Suomen Kuvalehti
There are a lot of subsurface vibrations in the book. Desire, as well as clear threats, but we don’t know whether those actualise. Ingeniously disconnected stories entice the reader to continue. On the other hand, they suggest that Sandu also has larger stories to tell … The accurate, delicate and subtle writing relies on the refined and sparing characteristics of the Finnish modernism.
Helsingin Sanomat
Skilfully crafted and defined, airy, and multi-layered. Highly praised for the themes of detachment as well as the description of externality and differentness. A work greater than its size gives a chance to pause, feel, and reflect on what one has read.
Toisinkoinen Literary Prize Jury Citation
Six girls who live behind The Iron Curtain change their leisurely summer swimming routine into something more intense and purposeful. Peeks into their lives as adults are bound together by atmospheric vignettes of their childhood in the river and journey into the world of synchronised swimming. The kind of book you could read in one sitting, one breath, or spread out over weeks of indulgent moments.
Maggie Henrickson, Carmichael's
The Union of Synchronised Swimmers is the exploration of the old notion, ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. Each of the women finds herself in a very different situation to the one they expected, and yet for all their hopes and dreams, what they find is not always better than what they left. But this is not a dark or depressing book, instead Sandu writes each character with a degree of positivity and optimism whatever their circumstance, leaving us with the feeling that it is ok to wonder what else might be out there for us if we take the chance to seek it.
Hannah, The Raven Book Store
For a quick, inspiring read, pick up a copy of The Union of Synchronised Swimmers. While it tells the story of six women who, when young workers at a cigarette factory in the ‘not free’ part of an eastern European country, decided to ‘go for it.’ As they swam in the local river, they learned a variety of moves involved in the new sport of synchronised swimming, hoping for a chance at ‘something better.’ Whether you consume this small translated tome in a single gulp or choose to savour it, sip by sip, you’ll be exposed to some new ideas, ideals and even hope.
Linda B. Aunties
The kind of book you could read in one sitting, one breath, or spread out over weeks of indulgent moments.
Maggie Henrikson, Carmichael's Bookstore
For a quick, inspiring read, pick up a copy of The Union of Synchronised Swimmers … Whether you consume this small translated tome in a single gulp or choose to savour it, sip by sip, you’ll be exposed to some new ideas, ideals and even hope.
Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore
Vivid … Sandu’s direct prose has impact.
Publishers Weekly
This is a novel that can be devoured in one sitting, but this may not necessarily be the best way to approach the material. Each story is a small gem, Sandu using an almost poetic approach to convey deep sense of character and place in a limited number of words. So that it may be just as rewarding to take some time between each story, to savour each one and allow it to percolate a little before moving on. No matter how readers choose approach it, The Union of Synchronised Swimmers will deliver a unique and affecting experience.
Robert Goodman, The Blurb
Lindsay Zier-Vogel, Author of Letters to Amelia
Cristina Sandu's narration is magical … Her poetic and airy prose weaves together the strongly metaphorical and the realistic … In these moving stories about the fates of Eastern European women, her narrative is universal and titanic.
Suomen Kuvalehti
There are a lot of subsurface vibrations in the book. Desire, as well as clear threats, but we don’t know whether those actualise. Ingeniously disconnected stories entice the reader to continue. On the other hand, they suggest that Sandu also has larger stories to tell … The accurate, delicate and subtle writing relies on the refined and sparing characteristics of the Finnish modernism.
Helsingin Sanomat
Skilfully crafted and defined, airy, and multi-layered. Highly praised for the themes of detachment as well as the description of externality and differentness. A work greater than its size gives a chance to pause, feel, and reflect on what one has read.
Toisinkoinen Literary Prize Jury Citation
Six girls who live behind The Iron Curtain change their leisurely summer swimming routine into something more intense and purposeful. Peeks into their lives as adults are bound together by atmospheric vignettes of their childhood in the river and journey into the world of synchronised swimming. The kind of book you could read in one sitting, one breath, or spread out over weeks of indulgent moments.
Maggie Henrickson, Carmichael's
The Union of Synchronised Swimmers is the exploration of the old notion, ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. Each of the women finds herself in a very different situation to the one they expected, and yet for all their hopes and dreams, what they find is not always better than what they left. But this is not a dark or depressing book, instead Sandu writes each character with a degree of positivity and optimism whatever their circumstance, leaving us with the feeling that it is ok to wonder what else might be out there for us if we take the chance to seek it.
Hannah, The Raven Book Store
For a quick, inspiring read, pick up a copy of The Union of Synchronised Swimmers. While it tells the story of six women who, when young workers at a cigarette factory in the ‘not free’ part of an eastern European country, decided to ‘go for it.’ As they swam in the local river, they learned a variety of moves involved in the new sport of synchronised swimming, hoping for a chance at ‘something better.’ Whether you consume this small translated tome in a single gulp or choose to savour it, sip by sip, you’ll be exposed to some new ideas, ideals and even hope.
Linda B. Aunties
The kind of book you could read in one sitting, one breath, or spread out over weeks of indulgent moments.
Maggie Henrikson, Carmichael's Bookstore
For a quick, inspiring read, pick up a copy of The Union of Synchronised Swimmers … Whether you consume this small translated tome in a single gulp or choose to savour it, sip by sip, you’ll be exposed to some new ideas, ideals and even hope.
Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore
Vivid … Sandu’s direct prose has impact.
Publishers Weekly
This is a novel that can be devoured in one sitting, but this may not necessarily be the best way to approach the material. Each story is a small gem, Sandu using an almost poetic approach to convey deep sense of character and place in a limited number of words. So that it may be just as rewarding to take some time between each story, to savour each one and allow it to percolate a little before moving on. No matter how readers choose approach it, The Union of Synchronised Swimmers will deliver a unique and affecting experience.
Robert Goodman, The Blurb
July 17, 2021
THE UNION OF SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS by Cristina Sandu is a great little novel! Translated from the Finnish by the author this book follows six women who work together at a cigarette factory and try to make it to the Olympics.
.
I really enjoyed the format to the writing as we alternate between omniscient point of view of the women as they train together to each individual woman’s first person point of view. The vignettes of each of the women at their different locations showcased their individuality. I liked the themes in this book of womanhood and finding your place in the world. It’s a quick read at 120 pages but the prose really sucks you in and leaves a lasting impression.
.
This is another great translated book! I’ve been really enjoying translations this year!
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Thank you to Bookhug Press for my gifted review copy!
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I really enjoyed the format to the writing as we alternate between omniscient point of view of the women as they train together to each individual woman’s first person point of view. The vignettes of each of the women at their different locations showcased their individuality. I liked the themes in this book of womanhood and finding your place in the world. It’s a quick read at 120 pages but the prose really sucks you in and leaves a lasting impression.
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This is another great translated book! I’ve been really enjoying translations this year!
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Thank you to Bookhug Press for my gifted review copy!
October 24, 2019
Kirja niin älyttömän lyhyt, ettei siitä ehtinyt muodostaa mielipidettä. Hahmoja oli liikaa. Heistä kutakin seurattiin vain muutaman sivun ajan. En oikein pysty kutsumaan edes pintaraapaisuksi.
May 13, 2023
Cover: jaaa 😍
Rest... Mwaoh
Rest... Mwaoh
October 7, 2024
I hate to give a book written by an author of Romanian descent, writing about the trauma of the diaspora, a low score; however I feel that this book failed to convey a clear message and is likely inaccessible to most people reading it. Cramming 6 characters in a novella of 112 pages, and a seventh character that's the land they leave behind is simply too much. There were moments of insight, that I believe mostly people who have departed a former-communist country will understand. The emotional damage the girls experience, their obsession with status, and the exploitation they are likely to experience are easily recognizable to knowledgeable readers, and I believe this book was only written for them. I like books that leave me wanting, but here there was a mountain of want: want for more time with the characters, want for more time with the villagers, want for more introspection. And the writing was cringy at times, filled with descriptions of breasts, and cliche writing like a pool filled with promises, or "clothes falling to the floor like uncertainties"--it made it all read pretentious, but empty. Not to mention the illogical way the girls somehow taught themselves how to become synchronized swimmers ... in a river... by watching TV...The physics of such an art were not understood by the writer, and lots of other small mistakes were slapped into poetic language (e.g.: nobody swimming in the sea is going to come out with their skin white from salt; if you're swimming in anything other than the Dead Sea, the water dissolves the salt away). I wish we had more moments like this one, in the middle of the book: "In the evenings, when they fell on their beds like lumbered trees, the girls felt the movement of water inside their bodies. It Rocked them to a place that belonged neither to this nor to that side of the river. The beauty of the threshold: on the other side of it, everything was still possible. Perhaps they were happier than, more complete and satisfied, than they ever had been or would be." Overall, this was unfortunately a miss for me.
May 29, 2021
‘The Union of Synchronised Swimmers’, written and translated from Finnish by Cristina Sandu, is a short novel centered around six women who grew up in an unnamed Soviet state referred to as ‘The Near Side of the River’. The story alternates between the time when the girls grew up and trained together as synchronised swimmers for the Olympics, and the perspectives of each of the women after they left ‘The near Side of the River’ when they were older.
This book has a really interesting way of looking at the use of language and names and what language means for a sense of belonging. The book is full of secrets and a lot is left unsaid. This gives a distanced feel to the women’s narratives which fits the setting of the Soviet state.
I enjoyed following the girls on their journey to become synchronised swimmers the most. The stories of the women as they left the ‘Near Side of the River’ were very short and that made it more difficult to connect to them.
Overall this was an interesting read that makes you feel a little lost at the end of it.
Thank you to Scribe UK for this gifted copy!
This book has a really interesting way of looking at the use of language and names and what language means for a sense of belonging. The book is full of secrets and a lot is left unsaid. This gives a distanced feel to the women’s narratives which fits the setting of the Soviet state.
I enjoyed following the girls on their journey to become synchronised swimmers the most. The stories of the women as they left the ‘Near Side of the River’ were very short and that made it more difficult to connect to them.
Overall this was an interesting read that makes you feel a little lost at the end of it.
Thank you to Scribe UK for this gifted copy!
June 18, 2021
A tiny book, around 100 pages, telling the fictional tale of six women from an unnamed Soviet nation behind the Iron Curtain. The women work in a cigarette factory, form a synchronised swimming team and qualify for the Olympics. We are told in the blurb that once there, they make a dash for freedom. There is a chapter on each woman spread across the globe, interspersed with flashbacks to their time training for the Olympics.
There’s something haunting about the book. There’s a strong sense of place in the flashbacks even though we are never told where specifically the women are from. In their new lives, the women all appear on edge, as though not fully comfortable in their newfound freedom. Each of the six stories is interesting, if a little cryptic. I was definitely left wanting more though, it feels too short and doesn’t leave enough space to become attached to the characters.
It’s a great translation by the author herself who speaks six languages. The book won the Toisinkoinen Prize 2020 in Finland, a literary prize for a second novel. If you like a quirky little book and you enjoy translated fiction, this might be for you. 3-3.5/5 ⭐️
There’s something haunting about the book. There’s a strong sense of place in the flashbacks even though we are never told where specifically the women are from. In their new lives, the women all appear on edge, as though not fully comfortable in their newfound freedom. Each of the six stories is interesting, if a little cryptic. I was definitely left wanting more though, it feels too short and doesn’t leave enough space to become attached to the characters.
It’s a great translation by the author herself who speaks six languages. The book won the Toisinkoinen Prize 2020 in Finland, a literary prize for a second novel. If you like a quirky little book and you enjoy translated fiction, this might be for you. 3-3.5/5 ⭐️
July 1, 2020
Hyvin lyhyeen (118 sivua) kirjaan oli sisällytetty kuuden, lapsuutensa ja nuoruutensa jakaneen naisen elämäntarina. Se tarkoitta, että teksti itsessään oli viitteellistä, kuin akvarellin siveltimenvetoja, ja lukijan tehtäväksi jäi rakentaa iso osa tarinasta omassa mielessään. Kirja on rakennettu niin, että naisten yhteinen menneisyys kerrotaan useana palasena, joiden väliin lukija saa kuvauksen lyhyestä hetkestä kunkin naisen nykypäivästä.
Sandun kieli on lyyrisen kaunista, myös silloin kun hän kirjoittaa rujoista tai rumista asioista. Kirjan lukaisee nopeasti halutessaan, mutta koska kertomattomat, rivien välissä olevat asiat ovat niin isoja, hitaampi tahti on paikallaan. Kirjasta löytäisi varmasti uusia syvyyksiä myös toisella lukukerralla. Omaan makuuni teos jäi hieman liian luonnosmaiseksi.
Sandun kieli on lyyrisen kaunista, myös silloin kun hän kirjoittaa rujoista tai rumista asioista. Kirjan lukaisee nopeasti halutessaan, mutta koska kertomattomat, rivien välissä olevat asiat ovat niin isoja, hitaampi tahti on paikallaan. Kirjasta löytäisi varmasti uusia syvyyksiä myös toisella lukukerralla. Omaan makuuni teos jäi hieman liian luonnosmaiseksi.
May 16, 2020
Hoewel de verhaallijnen duidelijk en goed te volgen zijn, blijft er veel onuitgesproken. Sandu geeft de lezer de mogelijkheid om onderliggende betekenissen te ontdekken. Met name door deze onuitgesprokenheid en de vaak poëtische of beeldende stijl zou ik het boek als literair willen typeren. Ik vond het een boeiend verhaal. Sandu weet de lezer aan zich te binden en nieuwsgierig te maken, door steeds maar een deel van de verhaallijn prijs te geven. Het meest geslaagd vind ik Sandu’s schrijfstijl. Ze weet met weinig woorden, op een heel beeldende manier, een bepaalde sfeer te schetsen.
March 14, 2021
This has such a strange, offbeat feel to it that I really liked.
I think a lot of this went over my head but I was still captivated by the short sections.
Readers looking for traditional narratives and closure might not like this but I found the questioning and ultimately bittersweet tone of this a wonderful point of difference.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I think a lot of this went over my head but I was still captivated by the short sections.
Readers looking for traditional narratives and closure might not like this but I found the questioning and ultimately bittersweet tone of this a wonderful point of difference.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2020
Kaunis, pienistä paloista koostuva pienoisromaani maattomasta maasta, karkaamisesta kohti parempaa. Sandun kieli on upeaa, ja pienen romaanin tiivis tunnelma avaa oven suurempaankin maailmaan. Pidin hurjasti tästä.
July 3, 2021
2020 Toisinkois-voittaja! Miellyttävä, toisinkois-kritiikissä mainittiin tehokkaaksi ja on kyllä sitä just!!!
August 1, 2023
Mooi geschreven, maar als je verwacht dat het boek over zwemsters en het ijzeren gordijn gaat dan verwacht je niet dat dit maar ongeveer een kwart van het boek is 🥲
March 28, 2025
as a former synchronized swimmer, i was ecstatic when i first heard about this book. synchro is a sport that never comes up in fiction and based on the blurb, i was looking forward to seeing the relationships between the teammates and their olympics.
after reading this, i'm left bitterly disappointed. this book is nothing like what the blurb says. the novella attempts to be some poetic commentary on eastern european diaspora post-u.ssr, but it doesn't make any sense for synchro to be the core sport. these women could've competed in any olympic sport the the outcome would be identical. when you really break it down, the sport and the olympics aren't even at the heart of the story, it's an afterthought only acknowledged in passing flashbacks.
the novella follows 6 fragmented povs of former teammates from an unnamed eastern european country, and that's just the thing; the povs and plot is fragmented, but instead of that fragmentation being used to spur a deeper conversation about fragmented cultures, instead the novella abruptly ends. this read almost like a draft. if the plot and the history of the teammates and (most importantly) the synchro! had been expanded on, this could've been something really special.
i'm glad i read this because i've wanted to ever since it was published, but it's just... it's not what it claims to be.
after reading this, i'm left bitterly disappointed. this book is nothing like what the blurb says. the novella attempts to be some poetic commentary on eastern european diaspora post-u.ssr, but it doesn't make any sense for synchro to be the core sport. these women could've competed in any olympic sport the the outcome would be identical. when you really break it down, the sport and the olympics aren't even at the heart of the story, it's an afterthought only acknowledged in passing flashbacks.
the novella follows 6 fragmented povs of former teammates from an unnamed eastern european country, and that's just the thing; the povs and plot is fragmented, but instead of that fragmentation being used to spur a deeper conversation about fragmented cultures, instead the novella abruptly ends. this read almost like a draft. if the plot and the history of the teammates and (most importantly) the synchro! had been expanded on, this could've been something really special.
i'm glad i read this because i've wanted to ever since it was published, but it's just... it's not what it claims to be.
November 3, 2021
Sandu has translated this short novel herself, which tells the story by way of a collection from each of six women from an unnamed Eastern European country. They find their joy and escape from their jobs at the local cigarette factory in the nearby river, working on synchronised swimming routines and are soon ‘discovered’, and form the national team.
It is sometime after that the women write, though it is never revealed, suspicion is that they may have defected. The women, now scattered around the world, are each in different locations and in different places in their lives. In common is the theme of dislocation, and of trying to survive and of a striving for connection in their new lives.
It is sometime after that the women write, though it is never revealed, suspicion is that they may have defected. The women, now scattered around the world, are each in different locations and in different places in their lives. In common is the theme of dislocation, and of trying to survive and of a striving for connection in their new lives.
June 6, 2023
3.5 stars
”Maybe the girls weren’t the most beautiful and talented competitors, but they belonged to them, like the berries and fruits growing on their soil.”
This book ended up being formatted a lot differently than I expected; snapshots of each girl from before and after their escape. Though I’m usually drawn to more plot driven stories, Sandu did a great job of keeping my attention throughout each snippet. I really appreciate how she gave each girl their own voice through differences in the formatting for each of their chapters.
All in all, I still believe the best books are those under 200 pages.
”Maybe the girls weren’t the most beautiful and talented competitors, but they belonged to them, like the berries and fruits growing on their soil.”
This book ended up being formatted a lot differently than I expected; snapshots of each girl from before and after their escape. Though I’m usually drawn to more plot driven stories, Sandu did a great job of keeping my attention throughout each snippet. I really appreciate how she gave each girl their own voice through differences in the formatting for each of their chapters.
All in all, I still believe the best books are those under 200 pages.
August 14, 2024
I picked up this quirky little book (only about 100 pages) at the bookstore because I liked the cover and the concept on the back. I grabbed it during the 2024 summer Olympics and felt it might be a good pairing. I liked the poetic prose and the way the storylines alternated between each of the girls perspectives living in a new place, and the old story of when they became a team of synchronized swimmers together. This is a novel in translation, and I was impressed to find out that the author speaks 6 languages and translated it herself. Language is definitely a theme that features heavily in this book, as well as the way it can manifest isolation or belonging. There is a lot unsaid in this book and the themes are interesting but overall I didn’t find the execution to my taste. A bit too flowery and almost trying too hard to come off as inspired.
July 10, 2022
I really enjoyed the vignette's about the girl's lives and where they ended up. I thought it was very well written to give each girl her own voice and structure. I just wish there had been a little bit more in the background portions to contextualize the story further. I feel like if I hadn't read the Goodread's summary I may have missed what was actually going on in the narrative.
August 12, 2021
The premise is six young women, full of determination to move forward, manage to immigrate. It's definitely a 'literary' work and translated from Finnish to English by the author.
An interesting book. At just over a hundred pages it's a novella with six different points of view. It took me a while to get into the story's rhythm, but I grew to like it and might have to read it again. (Ha! I probably won't . . ..) A novella about change, about transition, about thresholds. maybe about hope and disappointment. I'm glad I read it but it won't be for everyone.
An interesting book. At just over a hundred pages it's a novella with six different points of view. It took me a while to get into the story's rhythm, but I grew to like it and might have to read it again. (Ha! I probably won't . . ..) A novella about change, about transition, about thresholds. maybe about hope and disappointment. I'm glad I read it but it won't be for everyone.
September 9, 2025
2.5 stars
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