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andra_mihaela_s's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is my first book by Yasushi Inoue, and I want to say I enjoy his writing style a lot! ^^
The way in which he focuses attention is really different from other Japanese authors I've read!
In this book, we read through our narrator 3 letters received from someone named Josuke after the publication of a deeply melancholic poem in a hunting magazine.
The scope of this little novela is to unreavel Josuke's reasons for being as he is when our narrator is inspired by him to write.
After a brief introduction, in which we are aquainted with our setting and lead-up to this strange turn of events, we get to read both Josuke's letter to the narrator, and 3 letters received by Josuke from his wife - Midori, his concubine - Saiko, and the daughter of Saiko, Shoko.
Content warnings: suicide, justification/romantization of suicide both by the character in question and by another one; extreme levels of loneliness, and lots of cheating..both physical(not on page) and emotional.
Themes: isolation/solitude both mental and physical; or as the back of my copy says: <i>oriental solitude that cannot be touched neither by love or death</i>
This book addresses how everyone is lonely, never to be reached and incapable of seeing the other, no mather how close they are...all 3 women write to a different Josuke depending on their internal struggles, the perspective on the situation/ relationship with this man up to that point, but - strangely - enforce on him the same shade of isolation. My conclusion, as Josuke and the narration want me to have, is that love never played a role in these people lives! They are limited by the past, frst-person experiences and exterior information gathered...all these blend nicely in Inoue's novella, making you question just WHO is Josuke and why no-one seems to care about him despite what they say..and maybe more importantly, if he deserves care.
Due to the short length of this story, I will only say that it contains a poetic factor, a lyricism expressed by a short poem and later on transplanted to character's way of seeing their emotions, nature, especially the past and the future. A fascinating read I highly recommend to those enjoying Japanese literature!!!
My 3 stars come from lack of space for proper disscution of all the themes and ideas here(a pet peeve of mine). It lacks proper plot, being hyper focused on character dissection, not even development...we only get to see one stage of all these people, and no more.
Favorite character..Midori( a strong spirit that unfortunately couldn't understand the people around her, a victim and a villain in the same body - capital flaw: complacency) ...least favorite....Shoko (extremely naive, to an unhealty degree..>.>)
A thing worth noting down: the simbolism used here (snake) is of an fragile beauty...after all..each of us has a hidden snake wanting to come out!
IMPORTANT! Unlike other Japanese authors who use nature to express the internal struggle of the characters, Inoue imposes on nature human feelings! Really unique way of showing how connected this part of the world is with their inner selves and how vulnerable are people in general...a gray-blue haori, a cloudy sky...so much emotion can be triggered by so little things...a sensibility worth a thousand words! ^^
I highly recommend this novella if you want to start reading Japanese literary fiction, or enjoy contemplative works of fiction based on family and drama!
Enjoy
The way in which he focuses attention is really different from other Japanese authors I've read!
In this book, we read through our narrator 3 letters received from someone named Josuke after the publication of a deeply melancholic poem in a hunting magazine.
The scope of this little novela is to unreavel Josuke's reasons for being as he is when our narrator is inspired by him to write.
After a brief introduction, in which we are aquainted with our setting and lead-up to this strange turn of events, we get to read both Josuke's letter to the narrator, and 3 letters received by Josuke from his wife - Midori, his concubine - Saiko, and the daughter of Saiko, Shoko.
Content warnings: suicide, justification/romantization of suicide both by the character in question and by another one; extreme levels of loneliness, and lots of cheating..both physical(not on page) and emotional.
Themes: isolation/solitude both mental and physical; or as the back of my copy says: <i>oriental solitude that cannot be touched neither by love or death</i>
This book addresses how everyone is lonely, never to be reached and incapable of seeing the other, no mather how close they are...all 3 women write to a different Josuke depending on their internal struggles, the perspective on the situation/ relationship with this man up to that point, but - strangely - enforce on him the same shade of isolation. My conclusion, as Josuke and the narration want me to have, is that love never played a role in these people lives! They are limited by the past, frst-person experiences and exterior information gathered...all these blend nicely in Inoue's novella, making you question just WHO is Josuke and why no-one seems to care about him despite what they say..and maybe more importantly, if he deserves care.
Due to the short length of this story, I will only say that it contains a poetic factor, a lyricism expressed by a short poem and later on transplanted to character's way of seeing their emotions, nature, especially the past and the future. A fascinating read I highly recommend to those enjoying Japanese literature!!!
My 3 stars come from lack of space for proper disscution of all the themes and ideas here(a pet peeve of mine). It lacks proper plot, being hyper focused on character dissection, not even development...we only get to see one stage of all these people, and no more.
Favorite character..Midori( a strong spirit that unfortunately couldn't understand the people around her, a victim and a villain in the same body - capital flaw: complacency) ...least favorite....Shoko (extremely naive, to an unhealty degree..>.>)
A thing worth noting down: the simbolism used here (snake) is of an fragile beauty...after all..each of us has a hidden snake wanting to come out!
IMPORTANT! Unlike other Japanese authors who use nature to express the internal struggle of the characters, Inoue imposes on nature human feelings! Really unique way of showing how connected this part of the world is with their inner selves and how vulnerable are people in general...a gray-blue haori, a cloudy sky...so much emotion can be triggered by so little things...a sensibility worth a thousand words! ^^
I highly recommend this novella if you want to start reading Japanese literary fiction, or enjoy contemplative works of fiction based on family and drama!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, and Death
More...