Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
2.9
I was never really one for captured/ trapped/ kidnapped kind of stories. And this one also quickly got tedious for me- the repeating waves of exhaustion, anger, denial, rebellion, acceptance, bargaining etc. Now that I put it like that, maybe it's about the relentless suffering of living? I suppose this gives credence to the whole ambiguous and unsettling ending the book has.
However, I was intrigued by how in true fashion of Japanese literature, this book ruminated, went on long asides on mundanities and the details of spaces, materials and philosophies. It felt like the entomologist was trapped in a terrarium of his own. Also, I would have never imagined that there was this much to say about sand but apparently there was. The author did so, building these musings that bordered on illogical, upon a pretty solid scientific and factual base. I also felt like going crazy of course, questioning the motives and the taunts of the other villagers the whole time.
Also the ending made me go on some existential tangent about the futility and mundanity of everyday life, of work and how shoveling sand from a place you would be eternally trapped in-as Sisyphian and tortuous as it would seem- is also the a sense of purpose a soul could have without which it could come untethered. Idk. To quote the book itself,
"One could not do without repetition in life, like the beating of the heart, but it was also true that the beating of the heart was not all there was to life."
One thing that made me quite annoyed was the whole purpose/ characterisation of the titular woman herself. I was pretty confused as to what she was supposed to represent since she seemed to have a personality that was as malleable and everchanging as the sand itself and seemed to shape itself in his grip but had control over him all the same. Holy shit, I feel like I'm realizing so many things even as I'm writing this review.
All that being said however, I'm frankly tired and uncomfortable of when women are written this way by male authors- the weird non consensual sex (rape even), sexuality burgeoning with feelings of anger, resentment, desperation, the way the women are not written to be people at all but vague indecipherable metaphors.
Can't decide if I liked it or not.
I was never really one for captured/ trapped/ kidnapped kind of stories. And this one also quickly got tedious for me- the repeating waves of exhaustion, anger, denial, rebellion, acceptance, bargaining etc. Now that I put it like that, maybe it's about the relentless suffering of living? I suppose this gives credence to the whole ambiguous and unsettling ending the book has.
However, I was intrigued by how in true fashion of Japanese literature, this book ruminated, went on long asides on mundanities and the details of spaces, materials and philosophies. It felt like the entomologist was trapped in a terrarium of his own. Also, I would have never imagined that there was this much to say about sand but apparently there was. The author did so, building these musings that bordered on illogical, upon a pretty solid scientific and factual base. I also felt like going crazy of course, questioning the motives and the taunts of the other villagers the whole time.
Also the ending made me go on some existential tangent about the futility and mundanity of everyday life, of work and how shoveling sand from a place you would be eternally trapped in-as Sisyphian and tortuous as it would seem- is also the a sense of purpose a soul could have without which it could come untethered. Idk. To quote the book itself,
"One could not do without repetition in life, like the beating of the heart, but it was also true that the beating of the heart was not all there was to life."
One thing that made me quite annoyed was the whole purpose/ characterisation of the titular woman herself. I was pretty confused as to what she was supposed to represent since she seemed to have a personality that was as malleable and everchanging as the sand itself and seemed to shape itself in his grip but had control over him all the same. Holy shit, I feel like I'm realizing so many things even as I'm writing this review.
All that being said however, I'm frankly tired and uncomfortable of when women are written this way by male authors- the weird non consensual sex (rape even), sexuality burgeoning with feelings of anger, resentment, desperation, the way the women are not written to be people at all but vague indecipherable metaphors.
Can't decide if I liked it or not.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Disgustingly tactile. Weirdly gripping even though the ending is pretty inevitable
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
City salaryman gets trapped in a hole by villagers.
The woman there spends every night digging the sand around the hole to prevent it from caving in on her.
Which life is more pointless?
- he argues that human progression should mean that her work is unnecessary
- She is like an animal, singularly focussed on survival (and sex)
- No community or culture
- Whereas he bemoans how fake the trappings of ‘cultured’ life is, hiding the true meaningless of human lives
This book is too overtly meaningful… the metaphor is too on the nose, I think
تصویرسازی داستان خیلی ضعیف بود.
ترجمه خیلی خوب بود سعی کرده بود دو فصل ۲۰ و۲۱ رو با کمترین سانسور و بهترین شکل بیان کنه.
موضوع کتاب خیلی عجیب و جالب بود .
ترجمه خیلی خوب بود سعی کرده بود دو فصل ۲۰ و۲۱ رو با کمترین سانسور و بهترین شکل بیان کنه.
موضوع کتاب خیلی عجیب و جالب بود .
Spectacularly suffocating and unsettling - this novel is one of the best nightmares I’ve ever read.