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tamarant4's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I want a special skill, a power that I can wield with all my force when the time comes. I don’t mind what kind of creature I am. It doesn’t bother me if I stay as a nameless monster. [loc. 91]
A collection of feminist, or at least female-centred, short stories by Japanese author Aoko Matsuda, fluently translated by Polly Barton: the stories are interlinked by references to a company run by a Mr Tei. This company remains nameless, but seems to employ both the living and the dead, ghosts and non-human supernatural creatures. One of their products is an incense which allows a bereaved human to see their lost loved one as they were in life: this incense is the focus of one of my favourite stories in the collection, 'Loved One', in which Mr Tei visits a customer to find out if there is 'some issue preventing [the incense] taking effect'. The narrator has no sense of smell, and the only creature she mourns is her cat Tortie. Mr Tei promises that the technical team will adjust the incense so that it's not limited to human beings -- 'a truly embarrassing oversight on our part, a bug in our system that we've been too short-sighted to recognise'.
Elsewhere we find fox-spirits, vengeful ghosts (and a pathologically jealous wife who learns that she'd be perfect as a vengeful ghost, and would it be all right for the company to approach her once she's dead?), as well as a giant toad that protects women; a young lady whose aunt advises her to reject the beauty industry's blandishments and focus on her own power; and a number of women who find, or bestow, peace and kindness after their deaths. And a delightful sapphic romance between a skeleton and a living woman. There are definitely feminist themes here, but perhaps the major theme is of finding a place to be oneself, and to belong -- whether that's in this life or the next.
Many of the stories are drawn from Japanese folklore and ghost stories: references to the original stories are provided, and the Introduction provides context for the telling of ghost stories in summer, during the Buddhist festival of Obon, when the deceased return to wander the earth (and when the chill of a well-told spooky story can offset the summer heat).
You can read a couple of the stories on the Granta site: here is 'Smartening Up'.
Fulfils the ‘a yellow spine’ rubric of the 52 books in 2024 challenge.
Fulfils the ‘A short story collection in translation’ rubric of the Something Bookish Reading Challenge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Death
prosiaczekk's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
catherineward's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
paintedverse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have never been a fan of ghost stories, but this book is an absolute masterpiece. The stories in this collection can't exactly be called ghost stories. Yes, it has ghosts, spirits or whatever you might want to call them, but it is also a beautiful mix of Japanese folk tales and supernatural elements, basically something like to call genre-bending. For me, the best part about this book is the inclusion of background of the retellings. I wasnt aware of the folk tales but this thoughtfulness made it easy for me and I truly appreciate it. A book l'd definitely be revisiting.
bassclarinet's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
I kind of have a thing for Japanese fiction, so was excited to read this new collection of short stories from Aoko Matsuda. Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection inspired by Japanese fairy tales and folklore, but with a definite feminist twist. A large portion of the stories feature ghosts or bizarre events but they are all oh so subtle. These are spooky ghost stories, they are understated and just take the ghosts as an every day occurrence. The women in these stories challenge the cultural gender norms. A number of the stories have a common thread of a theme or a character between them.
I took a slower approach to this book and read a story here or there over the course of a week and a half. As with many short story collections, some of the stories resonated with me more than others, but overall it is a very strong collection that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
I took a slower approach to this book and read a story here or there over the course of a week and a half. As with many short story collections, some of the stories resonated with me more than others, but overall it is a very strong collection that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
thecatmouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
love how all the stories intertwined and brought more depths to some characters or ideas
highly appreciated the chapters introductions about the origins of each story (even though some were really brief)
overall a really appreciable read
highly appreciated the chapters introductions about the origins of each story (even though some were really brief)
overall a really appreciable read
kdahlo's review against another edition
5.0
Great book of short stories, each one incorporates elements from Japanese folklore, several of these myths are helpfully summarized in the back of the book. The tone is very 'light', but always with a little bit of a twist or some hidden depth. There are also a handful of recurring characters who we can get a few glimpses of and see them progress. I liked the slice-of-life but there's maybe a ghost or someone can transform into something or there's a giant frog vibe quite a lot. I thought it was a relaxing, stylish and fun book that still made me think and surprised me here and there.
rereader33's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting and engaging short story collection. Matsuda is a phenomenal storyteller, capable of shifting tones and perspectives with each story without losing the audience. The writing is simple yet packs a punch when it needs to, and certain made me feel like I was witnessing everything first hand. Ordinarily, I would review each story in the collection and give my opinions on each one, but there are 17 stories in this collection and unfortunately not all of them left enough of an impression on me to talk about outside of "it was good". In lieu of reviewing all of them, here are the a few of the stories I read that did leave an impact and will briefly discuss:
"Smartening Up"-this was an interesting story that dealt with the more troubling side of female beauty regimens. I loved the discussion on how removing something from the body (in this instance, hair) for cosmetic reasons can do more harm than good. Most importantly, how women specifically are told to do this despite the financial and emotional toll it takes. But the ending was great and seeing the main character focus more on her own happiness rather than her appearance was awesome.
"The Peony Lanterns"-this gets full marks for feeling like I was actually in Shinzaburo's home watching this bizarre sales pitch. Damn, that was entertaining!
"The Jealous Type"-not only did it have the most unpredictable ending, but this is one of the few times where something was written in second person really well. Also, the commentary on how entertainment media romanticize/ normalize jealous behavior in relationships and how dangerous this is to impressionable people *coughTWILIGHTcoughFIFTYSHADESOFGREYcoughAFTERcough* made me smile.
"Enoki"-LOVED the commentary on people comparing the female body to objects either for laughs or to force some meaning/ message on them and how harmful that is to women. Also, massive props for calling out the unnecessary violence and suffering women have had to endure in legends or in real life.
"A Day Off"-really short, but hit home how draining it can be to try to protect women from harassment, stalking, sexual violence because of how often they occur, and how even good people can think of giving up on helping because it feels like these things will never stop. And yet, the ending gives some semblance of hope, which is a nice touch.
Those are my thoughts on the collection and some of the stories. While not every story was a slam dunk, I don't think there's a single one that I disliked. If you're interested in a collection of short stories retelling Japanese folklore with a feminist twist, I highly recommend this collection. If nothing else, it's a fast read that keeps you engaged from start to finish.
"Smartening Up"-this was an interesting story that dealt with the more troubling side of female beauty regimens. I loved the discussion on how removing something from the body (in this instance, hair) for cosmetic reasons can do more harm than good. Most importantly, how women specifically are told to do this despite the financial and emotional toll it takes. But the ending was great and seeing the main character focus more on her own happiness rather than her appearance was awesome.
"The Peony Lanterns"-this gets full marks for feeling like I was actually in Shinzaburo's home watching this bizarre sales pitch. Damn, that was entertaining!
"The Jealous Type"-not only did it have the most unpredictable ending, but this is one of the few times where something was written in second person really well. Also, the commentary on how entertainment media romanticize/ normalize jealous behavior in relationships and how dangerous this is to impressionable people *coughTWILIGHTcoughFIFTYSHADESOFGREYcoughAFTERcough* made me smile.
"Enoki"-LOVED the commentary on people comparing the female body to objects either for laughs or to force some meaning/ message on them and how harmful that is to women. Also, massive props for calling out the unnecessary violence and suffering women have had to endure in legends or in real life.
"A Day Off"-really short, but hit home how draining it can be to try to protect women from harassment, stalking, sexual violence because of how often they occur, and how even good people can think of giving up on helping because it feels like these things will never stop. And yet, the ending gives some semblance of hope, which is a nice touch.
Those are my thoughts on the collection and some of the stories. While not every story was a slam dunk, I don't think there's a single one that I disliked. If you're interested in a collection of short stories retelling Japanese folklore with a feminist twist, I highly recommend this collection. If nothing else, it's a fast read that keeps you engaged from start to finish.
zathuriel's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0