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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
It was really disturbing, but very good at the same time. It explored dark thematic which I liked.
The prose is also beautiful, creating magnificent scenery.
The book also dive pretty deep into psychological portrait and psychosomatic psychoanalysis.
The prose is also beautiful, creating magnificent scenery.
The book also dive pretty deep into psychological portrait and psychosomatic psychoanalysis.
This book is like eating a triple chocolate cake. Mishima has a decadent writing style which was sometimes beautiful to read but often felt ott
I couldn’t get past the cat scene. I wish I had read about it somewhere. I would have never read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book. I really enjoyed the writing style and there is an atmosphere of unease throughout the entire novel that really propels you through the pages. On a technical level there are no flaws, the sentences are structured thoughtfully and I adored the motif of the ocean throughout, the imagery was well done and I think the translator was particularly talented in his ability to create a flow with the words so that the pacing wasn't ruined. However, the minimal plot did bother me, barely anything actually happens, we are essentially witnessing the buildup to something, the positioning of the characters and their decisions to get to a point. Furthermore, whilst I did like the insights to the characters I wish less stuff was told to us outright and that we were instead shown through circumstances the way these people think etc.
I found myself thinking of Lord of the Flies often when reading this novel, as I think both these books have similar messaging and focus, e.g. toxic masculinity and parental sins being passed down - in this case child neglect and child abuse ending in children who at times value violence and toxicity. I would recommend if you like this book to also read Lord of the Flies, or vice versa. All in all I enjoyed the book, but was not completely satisfied by the narrative, I think the story just needed to be more anchored in action and the real world, to balance how much time was spent with the internal views of the protagonists.
I found myself thinking of Lord of the Flies often when reading this novel, as I think both these books have similar messaging and focus, e.g. toxic masculinity and parental sins being passed down - in this case child neglect and child abuse ending in children who at times value violence and toxicity. I would recommend if you like this book to also read Lord of the Flies, or vice versa. All in all I enjoyed the book, but was not completely satisfied by the narrative, I think the story just needed to be more anchored in action and the real world, to balance how much time was spent with the internal views of the protagonists.
What can I say, it's written by Mishima and it encapsulates readers in literary perfection.
What a strange book
Unfortunately the writing did not redeem the oddity of the book, maybe this was a translation issue, not sure.
Uncomfy scenes of Noboru watching his mum have sex and also him killing a kitten. And I struggled to determine the point behind all of this. Maybe my own fault but I also didn't really want to think that hard about what it all meant tbh.
I finished the book but if it had been much longer I may have DNFed
Unfortunately the writing did not redeem the oddity of the book, maybe this was a translation issue, not sure.
Uncomfy scenes of Noboru watching his mum have sex and also him killing a kitten. And I struggled to determine the point behind all of this. Maybe my own fault but I also didn't really want to think that hard about what it all meant tbh.
I finished the book but if it had been much longer I may have DNFed