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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. The final short story from a celebrated Japanese writer is surrounded by suicide (the author's, the would-be translators') and by incestuous desire, the focus of the story and recurring in his children's relationships, which sweep into the protagonist's life and consume a single, brilliant summer. Stories like this are often set in summer, aren't they? And this is why: the drifty, dreamy, hazy-but-intense atmosphere; the narrator standing enraptured but a step removed from that intensity. It's atmospheric and evocative but slight; intentionally so in this slim volume with a lot of dialog and short, vignetted scenes. This book really worked for me, but mostly because I dig the combination of content and style which it so perfectly encapsulates; its actual distinguishing features and plot are more forgettable.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I just like Yoshimoto’s shorter stories more. The incest was too much for me. I always love how she writes relationships between women, but Sui felt too much like an unpredictable force of nature rather than a real person. I still enjoyed this though, and I love when there’s a story within a story and they share clear themes and motifs.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“When you've fallen in love, broken up, lost a loved one, and start getting older, everything seems the same. I couldn't tell what was good and what was bad, what was better and what was worse. I simply didn't want to have any more bad memories. I wished that time would stop, and summer would never come to an end. I felt very vulnerable.”
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Is it weird that I was rooting for the brother and sister to be happy in a relationship together?
I honestly feel like the main character is a bit of a cipher for the reader. We're all voyeurs to this crazy family and their drama. And it's pretty great because it's nonjudgmental and relatively accepting, but it's also sad because of it ends up not working out. I don't know how to feel about Sui's ultimate fate or if it really is best for her, her baby, and Otohiko.
For the relationship, I can overlook the societal taboos, but it seems unfair to introduce a baby that's a product of incest to the equation. But everyone has to find their own happiness. I'm glad no one committed suicide, and sometimes I'm annoyed by the Japanese glorification of suicide. But the idea of Sui going off on her own and never seeing Otohiko again is pretty heartbreaking.
I honestly feel like the main character is a bit of a cipher for the reader. We're all voyeurs to this crazy family and their drama. And it's pretty great because it's nonjudgmental and relatively accepting, but it's also sad because of it ends up not working out. I don't know how to feel about Sui's ultimate fate or if it really is best for her, her baby, and Otohiko.
For the relationship, I can overlook the societal taboos, but it seems unfair to introduce a baby that's a product of incest to the equation. But everyone has to find their own happiness. I'm glad no one committed suicide, and sometimes I'm annoyed by the Japanese glorification of suicide. But the idea of Sui going off on her own and never seeing Otohiko again is pretty heartbreaking.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Alcohol