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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Really interesting look into Japan’s relationship with the West in the 1920s, But still a creepy, voyeuristic and Lolita-esque book.
Even though I'd read the blurb on the back cover, I decided to go through with this one! It was vaguely nauseating and altogether frustrating, witnessing the beginning and progression of Joji and Naomi's relationship. Without the creepy Lolita vibes coming from this, I'd say that folks who kept being with someone who was awful to them because of animal attraction would empathize with the main character and narrator of this story, Joji.
There are some interesting themes in this book: the enchanting, mysterious allure of Westerners - the desire to be closer to what they are and to idolize them - yet to do so makes a Japanese person look as if they are aping Western culture. The elegant, gentle, virginal lady versus the loudmouthed, brash, selfish whore. No good deed goes unpunished, in Joji's case. The husband as both a father figure and a lover (it was a bit disgusting to consider). Love makes fools of even those who feel they could never be fools beforehand.
If you're looking for a moral for this story, don't, as the narrator says - it's basically his paean to his incredibly manipulative, bossy, high maintenance, scornful and sadist wife. Perhaps it was the author's wish that none of the characters be likeable, for, in the end, none of them were.
I'd say read this if you'd like to understand why a person would throw away everything, especially their pride, to worship a haughty, exacting, ever more demanding goddess. Or if you like frustration.
There are some interesting themes in this book: the enchanting, mysterious allure of Westerners - the desire to be closer to what they are and to idolize them - yet to do so makes a Japanese person look as if they are aping Western culture. The elegant, gentle, virginal lady versus the loudmouthed, brash, selfish whore. No good deed goes unpunished, in Joji's case. The husband as both a father figure and a lover (it was a bit disgusting to consider). Love makes fools of even those who feel they could never be fools beforehand.
If you're looking for a moral for this story, don't, as the narrator says - it's basically his paean to his incredibly manipulative, bossy, high maintenance, scornful and sadist wife. Perhaps it was the author's wish that none of the characters be likeable, for, in the end, none of them were.
I'd say read this if you'd like to understand why a person would throw away everything, especially their pride, to worship a haughty, exacting, ever more demanding goddess. Or if you like frustration.
funny
lighthearted
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A tale of a happy masochist. Joji (or George as he is called by his Western friends) has taken in a poor teenage girl whom he raises to be his wife. At first docile and obedient, she soon takes complete control over him. He is hopelessly in love with her and documents the dynamic of their tormented relationship with self-inflicted pain and pleasure. At times the writing is sensitive, raw, relatable. Other times it reads like a collection of fantasy letters in those male magazines: “you may not believe me, but every word I say here is true…” An interesting glimpse into the world of the early 20th century Japan, obsessed with the English language and Western culture.