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A review by mateuslevisf
Sanshirō by Natsume Sōseki
4.0
A great book. Reminded me of something from Machado de Assis actually, maybe because I read Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas relatively recently. You have a protagonist who is likeable but is far from perfect, a friend of the protagonist who is a bit quirky but generally well-intentioned, a love interested who is as mysterious as she is interesting.
In summary, the novel is about Sanshiro, a country boy who goes to university in Tokyo around 1900. The story is about him dealing with the new urban scenery and the people he meets along the way, with the catch that he is much more of a passive observer than an active protagonist. Things just happen and Sanshiro most frequently does not really deal with them because he is unable to, not because he doesn't want to. He's unable not only because he's a coward (a theme repeated multiple times throughout the book), but also because he's much more thoughtful and introspective than other characters in the same novel. Because of this, I don't dislike Sanshiro. His actions (or inactions, to be more precise) can be irritating sometimes, but the character feels real and likeable enough because he's honest - and honesty is likeable, as Professor Hirota puts it excellently in the middle of the novel.
The most important character other than Sanshiro is Mineko. Mineko is the Capitu to Sanshiro's Bentinho, in a way a human encapsulation of everything he feels regarding this new phase of his life. And even though we never get a glimpse into his mind it's amazing how the author makes us understand her through what she doesn't say and do more than from the little she says and does.
I can write much more about the other characters such as Yojiro and Hirota. But I won't, maybe later. I like them all though! Yoshiko, Nonomiya, etc.
Even though the ending isn't really something I'd call happy, I wouldn't say it's sad. It's logical. I guess the feeling it generates is bittersweet at first, but it's in line with the whole novel. I empathized with Sanshiro a lot, but the ending just felt a bit inevitable in a sense. I'm a sucker for happy endings, particularly romantic ones, but I accept this. Mineko, by the end, is a stray sheep as much as Sanshiro is. I guess we all are!
In summary, the novel is about Sanshiro, a country boy who goes to university in Tokyo around 1900. The story is about him dealing with the new urban scenery and the people he meets along the way, with the catch that he is much more of a passive observer than an active protagonist. Things just happen and Sanshiro most frequently does not really deal with them because he is unable to, not because he doesn't want to. He's unable not only because he's a coward (a theme repeated multiple times throughout the book), but also because he's much more thoughtful and introspective than other characters in the same novel. Because of this, I don't dislike Sanshiro. His actions (or inactions, to be more precise) can be irritating sometimes, but the character feels real and likeable enough because he's honest - and honesty is likeable, as Professor Hirota puts it excellently in the middle of the novel.
The most important character other than Sanshiro is Mineko. Mineko is the Capitu to Sanshiro's Bentinho, in a way a human encapsulation of everything he feels regarding this new phase of his life. And even though we never get a glimpse into his mind it's amazing how the author makes us understand her through what she doesn't say and do more than from the little she says and does.
I can write much more about the other characters such as Yojiro and Hirota. But I won't, maybe later. I like them all though! Yoshiko, Nonomiya, etc.
Even though the ending isn't really something I'd call happy, I wouldn't say it's sad. It's logical. I guess the feeling it generates is bittersweet at first, but it's in line with the whole novel. I empathized with Sanshiro a lot, but the ending just felt a bit inevitable in a sense. I'm a sucker for happy endings, particularly romantic ones, but I accept this. Mineko, by the end, is a stray sheep as much as Sanshiro is. I guess we all are!