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A review by juicebox
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
A powerful book tackling glory, idealism, masculinity, youthful expectations vs adult reality, family roles and vulnerability/honesty.
Mishima's personal life is thoroughly entwined in the narrative, especially the tension between the influence of the West and traditional Japan.
I felt it required some time and side reading to digest and fully appreciate the novel. The beauty of the prose was overtly apparent, but the messages contained within require some deeper consideration.
The ambiguous ending is perfect and testament to the balance between elegance and brutality that runs through the work.
I read this at 20ish and now again at 30. And I can see myself in Ryuji. At 20 I admit to some feelings of wanting to attain glory, of feeling special in some way, like it was inevitable that I would achieve something. Now at 30, I see the joys in life are not contained in some heroic pursuit, but rather in love, connection and maturity.
Mishima's personal life is thoroughly entwined in the narrative, especially the tension between the influence of the West and traditional Japan.
I felt it required some time and side reading to digest and fully appreciate the novel. The beauty of the prose was overtly apparent, but the messages contained within require some deeper consideration.
The ambiguous ending is perfect and testament to the balance between elegance and brutality that runs through the work.
I read this at 20ish and now again at 30. And I can see myself in Ryuji. At 20 I admit to some feelings of wanting to attain glory, of feeling special in some way, like it was inevitable that I would achieve something. Now at 30, I see the joys in life are not contained in some heroic pursuit, but rather in love, connection and maturity.