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A review by valandthegianttbr
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
julie otsuka is a fucking genius oh my GOD
i loved the swimmers & after a recent re-read, i finally thought to pick up another of otsuka's novels. although BUDDHA has an entirely different genre & premise, it absolutely brought the same sparse prose, unique narrative style, and quietly devastating vibe that i loved so much in swimmers.
as a reader, you are thrown into the lives of the japanese picture brides -- women whose only avenue to leave japan (for whatever reason) & come to america was by marrying a man they only knew through a picture from a matchmaker. it immediately feels like you are experiencing all of their traumas firsthand (MAJOR rape tw for chapter 2), from their boat journey to america to their lives as issei wives & mothers to their eventual forced evacuation/kidnapping to the internment camps during wwii. the first person plural pov is so freaking immersive.
it's an especially effective narrative device because otsuka introduces us to many characters & shows us their uniqueness through their hopes & dreams & fears (sometimes even their names) but then uses the "we" or "they" pronouns to collapse the group into a monolith. we know intimate details about all of them, but aren't afforded the opportunity to ever see them as individuals. the pov also gradually shifts over the course of the book with the japanese women all first being grouped into the "us," but then slowly more and more become referred to as "them" & eventually the "us" becomes another group entirely. it's hard to describe, but just know it is so effective & you simply must experience it yourself.
i am just truly obsessed with how MESMERIZING otsuka's writing is!!!! it is unbelievable how she can literally destroy me in phrases as short as 6 words, like??? BRILLIANT
this book was devastating in an unrelenting way but not in a "sob with your whole chest" kind of way or even a "let the tears slowly roll down your face" kind of way. it was just this ongoing pressure & heaviness that i found so haunting but could not step away from. i feel like i now must go into an emotional coma, but the second i emerge, i *will* be picking up another otsuka novel
i loved the swimmers & after a recent re-read, i finally thought to pick up another of otsuka's novels. although BUDDHA has an entirely different genre & premise, it absolutely brought the same sparse prose, unique narrative style, and quietly devastating vibe that i loved so much in swimmers.
as a reader, you are thrown into the lives of the japanese picture brides -- women whose only avenue to leave japan (for whatever reason) & come to america was by marrying a man they only knew through a picture from a matchmaker. it immediately feels like you are experiencing all of their traumas firsthand (MAJOR rape tw for chapter 2), from their boat journey to america to their lives as issei wives & mothers to their eventual forced evacuation/kidnapping to the internment camps during wwii. the first person plural pov is so freaking immersive.
it's an especially effective narrative device because otsuka introduces us to many characters & shows us their uniqueness through their hopes & dreams & fears (sometimes even their names) but then uses the "we" or "they" pronouns to collapse the group into a monolith. we know intimate details about all of them, but aren't afforded the opportunity to ever see them as individuals. the pov also gradually shifts over the course of the book with the japanese women all first being grouped into the "us," but then slowly more and more become referred to as "them" & eventually the "us" becomes another group entirely. it's hard to describe, but just know it is so effective & you simply must experience it yourself.
i am just truly obsessed with how MESMERIZING otsuka's writing is!!!! it is unbelievable how she can literally destroy me in phrases as short as 6 words, like??? BRILLIANT
this book was devastating in an unrelenting way but not in a "sob with your whole chest" kind of way or even a "let the tears slowly roll down your face" kind of way. it was just this ongoing pressure & heaviness that i found so haunting but could not step away from. i feel like i now must go into an emotional coma, but the second i emerge, i *will* be picking up another otsuka novel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape