A review by fishface
Dandelions by Yasunari Kawabata

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Fascinating... definitely worth revisiting as I could tell a lot beneath the surface was there that I couldn't pick up the first time. The fictional illness with which Ineko (wife and daughter of the two main characters respectively) is afflicted prevents her from perceiving peoples bodies sometimes, particularly that of her lover Kuno. Having delivered her to a mental institution Kuno and her mother discuss at length how such a condition could come to be, and it's relation to love. My edition came with his Nobel lecture in the back which i found quite interesting, given it's discussion of suicide, knowing that the author went on to (probably) take his own life.