angethology 's review for:

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

2.75

reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Dreams, memories, the sacred—they are all alike in that they are beyond our grasp. Once we are even marginally separated from what we can touch, the object is sanctified; it acquires the beauty of the unattainable, the quality of the miraculousness. 

If there's ever a book that's pretty much "no plot just vibes", it's this one. And it's cleverly and beautifully written, even with how verbose it is at times. The imagery used in relation to scenery/nature can be very engrossing and thought-provoking, and the translator & author know how to center the characters' flaws while drawing overarching philosophical takes that can be applied to life in general. 

Focusing on the affair between Satoko and Kiyoaki, the tragic forbidden love story is magnified through the lens of ancient aristocracy. Certain aspects of this premise are a little frustrating to me; Kiyoaki's self-aggrandizing behavior sabotaged his own dreams and his major issues were entirely self-inflicted. However, I understand that it's also part of the point, and even Kiyoaki admits this:

If we had everyone's blessing, we would probably never dare to do what we've done. 

Nevertheless, it made me hard to care for him at times. There was also a scene where one of the characters lost his ring and that whole part feels very unnecessary and too dramatic in a way that's not self-aware; moments like this happened slightly too often for my liking.  

I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I could get into the tangential thoughts that often occurred in the book. But there are still fascinating reflections that I think are worth mulling over and there's definitely a lot to learn from the literary devices here.