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A review by chorvereads
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
4.0
This is such a light and quick read; very fitting, after I just read, [b:The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender|18166936|The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender|Leslye Walton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397110326l/18166936._SY75_.jpg|21445699] When I bought this or marked this as my 'to-read' I was at the time in my life when I was interested in specifically professor and housemaid relationships. And this is more of the non-romantic kind. I did write a short story once, for a class, that's about a professor and his housemaid too. And I distinctly remember my creative writing professor asking me, during the workshop, why did the housemaid care so much for her boss, this professor? It was a good question. It definitely helped me think about my characters and their motives. It was a good class overall, quite unforgettable. Sometimes I find it really nice to remember how I came about reading something in the first place. I'm so used to thinking of 'book reviews' as just an 'after reading' activity that I sometimes forget how this is also a holistic reflection of my entire reading experience; of 'everything that had happened.'
This novel's focus, which can also be noticed in its title, is the development of a relationship more than the characters themselves. Housemaids have one of the best 'seats' in the 'theater' we can name, 'the household' where the cast of characters are the people he/she 'serves' there. It's like a neat little observation post, where you're also living a double-life. Housemaids are somewhat part of the household but at the same time, not. They are both actors and unintentional observers. One day you're just doing your job, cleaning and dusting, and then bam! A whole ton of new information 'crash-lands' on you. What you do next is up to you.
This is what "the housekeeper" in the story has found herself in. It seemed like any other job. Though she did notice that there were already a lot of housekeepers sent there over the past months. But she was a professional, she did not think of that too much. What she didn't expect was that her new client has severe short-term memory loss. The professor's memory only lasts for 80 minutes. It was interesting because at the point of her knowing this, the morning the professor greeted her at the door, I was wondering, will this make it harder to 'house-keep' or not? I mean, if you're a real professional, sometimes you didn't really need to interact with the client. They can just give you instructions and then off you go. The thing to know about the housekeepers in this story is is that they're not 'stay-ins.' After doing their job, they can go home that very same day. So, I'm thinking, with this kind of set-up, interactions can be minimal right? Or so I thought. The professor's unique memory, of course, became sources of situations where the housekeeper has to adapt to, to get her work done. What the housekeeper did not expect was, as she was getting much better at her job, at taking care of the professor, she's unintentionally getting better at knowing him as well and his true situation. Each day, they are becoming, more and more, like good friends. Eventually they are joined by the housekeeper's son, which makes it even more extraordinary and heart-warming. All relationships are unique in their own way. This particular one, is so refreshing, so positive; it'll make you believe how connected we all really are. We are all made to care, made to look in another way, other than our own.
This novel's focus, which can also be noticed in its title, is the development of a relationship more than the characters themselves. Housemaids have one of the best 'seats' in the 'theater' we can name, 'the household' where the cast of characters are the people he/she 'serves' there. It's like a neat little observation post, where you're also living a double-life. Housemaids are somewhat part of the household but at the same time, not. They are both actors and unintentional observers. One day you're just doing your job, cleaning and dusting, and then bam! A whole ton of new information 'crash-lands' on you. What you do next is up to you.
This is what "the housekeeper" in the story has found herself in. It seemed like any other job. Though she did notice that there were already a lot of housekeepers sent there over the past months. But she was a professional, she did not think of that too much. What she didn't expect was that her new client has severe short-term memory loss. The professor's memory only lasts for 80 minutes. It was interesting because at the point of her knowing this, the morning the professor greeted her at the door, I was wondering, will this make it harder to 'house-keep' or not? I mean, if you're a real professional, sometimes you didn't really need to interact with the client. They can just give you instructions and then off you go. The thing to know about the housekeepers in this story is is that they're not 'stay-ins.' After doing their job, they can go home that very same day. So, I'm thinking, with this kind of set-up, interactions can be minimal right? Or so I thought. The professor's unique memory, of course, became sources of situations where the housekeeper has to adapt to, to get her work done. What the housekeeper did not expect was, as she was getting much better at her job, at taking care of the professor, she's unintentionally getting better at knowing him as well and his true situation. Each day, they are becoming, more and more, like good friends. Eventually they are joined by the housekeeper's son, which makes it even more extraordinary and heart-warming. All relationships are unique in their own way. This particular one, is so refreshing, so positive; it'll make you believe how connected we all really are. We are all made to care, made to look in another way, other than our own.