A review by heat_her
When I Whistle by Shūsaku Endō

4.0

The story in When I Whistle alternates between the present–in which Ozu and his son are constantly at odds because of the differences in their values–and Ozu’s past. While Ozu’s son is busy working and scheming about ways to make himself a name in the hospital where he works, Ozu has been reminded of his past and can’t stop thinking about Flatfish, his best childhood friend. By telling the story using two different threads, Endo is able to highlight the chasm that exists between two generations in Japan: that of Ozu, which was largely shaped by World War II; and that of Ozu’s son, a generation that doesn’t seem to take seriously the values of integrity, close relationships, or looking out for one another.

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