kirmavella 's review for:

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Mishima writes such beautiful, gentle prose that inspire this feeling when reading that interactions between the characters feel like iridescent moments—like photographs taken at the perfect milisecond.

There’s discussions about will, reincarnation and most predominantly ideas prevalent within Buddhism, which gives plenty of food for thought.

My greatest issue with Spring Snow—and Mishima’s work in general—is the way he caricaturises his female characters and aggressively objectifies the female body. I understand that these opinions towards women exist due to the context of his time, but there are sections that are obviously written to arouse a male reader, and instead come off as vulgar and dehumanising as a female reader.

Favourite Quote:

Here in Japan, we think of the spirit of snow as a woman—the snow fairy. But I remember that in Western fairy tales I read it’s always a handsome young man. And so I think of Kiyo as the spirit of snow, so masculine in your uniform. I think of you as overwhelming me. To feel myself dissolve into your beauty and freeze to death in the snow—no fate could be sweeter.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny