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I am not sure how I would categorize this slim novel - historical fiction, love story, allegory – but I am certain that the lyrical language and gentle rhythm of the story will draw you in.
Set in the French mill town of Lavilledieu in the early 1860’s, Herve Joncour leaves his wife and home to travel to the other side of the world, the isolated nation of Japan, in order to purchase silkworms that are free from disease. In Japan Joncour purchases silkworm cocoons from Hara Kei, a powerful baron, and begins to fall in love with Hara Kei’s mistress, a woman whose eyes did not have “an Oriental shape.” Though they never exchange a word Joncour is drawn to her and returns to Japan three more times over the course of the story, the last time in 1864 as war was breaking out.
This is a story that begs to be read more than once, given that it is comprised of short chapters and is just over 100 pages in length it is a book that you can easily read in one sitting.
Possible Spoilers / Things I Continue to Ponder:
I wonder about the difference between Joncour’s two great loves – voice and silence. Herve Joncour wife, Helene, is said to have a beautiful voice. In contrast, the woman whose eyes did not have an Oriental shape never speaks.
Also, in terms of silence, the house abandoned by Jean Berbeck, a man in town who stops speaking, is referenced multiple times. Herve Joncour eventually purchases the house.
When Baldabiou leaves town Helen grieves. “Then Helen did something strange. She separated from Herve Joncour and ran after him, until se reached him, and hugged him, hard, and as she embraced him, she burst into tears. She never wept, Helen.”
Set in the French mill town of Lavilledieu in the early 1860’s, Herve Joncour leaves his wife and home to travel to the other side of the world, the isolated nation of Japan, in order to purchase silkworms that are free from disease. In Japan Joncour purchases silkworm cocoons from Hara Kei, a powerful baron, and begins to fall in love with Hara Kei’s mistress, a woman whose eyes did not have “an Oriental shape.” Though they never exchange a word Joncour is drawn to her and returns to Japan three more times over the course of the story, the last time in 1864 as war was breaking out.
This is a story that begs to be read more than once, given that it is comprised of short chapters and is just over 100 pages in length it is a book that you can easily read in one sitting.
Possible Spoilers / Things I Continue to Ponder:
I wonder about the difference between Joncour’s two great loves – voice and silence. Herve Joncour wife, Helene, is said to have a beautiful voice. In contrast, the woman whose eyes did not have an Oriental shape never speaks.
Also, in terms of silence, the house abandoned by Jean Berbeck, a man in town who stops speaking, is referenced multiple times. Herve Joncour eventually purchases the house.
When Baldabiou leaves town Helen grieves. “Then Helen did something strange. She separated from Herve Joncour and ran after him, until se reached him, and hugged him, hard, and as she embraced him, she burst into tears. She never wept, Helen.”