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A review by gwalt118
Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
4.0
In this short story collection, Matsuda revisits Japanese folklore with a modern-day feminist lens. At times, these stories are complete retellings and other times, Matsuda builds a new story off of a small piece of the folk tale.
The most incredible and surprising piece of this collection, at least for me, is that all of Matsuda's stories are, in one way or another, ghost stories. Matsuda finds a way to include a supernatural element in every story, whether or not the original tale included one. The use of ghosts within plots opens the door for Matsuda's exploration of borders, a recurring theme throughout the collection.
Thematically, she explores borders between life and death (ghosts), between humans and animals (shape shifting), between humans and nature (personification of plants), and probably others that I'm forgetting. Structurally, she explores the borders of the story, as she experiments with recurring characters, places, themes, and conflicts across the collection.
I love the title of this novel. It asks us to question what it means for women to be "wild." Inhuman? Animalistic? Untamed? Against societal norms and expectations? "Wild ladies" is a bit of an oxymoron in and of itself, is it not?
A surprising thing about this collection is its humorous elements. Matsuda explores structure and theme while encouraging us to question and process complex concepts. And, she is also funny. There is a subtle humor woven throughout this collection that I thoroughly enjoyed. She infuses quips and snark into stories about serious topics, and I loved it.
The most incredible and surprising piece of this collection, at least for me, is that all of Matsuda's stories are, in one way or another, ghost stories. Matsuda finds a way to include a supernatural element in every story, whether or not the original tale included one. The use of ghosts within plots opens the door for Matsuda's exploration of borders, a recurring theme throughout the collection.
Thematically, she explores borders between life and death (ghosts), between humans and animals (shape shifting), between humans and nature (personification of plants), and probably others that I'm forgetting. Structurally, she explores the borders of the story, as she experiments with recurring characters, places, themes, and conflicts across the collection.
I love the title of this novel. It asks us to question what it means for women to be "wild." Inhuman? Animalistic? Untamed? Against societal norms and expectations? "Wild ladies" is a bit of an oxymoron in and of itself, is it not?
A surprising thing about this collection is its humorous elements. Matsuda explores structure and theme while encouraging us to question and process complex concepts. And, she is also funny. There is a subtle humor woven throughout this collection that I thoroughly enjoyed. She infuses quips and snark into stories about serious topics, and I loved it.