5.0
dark reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A befitting title to a messed up book

The story can either be interpretted as a weird disturbing psychotic story, or a sad reality the writer has lived through, and it's up to the reader to decide which one it is. This book is one of the ways Yukio Mishima shows his own thought process regarding the westernization of his country, how he helplessly watched Japan (the sailor, Ryuji, who ought to keep on sailing) give up the glory and not be the hero he wanted it to be.

It's symbolic, it's poetic, and it's sad.