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marathonreader 's review for:
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami
reflective
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:
Complicated
"I had intended to ignore him, but I had hardly spoken all day, and I felt like making some kind of sound" (104)
And so sums up the pace and tone of this text.
The Nakano Thrift Shop fell flat for me, but I am SO GLAD I read it, because it became the PERFECT STUDY of texts in translation. I am far from fluent in Japanese, but I know enough to understand the syntax and how it compares with English. And there are some phrases that appear as linguistic quirks of our characters, that I think are a little more comprehendible when we consider the language in which the text was written.
Exhibit A:
"Now, you see, I'll lose confidence, with her writing that kind of thing, he went on, blinking this eyes. Suddenly another waft of the scent of dust drifted over from Mr. Nakano.
"So, you mean, your style of lovemaking is simpler? I ventured without thinking, driven by curiosity.
"No, uh, even though I'm middle-aged - you know what I mean? - I still do all right. But, you know, what is it - pretentious? Or elaborate? I mean, really that business with the finger, that's not my kind of thing.
"Come to think of it, there was something about Sakiko's writing that was reminiscent of the way that Mr. Nakano talked. 'This here, what is lit, literary?'
"By the way, what kind of things were you able to buy today? I changed the subject" (110)
The first thing that will hit you is the infrequent usage of quotation marks to distinguish speakers. I'm not sure the reason for the inconsistency, other than it gives a sort of stream-of-consciousness sense, with us switching between speakers within one paragraph, without quotations, and then having quotations in the next line, but then nowhere for the next four lines.
But on the whole, this is undoubtedly a character study more than anything else. Its purpose is not to enwrap you in a plot; if you are looking for one, you may not find one of much depth. It is all about the characters that we meet initially working at the thrift shop, and what happens after the shop closes its doors.
And so sums up the pace and tone of this text.
The Nakano Thrift Shop fell flat for me, but I am SO GLAD I read it, because it became the PERFECT STUDY of texts in translation. I am far from fluent in Japanese, but I know enough to understand the syntax and how it compares with English. And there are some phrases that appear as linguistic quirks of our characters, that I think are a little more comprehendible when we consider the language in which the text was written.
Exhibit A:
"Now, you see, I'll lose confidence, with her writing that kind of thing, he went on, blinking this eyes. Suddenly another waft of the scent of dust drifted over from Mr. Nakano.
"So, you mean, your style of lovemaking is simpler? I ventured without thinking, driven by curiosity.
"No, uh, even though I'm middle-aged - you know what I mean? - I still do all right. But, you know, what is it - pretentious? Or elaborate? I mean, really that business with the finger, that's not my kind of thing.
"Come to think of it, there was something about Sakiko's writing that was reminiscent of the way that Mr. Nakano talked. 'This here, what is lit, literary?'
"By the way, what kind of things were you able to buy today? I changed the subject" (110)
The first thing that will hit you is the infrequent usage of quotation marks to distinguish speakers. I'm not sure the reason for the inconsistency, other than it gives a sort of stream-of-consciousness sense, with us switching between speakers within one paragraph, without quotations, and then having quotations in the next line, but then nowhere for the next four lines.
But on the whole, this is undoubtedly a character study more than anything else. Its purpose is not to enwrap you in a plot; if you are looking for one, you may not find one of much depth. It is all about the characters that we meet initially working at the thrift shop, and what happens after the shop closes its doors.