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A review by mackreads324
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
3.75
It bothered me that our narrator was nameless. In fact, it seemed as if Kitamura gave us as little biographical information as possible to allow us to gain a connection with the narrator. For the entirety of the book, our protagonist seemed rootless, or unmoored. She seemed almost fluid or ambiguous, in her location, her language spoken, and in the morality of her relationship. One couldn’t help but feel that she was simply “a part of the institution she belonged to”.
The book is largely about language, translation, and intimacies (even perceived intimacy). Even though our base of knowledge of our narrator is vague, perhaps that is a tool Kitamura uses to illustrate those themes of intimacy.
This book doesn’t have strong plot movement. It also doesn’t necessarily have strong character background or development. And yet there were still moments where I couldn’t put it down. Because what it does have is an elegant, poignant focus on language.
The book is largely about language, translation, and intimacies (even perceived intimacy). Even though our base of knowledge of our narrator is vague, perhaps that is a tool Kitamura uses to illustrate those themes of intimacy.
This book doesn’t have strong plot movement. It also doesn’t necessarily have strong character background or development. And yet there were still moments where I couldn’t put it down. Because what it does have is an elegant, poignant focus on language.