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A review by tiff_low
Naomi by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
5.0
I hated this book, and I found it beautiful and incredibly arresting at the same time.
That is what Joji, a man in his 30’s, feels at the end of his story with Naomi, a girl he took in when she was just 15 years old. After adopting her, he took on a twisted father/husband role in her life. What should be innocuous snippets of life are filled with sensuous details and idolizations of Naomi’s youth and seemingly Western features.
This book made my skin crawl. I’m not sure what part of it is “hilarious,” according to the description. The characters are pathetic, conniving, and cruel. Yet, the writing keeps me turning the page again and again. Written during Japan’s transition to Westernization, I find Naomi an illustration of a larger movement that I don’t understand yet.
That is what Joji, a man in his 30’s, feels at the end of his story with Naomi, a girl he took in when she was just 15 years old. After adopting her, he took on a twisted father/husband role in her life. What should be innocuous snippets of life are filled with sensuous details and idolizations of Naomi’s youth and seemingly Western features.
This book made my skin crawl. I’m not sure what part of it is “hilarious,” according to the description. The characters are pathetic, conniving, and cruel. Yet, the writing keeps me turning the page again and again. Written during Japan’s transition to Westernization, I find Naomi an illustration of a larger movement that I don’t understand yet.