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A review by twicomb
Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro
4.0
A slim novel with a lot to think about packed within its pages. This book won Naoki Prize, in part for how it "tackles issues of ethnicity and discrimination in Japanese society" (quoted from author's bio). This might sound like a dry topic but it's all told through the lens of a high school kid who's struggling with figuring out who he is and who he wants to be, all while navigating the ups and down of his first romantic relationship. At the core of the book is the question - what determines if someone is Korean or Japanese or anything else? Is it your nationality? Can you choose your nationality? Is it your roots? If so, how far back do you trace your roots to determine what you are?
But as we move deeper into the book, we realize that the real question is none of these. The real question is - "Does it even matter?" And the answer to the protagonist is "no." But the answer to everyone in the society that he lives within is "yes, it matters more than perhaps anything else."
So what happens when these two views collide - when someone lives in a society where your nationality matters above all else - and you will be judged accordingly - and yet this person refuses to accept that judgment and insists that he will choose his own identity. Well, especially if you're a hot-headed young adult as the protagonist is, it leads to a lot of fistfights and rash decisions. But it also leads to a lot of eye-opening moments as we see him try, one fight at a time, to carve out his own path in the world.
But as we move deeper into the book, we realize that the real question is none of these. The real question is - "Does it even matter?" And the answer to the protagonist is "no." But the answer to everyone in the society that he lives within is "yes, it matters more than perhaps anything else."
So what happens when these two views collide - when someone lives in a society where your nationality matters above all else - and you will be judged accordingly - and yet this person refuses to accept that judgment and insists that he will choose his own identity. Well, especially if you're a hot-headed young adult as the protagonist is, it leads to a lot of fistfights and rash decisions. But it also leads to a lot of eye-opening moments as we see him try, one fight at a time, to carve out his own path in the world.