A review by whatmegisreading
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I didn’t find this read to be beautiful as much as I found it to be boring. it could be due to the fact that I read a dutch translation and either the dutch language is not profound enough to express the sentiments that the author wishes to convey through this book, or that the translator did not do a good job expressing these sentiments in dutch. I understand that reading about the human experience of suffering isn’t supposed to feel entertaining or rewarding, even, but this read felt like a drag. in some ways, it made me feel the same way I did while reading yu hua’s to live, but this book lacked a storyline or a theme that is not the mere hyperfocus on suffering and one’s idealization of the japanese imperial family.