meganwoody 's review for:

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

4.0

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while this was on the shorter side of the books i usually read, it held so much more substance. the themes of glory, purpose, and destiny were particularly interesting to me as ryuji tries to reason with himself what he is here for and why her is still alive, especially when so many around him don't survive such as his father or sister. noboru is an interesting character who often seems without guilt or conscience, but does, in my opinion, display that in the very end. fusako's character is also interesting in what she deems as important to have pride in when it comes to the movie star's assessment of her relationship. *some spoilers ahead* I find the ending appropriate, where you don't know how it plays out but i did suspect the group of boys to take this course of action when the "chief" first mentioned the only way for him to become a hero and with the cat scene, which i greatly disliked and almost skipped entirely (and will be skipping in future re-reads). i like the unknowing of whether noboru stepped in and stopped it, did nothing, or actively participated. if it did play out the way they intended, did fusako buy the story that he joined the boat and went off to sea again, as even ryuji was considering it in the end, or would she suspect noboru? i also loved that the title is from the perspective of noboru, as ryuji's "fall from grace" is subjective to what noboru perceives as disgraceful, such as making jokes, trying to appease him, and for just existing in his life at points. does the title indicate what happens after the book's end, that they take those final steps to finalize his fall? overall, this book was very thought-provoking and i definitely want to read it again because i feel like that would enhance my understanding of it. 4.0/5.0 stars