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justinlewry 's review for:
The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino
by Hiromi Kawakami
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino adopts a non-linear, short story style approach to piecing together the life of a troubled, complicated and at times morally abhorrent man.
The information we are able to piece together about Nishino is fragmentary and comes from the recollections of ten different women he once loved. What this means is that we only ever get glimpses of the version of the man which he allowed that lover to see.
It’s an interesting concept for a character study, but by the end I felt that the short story approach served as a disservice, particularly when incredibly complicated matters are presented without satisfying resolution.
It was a brisk and easy read, but isn’t as satisfying as Hiromi Kawakami’s other novel, Strange Weather in Tokyo.
The information we are able to piece together about Nishino is fragmentary and comes from the recollections of ten different women he once loved. What this means is that we only ever get glimpses of the version of the man which he allowed that lover to see.
It’s an interesting concept for a character study, but by the end I felt that the short story approach served as a disservice, particularly when incredibly complicated matters are presented without satisfying resolution.
It was a brisk and easy read, but isn’t as satisfying as Hiromi Kawakami’s other novel, Strange Weather in Tokyo.