Popular Japanese writer Yoshimoto (Lizard, 1994, etc.) abandons her
usual edgy hip minimalism for a maudlin and pretentious take on
death and the meaning of life as she tells the story of a young
woman's search for redemption. The sorrows just keep piling up for
our poor twentysomething narrator, Saku-chan. Her father died of an
aneurysm when she was a child; her mother remarried and then
divorced; her sister Mayu, a famous actress, suddenly died; and
when Saku-chan falls down some stairs and cuts her head open, she
loses her memory. But this same fall, ironically, ultimately allows
her to heal, though the process will be long and minutely detailed.
Saku-chan lives at home with her mother, a cousin, her young
half-brother Yoshio, and a woman friend of her mother's. Meanwhile,
she works at a bar, has few interests, and seems content to drift
through life. Working now to retrieve her memory at least gives her
something to do. As Saku-chan tries to recall her past, she meets
up with Ry??ichiro??, a writer and her sister Mayu's lover. The two
sleep together, but Ry??chir?? is restless and often away
traveling. Brother Yoshio is also having troubles of his own. He
stays away from school and, when pressed, tells Saku-chan that he's
subject to premonitions and disturbing dreams. Saku-chan and Yoshio
grow closer: They vacation together, ponder the strange dreams they
experience, and think about the meaning of life. Yoshio eventually
finds acceptance at a school for autistic and special children. But
it's only after a visit to the ghost-haunted island of Saipan that
Saku-chan, her memory recovered, accepts her sister's death. A
hurried epilogue breathlessly wraps things up as a healed Saku-chan
explains that she's now ready to "flow endlessly through life."
Yoshimoto tries hard to be deep here but flounders in the shallows.
(Kirkus Reviews)
A celebrated actress who has died in mysterious and shocking
circumstances leaves behind an unconventional extended family that
includes an older sister, a woman in her twenties through whose
eyes the story unfolds; a young brother who possesses mystical
powers; and a fiancé who is writing a novel with uncanny parallels
to his own story. 'Her novels can have the effect of addictive
drugs . . . Pathos, nostalgia, the sense of exquisite sadness at
the fleetingness of life are key elements of beauty in Japanese
aesthetics, and all are themes central to Yoshimoto's books.' The
Times
General
Imprint: |
Faber and Faber
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
September 2001 |
Authors: |
Banana Yoshimoto
|
Dimensions: |
197 x 125 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - B-format
|
Pages: |
366 |
Edition: |
Main |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-571-19374-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-571-19374-9 |
Barcode: |
9780571193745 |
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