February 11th is Japan National Foundation Day, so I am marking this occasion by recommending 3 awesome books set in Japan. All 3 of these books have that magical ability to transport the reader to another time, place or culture, and all 3 are completely and utterly absorbing. Try them - you won't be disappointed. And you will definitely want to visit Japan.
This book truly provides a window on another world. It begins in 1920s Japan and follows the life of Chiyo a young girl from a small fishing village whose life changes forever when her mother dies and she is taken to become a geisha, eventually becoming the famous and celebrated geisha Sayuri. Beautifully written, fascinating, moving and incredibly evocative of time and place. This book will stay with you.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell
The Japan described in this novel is so different from anything imaginable to modern western culture - completely closed off from the rest of the world, except for the man-made island of Dejima in the bay of Nagasaki, a trading post between Japan and the Dutch. 17th/18th Century Japan really comes alive off the page, thanks to Mitchell's incredible writing. The opening chapter describes a birth in riveting detail and the details are what makes this novel so special. It is long, but gripping, moving and total immersion for the reader. One of the best novels I have read in a very long time. Read it and be transported.
A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki
A package containing a diary washes up on a Vancouver Island beach and is found by Ruth. The diary is that of a teenage girl Nao, charting her troubled return to school in Japan after a period living in America. She is bullied and her father is depressed, so the subject matter is bleak and reveals some unsavoury aspects of Japanese culture. The narrative switches between the story of Ruth, a Canadian writer of Japanese heritage who becomes obsessed with finding out if the events and people described in the diary are true, and Nao's diary, where she tells about her grandmother Jiko, a 104 year old nun and her kamikaze pilot great-uncle, in addition to her own story. Again, this novel immerses the reader in Japanese culture, but of a totally different kind to the previous novels recommended. This is a very rewarding, multi-layered book which also touches on quantum physics, French philosophy and Zen Buddhism. This is a book of many emotions, deeply shocking, tragic and thought provoking. It truly stretches the mind and is definitely worth the read.
Have you read any awesome books about Japan? Or any Japanese authors? Please tell me about them and make your own recommendations...
No comments:
Post a Comment