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My first book of the year - almost-sweet Japanese dystopia. Yoshiro is bringing up his great-grandson Mumei. His generation remain strong and healthy, while the children struggle even to eat, in this isolated Tokyo where the soil is poisoned, there are no wild creatures… So many political/environmental/social themes. Intriguing world building and characters, this would make a great bookclub book to argue over! The story… 🤔 less sure.

Summertime.

This one is definitely an interesting one, quite dystopian. In the future, the elderly seem to live an infinite years while the younger ones are struggling with various ailments. Japan is isolated from the rest of the world. Yoshiro is caring for his great-grandson, Mumei.

As we follow Yoshiro, we see how lots of things have changed. I think it‘s an interesting concept of what might happen in the future, although, the story was melancholic.

Really loved this book. Would recommend 👍

Borrowed this from a work buddy … I‘m about a quarter in. It‘s an unusual but fascinating dystopian novel. The world seems to be contaminated, so countries closed their borders from any outsiders. Kids are frail and fragile, and the elderly are keeping society running.

I think I'd like to read this one again, with the ending in mind. It had a slightly dreamlike quality to it, where everything made sense when I was reading, buy when I finished it and closed the book, I couldn't quite rebuild the story in my mind.

I finished this yesterday. It's my December #doublespin.

The minute you said, "It's very warm" you'd be shivering: no sooner were the words "It's awfully nippy this the morning" out of your mouth than your forehead would be damp with sweat.

A month before, someone had put up a poster on the wall outside the elementary school: NO ONE SPEAKS OF THE WEATHER ANYMORE OR REVOLUTION EITHER.

This faintly sour black bread was called "Aachen," written with Chinese characters that meant "Pseudo Opium." The baker had named each variety of bread he baked after a German city, which he wrote in Chinese characters with roughly the same pronunciation, so that Hanover meant "Blade's Aunt," Bremen "Wobbly Noodles," and Rothenberg "Outdoor Hot Springs Haven."

Finished this book! It‘s about a post apocalyptic Japan which has been sealed off from the rest of the world. There wasn‘t much story to follow, it was mainly a description of the strange new world they were living in. You do learn the background of the two main characters - Yoshiro who is from a generation that just grows older and older and his great grandson Mumey, who, like all kids, was born sick in a sick world. Quick &interesting read 4/5⭐️

Three years after everybody else, I am at last starting The Emissary!

Set in a near distant future Tokyo, the world has been ravaged by man-made disasters and while the elderly generation seemingly live on indefinitely the younger generations are growing exceedingly more feeble and are dying out. The short story follows Mumei, who is looked after by his great grandfather Yoshiro.

This is a post-apocalyptic novel from Japan. The young people are unable to function because the environment is poison so the elderly are taking care of everything. It's a cute story about a man taking care of his great grandson. Isolationism and climate change are recurring themes. I liked it a lot. It's a really quick #audiobook.

And now for something totally different.

He kept all the old useless words in the drawers of his brain, never letting them go.

A beautiful, warming little book that has the cathartic effect of crying. Incredibly and impeccably translated. You just know you‘ll read it again one day, as if with an old friend

Tucking into this one this afternoon, hoping to finish. I am usually a one book at a time reader, but I seem to have quite a few going right now between Kindle, paper, and audio...

This book is a little gem. I enjoyed everything about it from the strange dystopian premise to the undercurrent of melancholic hope, but especially the characters. The translation is excellent; Mitsutani manages to convey Tawada‘s fascinating ruminations on the nature of language and doesn‘t lose an ounce of the humor that makes the book wholly unique. It‘s just the right combination of weird, sad, and delightful. #witreadathon

“Finally, she blushed. Yoshiro felt his chest tighten. He had fallen into that strange hole called love, and didn‘t have the strength to pull himself out again. He surrendered, squatting on the ground, covering his face with his hands.”

“When the coughing stopped, Mumei would go back to drinking his juice as if nothing had happened. Looking up at Yoshiro, he would ask in surprise, ‘Great-grandpa, are you all right?‘ He didn‘t seem to know what ‘suffering‘ meant; he simply coughed when food wouldn‘t go down, or vomited it back up... (cont.) 👇

“In his youth, Yoshiro had prided himself on always having an answer ready when someone asked him who his favorite composer or designer was, or what kind of wine he preferred. Confident in his good taste, he had poured time and money into surrounding himself with things that would show it off. Now he no longer felt any need to use taste as the bricks and mortar for a structure called ‘individuality.‘”

Reading my second book for Women in Translation month: The Emissary by Yoko Tawada and translated by Margaret Mitsutani 🍊
#currentlyreading #coverlove #womenintranslation #wit #witmonth

I‘ve never read anything quite like The Emissary. The story revolves primarily around the viewpoints of Mumei, a frail but vivacious boy, and Yoshiro, his spry great-grandfather, who are living in a post-apocalyptic Japan where the elderly never die and the children age prematurely. More stream-of-consciousness than linear narrative, this book is sad, bizarre, and satirical by turns, but maintains a dreamlike and surprisingly lighthearted tone.

The book had some definite highlights and I liked how humor was splashed into a pretty grave situation. But overall it was way to scattered to really work for me.

I read this for task 10 of the #RHC (A translated book written by and/or translated by a woman), but it would also work as #clifi for #booked2019

Reactions at bookclub last night:
-Couldn‘t make heads or tails X 3
-Interesting but flawed X 2
-Sad & loved it X 1
-Hilarious & loved it X 2, including me.

Zippy, introspective, atmospheric & delightfully bizarre. #translation by Margaret Mitsutani

Book discussion is on Tuesday. So much to talk about!

The character for “nettles,” with all its diagonal slashes, brought the sheer joy of writing back to Yoshiro. He always wrote it slowly, like a young cat scratching the bark of a tree with its claws.

It wasn‘t only fruit. Cabbage and burdock root, too, with their barricades of finely woven fibre, seemed to tease, “Just try eating us!” Plants might look placid on the surface, but they refuse to give an inch. And it was this stubbornness he resented. And so his knife headed straight for its target, never hesitating, never stopping, slicing right into it.

Having read Zucked makes the following passage from The Emissary even more resonant:
“Because the data that each clinic delivered to the Medical Research Centre were handwritten copies of handwritten originals, any attempt at erasing or tampering with large amounts of data would take an awfully long time. In this sense, the current system was far safer than the security systems invented by even the best computer programmers in earlier times.

“…people don‘t seem to remember that ‘bread‘ is a foreign word.”
“Bread reminds you of faraway lands—that they exist, I mean—that‘s what I like about it. I‘d rather eat rice, but bread sets you dreaming.”

Ah, this tough, unyielding rind, with its strong yet elegant white citrus gloves beneath, surrounding each section with its many juice sacs to hold the precious liquid, all determined not to let a single drop escape. Why must you put so many wrappings in the way, preventing my beloved great-grandson from enjoying the sweetness of your juice!

The ultimate love triangle, Manfred a German living/teaching in New York, Michael an American living/teaching in Japan and Mamoru a Japanese living/teaching in Germany. All former lovers. The story takes place over a day and shifts from one place and person to another during the same time or not given the Time Difference.

4th of 8 Keskihi chap books.
Time Differences is not in the litsy system so I've tagged another Tawada I'd recommend.

This is an intelligent, thoughtful book. But I‘m putting it aside for now. The premise is bleak (the human race is being wiped out) - I don‘t like dystopia & sci-fi generally so I‘m probably not the right reader for this one. And the pace is gentle & meditative which, combined with the eery world of the story, isn‘t gripping me. I thought I‘d do better once I ‘got into it‘ but I haven‘t wanted to pick it up. Will reward the right reader though.

Dystopian Japanese fiction — Seriously, what more can you ask for?

This was a very quiet little dystopian slice-of-life. I loved Yoshiro, his vivid imagination, his relationship with his great-grandson; and I loved Mumei's innocent wisdom.

I get why it's getting a low rating, there was barely any plot to speak of, and I feel like I missed something with the ending. I really enjoyed reading this, though. And it's short, which was kind of refreshing!

Winner, National Book Awards 2018 for Translated Literature

Thought I would give this short novel (less than 150 pages) a try to get another book in by the end of the month. LOL

I need to think about this book for a while. Japanese novel set in the future where the very elderly are stronger than the new generations. Compelling accessible writing...not sure I am smart enough to fully get the ending of this short novel. Well worth a read. First book in a long time that has prompted me to look up literary criticism about the work. If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts about the ending.

Next up on Scribd! Excited to hear/read this one. I will switch back and forth between the paper back and audio.

In a near future Japan that has once again shut itself off from the world, after environmental issues have caused the elderly to live longer while the children seem unsustainable.

It won this year's National Book Award for translated literature, and kudos go to the translator for being able to communicate nuance of the Chinese alphabet, Japanese figures of speech, without interrupting the flow of the narrative.

A national book award winner for translation. I felt like I was wandering with the main character through this intriguing Japanese dystopian society. At times, I really liked it, but other times, I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Somehow I completely missed this when it was called The Emissary. Now, under its new title, it was brought to my attention. I‘m really excited for this one. Gorgeous design as well.

Set in a near future dystopian Japan cuts itself off from the world. Children are weak and age rapidly but are free of self-pity and pessimism while the elderly have strength and stamina and it seems immortality. There are hints that the elders lifestyle lead to the catastrophe and their immorality their punishment.

This was one of those books that, probably through no fault of its own, did absolutely nothing for me. It just utterly past me by. The premise, promising & intriguing as it was, was just so disappointingly unrealized, underdeveloped and, well, wasted. The plot was practically non-existent and I hated the ending. Really not what I enjoy.

The story does jump from different perspectives and times but I didn‘t find it confusing and it just built the story and characters well. Yoko Tawada, has written an almost poetic tale and she made Mumei and Yoshiro so real I felt for them both and the atmosphere she built stayed with me for some time. I will be reading this again, probably several times. I loved it.