From The Washington PostThese three quiet novellas, composing the first of Yoko Ogawa's books to be translated into English, share an eerie quality of nightmare, the precarious sense that beauty and distress are equally possible at any moment. Ogawa's fiction reflects like a funhouse mirror, skewing conventional responses, juxtaposing images weirdly. Depending on the viewer, it can induce wonder or a vague nausea
My review pending
4 comments:
Looking forward to your review - sounds interesting
I find the Japanese are so adept at writing "atmospherically." The phrase about beauty and distress makes the book sound very compelling to me.
Bellezza, I agree but if you're looking for atmospheric Orhan Pamuk's Snow is a good non-Japanese contender.
I loved Snow! That was a great book, and I wouldn't have thought to make the connection between Turkey and Japan. You're right, though, it was very atmospheric. Plus, I love winter. It's my favorite season, and the images Pamuk created are still vivid in my mind.
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