Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Diving Pool By Yoko Ogawa

From The Washington Post
These 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:

Lynda said...

Looking forward to your review - sounds interesting

Bellezza said...

I find the Japanese are so adept at writing "atmospherically." The phrase about beauty and distress makes the book sound very compelling to me.

Bookphilia said...

Bellezza, I agree but if you're looking for atmospheric Orhan Pamuk's Snow is a good non-Japanese contender.

Bellezza said...

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.