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caroisreading's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The premise of this book was more exciting than the execution, for me. A thrift shop staff of unique characters in Japan sounds right up my alley, but ended up being more narrowly focused on the narrator's inner thoughts, obsessions and insecurities, written in painstakingly dense train-of-thought detail. Questionable behavior is illustrated, yet unresolved. She harrasses her love interest with incessant phone calls at one point. He draws her nude without her knowing, even secretly placing the drawing in the store. Despite her discomfort, she's still pining over him. There's also a very romanticized, rationalized look at infidelity in this story that doesn't sit well with me. At the same time, it has one of the most comically stale and brief sex scenes I've ever read. Beyond that, I think you'll still enjoy this if you like slice-of-life narratives and beautifying the mundane, as the thrift shop serves to symbolize.
I most enjoyed the end, as the narrator reflects on her time at the shop, and Hiromi Kawakami beautifully captures the emotional twist of nostalgia, and the disorienting feeling of thinking about a past job, and past love.
I'll try to give this another read in the future.
I most enjoyed the end, as the narrator reflects on her time at the shop, and Hiromi Kawakami beautifully captures the emotional twist of nostalgia, and the disorienting feeling of thinking about a past job, and past love.
I'll try to give this another read in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
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