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A review by versmonesprit
House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories by Yasunari Kawabata
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This small collection of three stories was my first ever Yasunari Kawabata, and I’m saddened to say had I not already stocked on a lot of his books, I wouldn’t have gone out looking for more. But this review is difficult for another reason: when all is said and done, my mostly negative experience comes down less to concrete issues with the stories, and more to the overall feelings of quasi-boredom or annoyance they evoked in me. Granted, I read this at a very chemically low point in my life, so who knows if the effect would have been different under better circumstances!
The first of the bunch, House of the Sleeping Beauties, keenly creates senses, a sharp quiet, and an ethereal, liminal setting. With a stream of consciousness approach, as well as much rumination on memory, violence, and the contrast between female purity and male ugliness, it feels like nothing could ruin this story. Yet repetition tries and achieves that, and the description of the girls’ bodies becomes tiring fast. Maybe for that reason, maybe as a fault of the writing, the ending lacks the emotional impact it should’ve had.
One Arm is a much, much worse offender in the boredom department. I could not find anything to like about this, to be honest. Other than it continuing the themes of sleep and violence against women, I can’t see a reason for it to be included in a collection of Kawabata’s works.
For me the best of the bunch was the last story, Of Birds and Beasts. The cruelty against animals did make it a difficult read, but it was the strongest when it comes to impact. The story’s preoccupation with death and violence was all too apparent; and the theme of sleep does crop up.
I’d say these are overall to be read for their ruminations, like a philosophical work, rather than as fiction.
The first of the bunch, House of the Sleeping Beauties, keenly creates senses, a sharp quiet, and an ethereal, liminal setting. With a stream of consciousness approach, as well as much rumination on memory, violence, and the contrast between female purity and male ugliness, it feels like nothing could ruin this story. Yet repetition tries and achieves that, and the description of the girls’ bodies becomes tiring fast. Maybe for that reason, maybe as a fault of the writing, the ending lacks the emotional impact it should’ve had.
One Arm is a much, much worse offender in the boredom department. I could not find anything to like about this, to be honest. Other than it continuing the themes of sleep and violence against women, I can’t see a reason for it to be included in a collection of Kawabata’s works.
For me the best of the bunch was the last story, Of Birds and Beasts. The cruelty against animals did make it a difficult read, but it was the strongest when it comes to impact. The story’s preoccupation with death and violence was all too apparent; and the theme of sleep does crop up.
I’d say these are overall to be read for their ruminations, like a philosophical work, rather than as fiction.