A review by erasmios
Revenge by Yōko Ogawa

4.0

Revenge is a dark quick-read, a collection of grim short stories each told from a different character's (who's also the narrator) perspective. I had wanted to read Ogawa for a while so I definitely had some expectations for this novella. They were all met. Ogawa doesn't say much. Her elegant style is distant, a little cold, and she trusts the reader to understand the unspoken words. Sometimes she surprises the reader, slashing out with brutal honesty, and at times those slashes might stand out a little too much. The way the stories connect with each other kept me interested and I was eager to know how it all would wrap up.

I liked the translation too, however I wonder if Revenge is the best title for this book. The original name in Japanese is very different and much longer: Kamokuna shigai Midarana tomurai. "Quiet corpse(s), filthy funeral(s)". (The word shigai isn't used when talking about dead people so "carcass" might be a better translation.)