Scan barcode
A review by kelsmastersupreme
Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama
3.0
WWIIl; a time of suffering and depression. But after we defeated the Japanese, what happened to them? Any suggestions? War history is defiantly not a subject that I enjoy reading about. It’s depressing, and it bases itself around tactics. In Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama, my thoughts were changed drastically. Originally written in Japanese, this collection of stories tells of a “singing” company of soldiers who are rehabilitating as POWs after WWII. As they are working, one of their comrades is sent on a special mission, but ends up never being seen again. Michio Takeyama has only written Harp of Burma, but his name appears in many Japanese WWII literature, such as The Scars of War: Tokyo during World War II The Writings of Takeyama Michio.
I was completely surprised in how much this book didn’t read like a war novel; like Killer Angles. It was more of an after war tale, and it put the war in perspective without sending you to the battlefield. I really loved the language and the style of writing Takeyama had. He leaves you feeling as if you are apart of the plot, and that you can pretty much envision yourself where ever the characters are. The characters, for as much as he doesn’t describe them are special in their own way. I think it was a great idea to make them all singers and distinct and unique. The ending was definitely powerful; it wanted to make you rethink about your life a little bit.
The plot was a little redundant in the aspect that they continually kept speculating on what had happened to their missing member. It was a continual banter between what had happened to him, and lots of false hopes are applied in the book. Many times we see the characters bicker about the possibility of their fallen comrade being alive due to a small piece of evidence here or there. The other thing I didn’t like was how the perspective would change. The beginning of the story starts of as the narrator describing the company as if he is one looking from afar. As the story continues on, the narrator starts to talk as if he is apart of the company. For the ending, it was too abrupt in my taste. Takeyama leaves you with they kept traveling on the ship. We never know if they actually make it to Japan. I would have rather seen him make a Möbius strip out of the story and connect it back to the beginning where he is watching them disembark. That would have left you breathless.
Although this novel does have it’s weak points, overall it was engaging and well written. I completely enjoyed the story as a whole despite the ending and the redundancy. I think that you must be very mature to read this book. It’s a thought provoking novel, and it wasn’t written for children. Any historical fiction lovers must read this. Harp of Burma is a fantastic novel that I can completely see myself reading over and over again.
I was completely surprised in how much this book didn’t read like a war novel; like Killer Angles. It was more of an after war tale, and it put the war in perspective without sending you to the battlefield. I really loved the language and the style of writing Takeyama had. He leaves you feeling as if you are apart of the plot, and that you can pretty much envision yourself where ever the characters are. The characters, for as much as he doesn’t describe them are special in their own way. I think it was a great idea to make them all singers and distinct and unique. The ending was definitely powerful; it wanted to make you rethink about your life a little bit.
The plot was a little redundant in the aspect that they continually kept speculating on what had happened to their missing member. It was a continual banter between what had happened to him, and lots of false hopes are applied in the book. Many times we see the characters bicker about the possibility of their fallen comrade being alive due to a small piece of evidence here or there. The other thing I didn’t like was how the perspective would change. The beginning of the story starts of as the narrator describing the company as if he is one looking from afar. As the story continues on, the narrator starts to talk as if he is apart of the company. For the ending, it was too abrupt in my taste. Takeyama leaves you with they kept traveling on the ship. We never know if they actually make it to Japan. I would have rather seen him make a Möbius strip out of the story and connect it back to the beginning where he is watching them disembark. That would have left you breathless.
Although this novel does have it’s weak points, overall it was engaging and well written. I completely enjoyed the story as a whole despite the ending and the redundancy. I think that you must be very mature to read this book. It’s a thought provoking novel, and it wasn’t written for children. Any historical fiction lovers must read this. Harp of Burma is a fantastic novel that I can completely see myself reading over and over again.