Scan barcode
A review by carly5
The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa by Yasunari Kawabata
1.0
Despite the fact this book is less than 200 pages long, it was an effort to get through it!
What I enjoyed most was the vivid imagery of the district of Asakusa which Kawabata's writing evoked. He made it seem as though Asakusa was an actual character in the story, more so than some of the actual characters, who flittered in and out of the 'plot' (I use the term plot loosely.) Kawabata makes Asakusa feel so real to the reader, and makes me wish I could have experienced actually being there during it's hedonistic years portrayed in the book.
However, the issues I had with the book overshadowed anything else; it was just so damn complicated to read. It wasn't really ever made clear which character was talking at one time: was it the narrator speaking in the present, or a character he was conversing with? Also, there being no timeline, I had no idea over how long the novel was set. I read somewhere that it takes place over a month, but for all I know, it could take place within the same week. A Plot point is introduced and then another one is brought in; it actually reads like a collection of short stories set in Asakusa, and perhaps that's how it was meant to be read.
I feel that a book set in Asakusa in the pre-war years could be excellent if executed well, however, that is not the case here.
What I enjoyed most was the vivid imagery of the district of Asakusa which Kawabata's writing evoked. He made it seem as though Asakusa was an actual character in the story, more so than some of the actual characters, who flittered in and out of the 'plot' (I use the term plot loosely.) Kawabata makes Asakusa feel so real to the reader, and makes me wish I could have experienced actually being there during it's hedonistic years portrayed in the book.
However, the issues I had with the book overshadowed anything else; it was just so damn complicated to read. It wasn't really ever made clear which character was talking at one time: was it the narrator speaking in the present, or a character he was conversing with? Also, there being no timeline, I had no idea over how long the novel was set. I read somewhere that it takes place over a month, but for all I know, it could take place within the same week. A Plot point is introduced and then another one is brought in; it actually reads like a collection of short stories set in Asakusa, and perhaps that's how it was meant to be read.
I feel that a book set in Asakusa in the pre-war years could be excellent if executed well, however, that is not the case here.