The setting is different too, Japan this time. And the main theme that I fathomed from the read is the Fatherhood – an initiation and journey – but under highly unconventional and melancholic circumstances.
Rich, informative descriptions of Japanese landscapes, weather, homes and culture add an authentic feel to the read.
Story
The story begins slowly, but surely and stays steady while it builds up some suspense along the way, right till the very end. A few unexpected twists and turns pepper the emotions with sadness and loss.
Benjamin has made some mistakes in his life. He puts his glowing career and marriage with Addy at stake when he follows his heart, that takes him all the way to Japan. What happens there? Does he have a joyous reunion with his former love Hanako? Or does a new relationship blossom with her friend Tomoko? The book explores multiple layers of man-woman relationships and the complications that come with them. It also explores the challenges of fatherhood, for a clueless man in the process of re-discovering himself.
It is a display of how cultural differences play havoc with love and relationships. Further, language barriers cause heartbreak, pain and irreversible loss. The immigration challenges of fetching a loved one across international borders is showcased well. Amidst all of this, sprouts innocence and purity, in the form of a child, Aiko – Love Child – that is bound to tug at the heartstrings of readers.
Characters
Benjamin and Hanako showcase love that transcends all barriers of culture, nationality, language and race. Addy, as the wife is typically convincing. Additional characters like that of Tomoko showcase the hardships of women caught in a quagmire of lost ‘foreign’ love and societal barriers.
One’s heart goes out to the grandmother Obasan, though. It is heartbreaking how she loses her close loved ones, especially towards the end.
Narration
The smooth and flawless narrative style enhanced with the flashbacks that keep adding meat to the present. Every new chapter opens up another view into the past and either solves a piece of some puzzle or peppers the story with more suspense. It is slow and steady, a kind of style where one can relax with a glass of wine, only to back up and absorb the shock of yet another twist that arrives without warning.
The descriptions add meaning to the storyline. The bathing ritual of washing oneself while seated on a stool, before entering the bathtub – another interesting contraption with multiple seating arrangements within it – are eye-openers to the culture of the Japanese. The food descriptions are mouth-watering as well, in their healthy simplicity.
The most interesting aspect is how Japanese words and dialogues add authenticity to the confusion and misunderstanding that is crucial to the storyline.
Conclusion
I rate the book 4.5 out of 5. Extra points for bringing out the cultural differences and societal nuances with aplomb.
Do follow my blog for more reviews. Happy reading, readers.
***
Build a life that is content
and happy on the inside
irrespective of how it
appears to others
on the outside.
What looks like a cage
to the world may be
a nest of peace to
the one inside it.
And vice versa.
***
Image:pinterest
...to seeking opportunities to wet our feet...
We all grew up into childhood again.
***
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& banish
the procrastination
to increase the
productivity.
Every new day
is yet another opportunity
to enhance your success
& reach for your dreams.
***
#Motivation
Image:pinterest
The topic in
question is love, with all its rules and demands of propriety to cater to
demands of rules, drawn by society. However, there is a larger, sinister
backdrop to it – a brutal senseless murder, loss, loneliness, fear and the
journey towards recovery.
Most important is
the powerful social message about the horrifying gun-culture rampant in America.
Characters
Sensitive,
well-etched out characters seem to be this author’s forte. Bill Masters is in
pain, trying to cope and the edge of his tether of sanity. The suicidal progression,
where a victim of trauma kills himself without doing anything, but sleep at
home, seems to have already kicked in when the entry of a girl changes
everything.
It is a nice twist that
the girl is an exchange student, from China, of all the places. Bill Masters
and Wendy Wang, an unlikely pair with an age-difference that merits her calling
him 'Daddy' in all innocence.
The protective
instincts coupled with suppressed desire waging war within a middle-aged man is
what the story is all about. The flashback events of Bill’s family are
portrayed with smart revelations of what’s needed at any given point and yet, retain
ample suspense to allow surprise as the story moves along.
As in the other
books I’ve read of the author, his characters fight convention, either in a
mild but assertive way or in a blatant, nonchalant way – the latter seems to be
the forte of the female characters, which makes the story all the more
compelling to read.
Story
I liked how the story
began right in the middle of the angst, after the killings have happened. The
suspense is built up, un earthing layers little by little. The awkward
situation of a middle-aged man having to host a teenage girl in his home, is
brought out with finesse. The change in the equation between them is
unpredictable and adds to the suspense. The angst of death and thrill of
constant danger makes this story a compelling package.
I was surprised by
the end, again, as in the other books. I expected something similar to the last
one I read, A Beautiful Chill.
Stephen Swartz
writes against convention, his stories examine the crux of what forms ‘proper’ code
of behaviour and whether that code always makes sense under different,
difficult circumstances, or not.
Narration
Simple
straight-forward narration with impeccable vocabulary makes the book an easy
read. It is amusing how the Chinese Wendy leaves out articles in her sentences
and the English teacher in Bill keeps correcting her, almost to no avail.
The pun on Mister Masters,
the English master is not lost on the reader. The slang of America, which makes
little sense, especially for words like Daddy, is showcased with finesse. Wendy’s
questions bring out the loopholes in the commonly used slang, when she tries to
understand why Daddy has sinister connotations or when she asks her friends what
they say when somebody is just sleeping next to someone, without making love. I
am sure a lot of us would want to know, given the tricky contortions rampant in
the common vocabulary.
Conclusion
There are bad men
in the world, yes there are. There are also many psychos, even teenaged ones,
who need help and aren’t getting any. There are guns, available to these psychos
to go on a rampage and kill innocents, to make statements.
Amidst all this,
are a few good men. Men who try and succeed in retaining their innate sense of
decency and immaculate behaviour. Most important is the respect some men retain
for the woman race, even when opportunity taunts their mind or while their hormones
may be raging for release. Bill, who never
takes advantage of the innocent (or not-so-innocent) Wendy is an eye-opener and
reminder to people who are tired of the ‘dirty old men’ of society. And yes,
there is a strong statement of the license to love between consenting adults, unwritten
rules be damned.
And for this portrayal
of the sensitive morality of the good men, I rate extra points for the book
with 4.7 out of 5.
Do my reviews strike a
chord? Follow my blog for more.
Happy reading,
readers.
***
