2016 in Books | November

In November I read 2 books. Not exceptional, but not bad. One was a short Japanese novel called The Guest Cat, and the other a strange find, all about myths and magical happenings in Northumberland throughout history! Dwarves, fairies and vampires have all trod the same ground I have supposedly…

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide ★★☆☆☆

On paper, this is exactly the kind of book I’d like. It’s about a cat, it’s Japanese fiction, it’s set in Tokyo…unfortunately, The Guest Cat disappointed me. It is about a couple who are both writers, and is mainly concerned with their fascination with the neighbouring cat which comes to visit their house and garden every day. The couple’s relationship seemed lacklustre (maybe that’s the point?) and there was a sense of boredom and ennui throughout the novel. For me, this wasn’t conveyed poignantly enough. It was slow-paced and slightly melancholy, but I just couldn’t sympathise with the characters. I kept waiting for a twist, or a point where the plot picked up, which never really came.

It took me a long time to read this book, despite it only being 136 pages. Hiraide’s prose is beautiful and very descriptive, but sometimes too much; I tended to zone out when there were long paragraphs describing sections of the garden in detail.

Whilst I love cats, there is only so interesting a story about a cat can be.

Myth and Magic of Northumbria by J.W. Thompson ★★☆☆☆

I found this book in Barter Books (a gigantic second hand bookshop made from a converted train station in Alnwick, Northumberland!) It is somewhere between a history book (uses a lot of full names and dates) and fiction (mythical folklore) and perhaps would have been better if it erred to the side of fantasy and became more fictional I think.

The Simonside Hills

However, some of the stories are nice; it’s really cool hearing mythology about specific places you’ve grown up with and set foot on! I especially liked one story about the dwarves of Simonside in the Cheviot Hills.

Another gem was Vampires of the Border, set in Berwick; I’d spent a week there in September volunteering for the film and media arts festival and visited historical sites all over the town, so reading about a supposed vampire which ran around terrorising Berwick at night in the 1300s was hilarious!

It is quite a basic book, obviously low budget and catered to a local audience, and could be written better, but it was a nice thing to pick up, and I’m glad it exists. I didn’t know there were so many fantastical stories about the North East of England!

Banana Yoshimoto | Three Reviews

Goodbye Tsugumi

I’m glad I read this, coincidentally, as summer was ending and turning into autumn, as the whole book seems to be about the finite nature of summer. Endings, time. I love the way Yoshimoto describes situations you could never articulate yourself. I think she is a master of plucking vague feelings and atmospheres and weaving them into narratives so the reader has that moment of empathy or nostalgia with the characters.

This book is really calming to read. The setting is insular and the characters each sprout in radically different ways from each other which sets up great dialogue.

Really I would give this 4.5 stars, it’s another Yoshimoto favourite, almost on par with Kitchen.

Read September 2015.

Asleep

I think Banana Yoshimoto’s writing is like a pool; light and peaceful on the surface but deep and dark and full underneath. This is the third book I have read by her, having read Kitchen and N.P. It seems a step away from the lightness of Kitchen and more similar to the tale juxtaposed with it: Moonlight Shadow. Yoshimoto conveys the infinite sadness and isolation of existing in the world superbly; the bleakness of depression resonates fully in her writing. I think her prose is simple and beautiful. She transports you to a world in-between – where you are awake when everyone else is dead to the world, the feeling of the night.

Love Song plays with the idea of relationship dynamics. I thought the chemistry and analysis of the two women as rivals (and latently friends) was really interesting. Strange relationships are always great reads. The last story, Asleep is quite similar to some Murakami stories (Haruki, that is, not Ryu!) There is an underlying supernatural element amongst the hazy realism. Yoshimoto conveys the feeling of lost time and fatigue brilliantly. The way the narrative switches back to the narrator’s memories of Shiori – it is like being inside her head. Death and life and the relationships that permeate both of these spheres are touched upon in a peaceful manner. This book will stay with you after you have read it.

Read February 2015.

Kitchen

One of the most beautiful and sad and uplifting things I have ever read. Wow. I welled up at Moonlight Shadow, it conveyed grief and depression so well.

Read June 2014.