Book Crush : Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
I am not a big fans of Japanesse Literature. My first experience dealing with Musashi book for school project made me give up to understand or sense the wave written in Japanesse Language. My friends tried to introduce the light version of Japanesse Novel from Harumi Murakami. Still I found it too heavy and dark. I think I am giving up.
As other Japanesse novel, reading this book is like peeling an onion. With each layer, like each chapter, you get deeper. Each layer is one of the same whole, yet separate. Some layers are paper thin; insubstantial; difficult to define. Others are more robust. Sharp, yet subtle, the tantalising flavour of this strange, dreamlike novel emerges gradually and will surely linger for a very long time. Universal themes of love, loneliness, and loss are woven together into a text that will be particularly appreciated by those with an affinity for Japanese cuisine and culture.
The storyline focus on Tsukiko in her late 30s and she is living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Perfectly constructed, funny, and moving, Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.
Expertly translated by Allison Markin Powell, this is a beautifully understated love story, a novel of sadness, longing and gentle humour. The book is a thing of beauty that makes you want to pick it up and start reading. For me, this was one of those books to truly savour. I had to discipline myself not to gorge on it all in one sitting!
