Review Summaries

• The lyrical, fragmentary narration is praised for tying personal history to national history. Its early abstraction may demand patience, but as separation from family and the path into poverty come into view, the novel gains emotional force and focus.

• The quiet, meditative prose supports a structure that moves between Ueno Park in the present and the protagonist's past. The lasting impression is one of sympathy for a man pushed out of society and pain over connections lost too late.

• The novel is read as preserving the ambiguity of a ghost story while exposing the divide between rich and poor and the indifference of the city. Its poetic gaps and layered memories create an aftereffect that exceeds a straightforward social novel.

Reviews

• A Somber, Thought-provoking Read

  I previewed the first couple of pages and was instantly hooked. The writing draws you into a very real, impactful story that leaves you with thoughts of home and family; of gratitude for the things and the people in your life.

• 生きる事の意味を、生活と歴史の中で問い直した、重たい一冊。 英訳でも読み応えがありました。

  英訳版が全米図書賞を受賞したと言うので、その理由を知りたくて読んで見た。 思わず音読してしまった程、心に沁みとおる英文なのだ。その点では、日本語版より訴えかける力が強いと思う。良い訳者に出会えた事が、本作品に全米図書賞をもたらした事は否めないだろう。 同時に、英訳版でも心に沁みとおると言うことは、作品で描かれる場所や時代を超える普遍性を本作品が持っていると言うことになるのだろう。 「疲れていない時はなかった。人生に追われて生きていた時も、人生から逃れて生きてしまった時も――――――。はっきりと終わることなく、ただ生きていた気がする。でも、終わった。」。本作品の原文（日本語版）の一節である。主人公の一生涯が、端的に示されている。国境を越え、言語を超え、普遍的に問われ続ける主題だ。 そして、福島県浜通りの寒村の貧農、出稼ぎ、高度成長、ホームレス、天皇制、様々な問題が、エピソードとして絡まりながら展開して行く。主人公の生涯を綴るには不可欠の素材だが、米国人に理解できるかと言えば疑問だ。 主人公も、出稼ぎを続けながら、家庭を持ち、子供を育て上げ、60歳で出稼ぎ生活を終え、妻と娘から、仙台で一番の百貨店で買った還暦祝いの腕時計を貰う所まで来たのだ。高度成長のオコボレを細やかながらも得て幸せな老後に入ろうとしていたのだ。息子と妻の死がなければと、言うことも出来るだろう。息子と妻の死があったとしても、家を出て、孤独なホームレス生活に入る必然性は無い。 リアルに見えながら、実際には存在しえない人物と、その生活を描きながら、やはりその時代にその場所に確かに存在したであろう一つの生涯、この部分があるからこそ米国人の共感を呼ぶことが出来たのかもしれない。

• Excellent

  A unique and affecting novel about poverty, gentrification and family ties. The last 15 pages moved me to tears. Recommended.

• Not overwhelming

  I was interested by the subject, but wasn't overwhelmed by the story. There's no real plot and it just rambles along until the end, which is rather inconclusive. I does manage to convey some historical information about Tokyo and Japan.

• Un Giappone insolito

  Un romanzo originale, realistico, crudo ma mai volgare

• sem teto em Tokyo

  Muito bem escrito, o livro narra a vida sem teto e a trajetória do personagem até atingir esta condição. Diferente.

• A fantastic insight to the relationship of disaster and person!

  This was a required book for one of my literature classes and I believe my professor made an excellent choice. This novel discusses the impacts of disaster on modern Japan and the way different people remain ignorant to the experience of others. I’m not sure what the original Japanese version is like, but the English is easy to read and provides details I would have never expected out of a first person novel. If you like understanding the hardships of others through fiction, I believe this one allows for readers to begin to understand the difficulties of homelessness not only in Japan, but elsewhere too. It reminded me deeply of a homeless encampment near my current home that gets driven away when politicians visit.

• Excellent and Heartbreaking

  This was a quick read with an interesting premise, the translation is great and captures the spirit of the story well.

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