Scandal – Shusaku Endo

Reading Shusaku Endo's Scandal is a little like being the priest in a confession box. While the pious christian is spilling out his guilt and burning with doubt and shame, you sit bored in the other half of the confessional chamber stifling a yawn. The analogy is even more apt when you realize Endo is a devout... Continue Reading →

October 2, 2015 0

Junichiro Tanizaki’s Naomi – Culture Hilarity

"As Japan grows increasingly cosmopolitan, Japanese and foreigners are eagerly mingling with one another; all sorts of new doctrines and philosophies are being introduced; and both men and women are adopting up-to-date Western fashions. No doubt, the times being what they are, the sort of marital relationship that we've had, unheard of until now, will... Continue Reading →

April 2, 2015 2

In The Miso Soup – Ryu Murakami

The Other Murakami Ryu's work, unlike Haruki's, is not generally described with adjectives like lyrical and epic. Try more like lurid and nightmarish. The kind that make you want to stop reading but grotesquely carry on reading. I picked up In the Miso Soup for a quick read at Kinokuniya as a filler before I... Continue Reading →

January 21, 2015 0