Two Reviews: Japanese Literature Challenge

 

In this post I am reviewing two books for the Japanese Literature Challenge 18, hosted at Dolce Bellezza. It started in January and continues through February. This is a challenge I look forward to every year, to kickstart my reading of books by Japanese authors.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles (2012) by Hiro Arikawa
Translated by Philip Gabriel

This was the first book I read for the challenge because I have a second book by this author that I also want to read: The Goodbye Cat. It consists of short stories about cats and there is a connection between the two books.

A cat is adopted by a man, Satoru, after he takes the cat in when it is hit by a car. He names the cat Nana after a cat he had in his childhood, and they live together for five years. At that point, Satoru has to find a home for Nana, although no reason is given. They travel to various parts of Japan to visit with several of the man's old friends to see it they can take the cat in. 

For the most part, the story is narrated by the cat. I liked the cat's voice. I kept trying to figure out what my cat would sound like if she was telling a story. There are parts of the story that are not narrated by the cat. These are flashbacks to earlier events that help to fill out the story. Satoru's relationship with his aunt, who raised him after his parents died, is also explored. 

I enjoyed the book, I liked the cover and the title. The depiction of the cat is not cutesy. The cat can be snarky and sarcastic. It is a lovely story with an emotional and moving end. 

Three Assassins (2004) by Kōtarō Isaka
Translated by Sam Malissa

The second book I read for the Japanese Literature Challenge is very different. It is a fast paced thriller, the first in a series of four books set in Tokyo’s criminal underworld. The second book is Bullet Train, which I read first, because it was translated to English first, and I had seen the film adaptation of the same name. We enjoyed the film and have watched it several times. 

The first part of Three Assassins is very serious. Suzuki, formerly a schoolteacher, is working for a crime gang. The head man for this crime gang is Terahara, whose son killed Suzuki's wife by running her down in his car. It was deliberate, not an accident. The police will not follow up on the crime because of Terahara's connections, so Suzuki is seeking revenge on his own by working undercover in the gang. 

The other two main characters are assassins, The Whale and The Cicada. They each kill their victims in specific ways; the Whale convinces his victims to commit suicide and the Cicada kills with a knife and specializes in killing entire families. The third assassin enters the story later; he is the Pusher, and he pushes his victims in front of vehicles.

This sounds like a very grim book but it turns more into a more humorous story midway, with quirky and introspective characters; the behavior is often wacky and surprising. There are also elements of spirituality and the supernatural, especially in the Whale's experiences. So, all in all, it was a fascinating and unexpected story.