Title: Rebellion
Author: Tsuseko Yada
Translator: Geoffrey Ivar
Pages: Around 19
Title: The Hole and other Stories
Author: Ikujirou Ran
Translator: Geoffrey Ivar
Pages: Around 19
Both can be found on Amazon, Smashwords, and soon on Barnes & Noble and Apple ebook stores
Alright, I was going to take a break from reviewing English works, but then I was kindly asked to review a few short stories, all Japanese classic literature from authors which had not been published in English before, and I, avid supporter of Japanese literature in translation that I am, couldn't pass it up. One of the nice things about ebooks is that works that would never be published by the major publishing companies due to lack of interest, has a chance to become known to more people than would otherwise see it.
As there are four stories, this review will be broken into two parts.
Rebellion
Summary: Omatsu, a woman in dire circumstances, is saved by the Christian church and becomes a fervent believer in the good will of the church, but is everything as it seems?
Plot & Characters: While as a short story there isn't much space to have fully developed characters, the plot was eerie, if perhaps a bit predictable, but I give it props for having an ultimately strong female lead. Overall, a decent read.
The Hole and other Stories
Summary: Three dark, supernatural stories best read at night. The Hole is about railway workers dealing with job in which seeing people who have jumped to their deaths is an everyday sight. I've always felt that a whole novel about the subject would be really interesting. The Man Who Held His Breath is told though the eyes of a man who discovers his friend's unique hobby, and Solitude deals with the feeling of being alone, and asks if one can ever feel alone in a crowd.
Plot & Characters: These are essentially ghost stories without the ghosts. All throughout, one gets the feeling that something is a little off, without knowing what exactly. Thoughout most of it I was driven to learn what happened next, watching the characters' morbid curiosities and fears, or lack thereof, get the better of them. Highly recommended for those looking for a quick, dark read.
Prose: The prose was minimalistic, yet enjoyable, bringing to mind the work Stephen Snyder did on Yoko Ogawa's books (The Housekeeper and the Professor, The Diving Pool). Overall, the translation is well done, with minimal "translation-isms", it doesn't have the usual feeling a translated work gives off, which is good. Especially in the latter book, the prose draws one in and never disrupts the eerie atmosphere, and I found myself finishing the book when I had only intended to read a couple pages before studying.
This blog thanks Geoffrey Ivar for generously providing review copies of the works above.
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