**Spoilers Ahead, Read On With Caution**
Earlier this year, like right before the world went to shit, we set up a challenge in our shop. The challenge was to read a book a week and I was in a complete slump. I was barely reading anything, just didn’t feel motivated to, and nothing was grabbing me. Looking back, I was probably depressed and not acknowledging it properly. The first book I read to set 2020 off was STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO by Hiromi Kawakami, I’d picked it because it was small, short and sounded like it was be an easy read as it’s plot was a bit empty. I also chose it as I was supposed to be going to Tokyo in September (today actually) and thought it would get me in the spirit of all things Japanese. STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO is gorgeous in its simplicity, you dip into this persons life and just get to experience it for a while, and then the book ends. It’s enchanting.
THE TEN LOVES OF MR NISHINO is literally what it is. Through this book we get a chapter from each of the loves of Mr Nishino. We see him from a young boy to his dying spirit, all his great loves, big and small, shown to us.
What I’ve learnt about Japanese fiction from the few books I’ve read, is that they’re not really driven by a plot devise. There’s no big conflict happening, no tragedy unfolding or nightmare climaxing. It’s just simplicity at its finest. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and experiencing the different ages and side of Nishino as a lover, boyfriend and phase to these women.
It took me at least two chapters to realise that each chapter is a different woman who loved Nishino, but I should have known really. This was the only hiccup I had with the story, otherwise I enjoyed it immensely. It’s beautifully written, and just what I needed.
BECAUSE BOOKS 