De twee novellen in Touring the Land of the Dead van Maki Kashimada geven je een kijkje in de meest intieme gedachten van twee vrouwen.
Locatie: de verhalen spelen zich voornamelijk af in Tokyo, Japan
Touring the Land of the Dead synopsis
A dream-like, emotionally charged tale by a bold new voice in Japanese fiction
Natsuko’s husband Taichi was forced to stop working eight years ago by the sudden onset of a brain disease. Ever since then, they have been living on her part-time wages and what he receives in disability benefits. But Natsuko is well accustomed to financial hardship. Before meeting Taichi, she lived with her mother, a proud woman who clung to illusions of affluence long after the family riches had dried up. Her mother and her brother are haunted by their former station in life, restless spirits unable to live according to their present realities, and uncomprehending of Natsuko’s decision to marry a lowly functionary.
One day, Natsuko sees an ad for a spa resort posted on a bulletin board. She recognizes the place as a former luxury hotel, a symbol of that time in her mother’s youth when she wanted for nothing. Natsuko’s grandfather had taken her mother to the storied hotel when she was little. When Natsuko and her husband visit the much-changed hotel, the building triggers memories and epiphanies relating to the complicated history of her family. The overnight trip becomes a voyage into the netherworld – a journey to the doors of death and back to life.
The volume also contains a short story modelled on Junichiro Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters. Ninety-Nine Kisses, portrays four unmarried sisters living in an old-fashioned neighbourhood in contemporary Tokyo.
Recensie
Novella 1: Touring the Land of the Dead
Novella 2: Ninety-nine kisses
Slotgedachten
Ik vond beide novellen interessant om te lezen. Beetje voor beetje legt Maki Kashimada de gevoelens van de vertellers bloot. De personages zijn multidimensionale personen die je intiem leert kennen. Ik waardeer vooral de momenten dat de vertellers zich iets realiseren wat hen helpt hun gevoelens beter te begrijpen en te accepteren. Ook al is er geen manier (of verlangen) om aan de realiteit te ontsnappen, denk ik graag dat ze aan hun geluk blijven werken door te leren van de mensen in hun omgeving.
Geïnteresseerd?
Boekgegevens
Titel: Touring the Land of the Dead
Auteur: Maki Kashimada
Vertaler: Haydn Trowell
Uitgever: Europa Editions
Pagina’s: 144
ISBN (13): 9781787702806
Publicatiedatum: 4 March 2021
Veel dank aan Europa Editions en NetGalley voor een digitale ARC van deze roman in ruil voor een eerlijke recensie.