Tetsuo Miura

A collection of (mostly) interlinked stories revolving around the protagonist, four of whose six siblings have either committed suicide or disappeared. The stories mostly recount episodes of daily life, and in so doing offer glimpses into his “cursed blood.” The writing is excellent, the translation seems fluid, and I’m only disappointed that Miura seems to have nothing else available in English. He has won a number of major Japanese writing prizes, including the Akutagawa and the Kawabata, and it’s no surprise.… (meer)

A multi-layered study of a marriage between our unnamed narrator and the love of his life, Shino. In a series of inter-related chapters we see their relationship develop, and also go back to the narrator's childhood and the trauma of losing two sisters to suicide, and two brothers who have disappeared. His feeling of being tainted - this shame in the blood - deeply affects his feelings for Shino and their decision whether or not to have children.

The final chapter is a bit of a jolt, introducing entirely new characters, a married couple and their daughter. It soon becomes apparent, however, that their story is meant to frame the preceding five chapters, and a wider view of love, marriage and parental responsibility finally shapes the entire book.

Beautifully written and, once you get your head round basically reading the same story over and over again, the reader can appreciate the subtleties of Miura's exploration of a marriage. It is quietly understated, and that is what gives the novel its strength.… (meer)