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The Sound of the Mountain

Yasunari Kawabata,

Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator)

Start date: November 1, 2009

Finish date: November 1, 2009

Discussion: Classics Corner

Discussion leader: Whitaker

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Nov 01, 2009 Pang rated it liked it

Shelves: constant-reader

The story is about a man, Shingo, who's facing the reality of aging and feeling sad about his life. I feel that he's evaluating his life to decide whether it has been a good life. His son, Shuichi, is married to Kikuko, but also has a mistress. And his daughter, Fusako, also has a failed marriage. He is married to Yasuko, though he has always longed for her older dead sister. Yasuko, on the other hand, has hoped that she would replace her dead sister as her brother-in-law's new wife. Throughout The story is about a man, Shingo, who's facing the reality of aging and feeling sad about his life. I feel that he's evaluating his life to decide whether it has been a good life. His son, Shuichi, is married to Kikuko, but also has a mistress. And his daughter, Fusako, also has a failed marriage. He is married to Yasuko, though he has always longed for her older dead sister. Yasuko, on the other hand, has hoped that she would replace her dead sister as her brother-in-law's new wife. Throughout the story, Shingo often thinks of the dead sister and imagines how his life and his children would have turned out if it had been her he married to. I think that many people do get married for all kind of reasons other than love. Years of being together bring you to love one another, but can they truly erase disappointment of not marrying the true love?

I find Shingo's relationship with his daughter-in-law, Kikuko, a little disturbing, but I think that the affection is misplaced. I get the impression that their relationship is the least disappointing one... that they are co-dependent on each other to find happiness in themselves. She's also something "innocent" in Shingo's life... She's almost like the last hope that he has to set things right before he leaves forever.

This book was my first Japanese book. It didn't disappoint me, though the writing/translation was hard for me to follow at times, which prevented me from "really liked it." The story is told in a simple fashion--short sentences, short paragraphs. There is no "climax" to the story, but I could feel sadness in Shingo's heart even through simple writing. Even though it was a sad story, like many readers, I felt serene reading it. I couldn't help but wonder if everyone would go through this phase in life as we all get older.

A passage that sums up, for me, the plot:

There were no longer many people who knew about Toriyama and his wife. Even though a few might survive, the relationship had been lost. It had been left to the wife, to remember as she pleased. There were no third parties to look upon it intently.

"Are Toriyama and his wife to be called successes if their children's families are happy? How much responsibility must a parent take these days for is children's marriages?"

...more

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Oct 17, 2009 Al rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009-books

The writing in this book is really lovely - very different and it just kind of carries you along - I swear you feel calmer and more serene when reading this!

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Sep 24, 2009 Rashida added it

Shelves: unrankable

Lovely, lyrical passages. The book is suffused with metaphor and symbolism. This is a story on many different levels, and I may have missed some of the finer points. I think also that someone who knows more about Japanese post-war society might have a deeper connection to the book. Still, I'm glad to have read it. ...more

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