[203rd] Michiko Mamuro's Bookshelf "When the Olives Ripen" by Kyoko Nakajima / Kodansha
Known as the "original charismatic bookseller," DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS, who recommends books in a variety of media including magazines and TV.
In this series, we take a peek into the "bookshelves" in the mind of our most popular concierge.
Please enjoy it along with his comments.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
"When the Olives Ripen"
Kyoko Nakajima/Kodansha
Click on the image to go to the purchase page.
Click on the image to go to the purchase page.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
After reading this book, I think, "It is not truth but untruth that sustains life."
It's not like "adultery is the spice that supports family life!" For example, in the opening story "House Cat," the divorce of a couple from a dozen years ago to the present is depicted from the perspectives of "the husband's mother," "the husband," "the wife," and "those currently living in the husband's apartment," but even though no one is lying, what they see is completely different.
When a mother thinks of her "forty-year-old son who won't marry because he failed once," when a husband thinks of his "wife's past success," when a wife thinks of her "past suffering," when those in the apartment think of "the future" -- they unconsciously "compensate" for the fear that something will break if they look directly at it. Blinding themselves to the fact that they are alive.
I recommend "Galip," set in the rice-fields of Nagano Prefecture. The protagonist, "I," married Mizuta, who worked at the same parts manufacturer, and became a full-time housewife. She finds out that there is a swan that is very fond of him. Her name is Galip. Mizuta once saved her when she was injured, and she and her friends stayed in the barn instead of returning to Siberia.
In the morning, Mizuta first gives Shiratori water and bread, then returns home for breakfast with her husband before going to work. During the day, Garip spends the day at Lake Suwa or in the rice fields behind the lake, depending on the season. Then, as if timing her husband's return, she returns, one of them chirping noisily while the other responds gently as if it were words, and they walk home together in harmony.
On holidays, Garip was always near the rice fields where he worked. I joined him a few times, but I stopped because I felt like I was getting in the way. However, when the couple tried to go out alone...
Soon, something strange happens to Shiratori. It is a female instinct, but it is unnatural to Garip at this point, and if he is not careful, it could shorten his life. The two humans make him stop. After that, "I" find myself in the same state as her. It is the natural fruition of a marriage. Mizuta is very happy. But...
The tragedy did not happen just once. The second and third times, Galip approached her and the two women became closer. And at the end of the story, "I" remembered the words of her husband several decades ago. Perhaps, with a slight but disturbing change of words, he had said the same thing to Galip.
There is also a story in which Yasunari Kawabata makes a strong, fleeting appearance, and the unexpected destination of a father who disappeared after saying he was preparing for the end of his life. It may not be sincere, but the memories and love are so deeply rooted in the heart that if they were to be pulled out, the person we are today would not be able to function. The richness of the six "infidelities" will blow your mind.
It's not like "adultery is the spice that supports family life!" For example, in the opening story "House Cat," the divorce of a couple from a dozen years ago to the present is depicted from the perspectives of "the husband's mother," "the husband," "the wife," and "those currently living in the husband's apartment," but even though no one is lying, what they see is completely different.
When a mother thinks of her "forty-year-old son who won't marry because he failed once," when a husband thinks of his "wife's past success," when a wife thinks of her "past suffering," when those in the apartment think of "the future" -- they unconsciously "compensate" for the fear that something will break if they look directly at it. Blinding themselves to the fact that they are alive.
I recommend "Galip," set in the rice-fields of Nagano Prefecture. The protagonist, "I," married Mizuta, who worked at the same parts manufacturer, and became a full-time housewife. She finds out that there is a swan that is very fond of him. Her name is Galip. Mizuta once saved her when she was injured, and she and her friends stayed in the barn instead of returning to Siberia.
In the morning, Mizuta first gives Shiratori water and bread, then returns home for breakfast with her husband before going to work. During the day, Garip spends the day at Lake Suwa or in the rice fields behind the lake, depending on the season. Then, as if timing her husband's return, she returns, one of them chirping noisily while the other responds gently as if it were words, and they walk home together in harmony.
On holidays, Garip was always near the rice fields where he worked. I joined him a few times, but I stopped because I felt like I was getting in the way. However, when the couple tried to go out alone...
Soon, something strange happens to Shiratori. It is a female instinct, but it is unnatural to Garip at this point, and if he is not careful, it could shorten his life. The two humans make him stop. After that, "I" find myself in the same state as her. It is the natural fruition of a marriage. Mizuta is very happy. But...
The tragedy did not happen just once. The second and third times, Galip approached her and the two women became closer. And at the end of the story, "I" remembered the words of her husband several decades ago. Perhaps, with a slight but disturbing change of words, he had said the same thing to Galip.
There is also a story in which Yasunari Kawabata makes a strong, fleeting appearance, and the unexpected destination of a father who disappeared after saying he was preparing for the end of his life. It may not be sincere, but the memories and love are so deeply rooted in the heart that if they were to be pulled out, the person we are today would not be able to function. The richness of the six "infidelities" will blow your mind.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
(Redirects to Yahoo! Shopping)
DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS Literature Concierge
Michiko Mamuro
【profile】
"The original charismatic bookseller" who recommends books in various media such as magazines and TV. She has a serial in the magazine "Fujingaho" and Asahi Shimbun Digital's "Honya no Hon". She is also active as a book critic, and her paperback reviews include "The Pale Horse" (Agatha Christie/Hayakawa Christie Bunko), "Motherhood" (Minato Kanae/Shincho Bunko), "The Snake Moon" (Sakuragi Shino/Futaba Bunko), and "Staph" (Michio Shusuke/Bunshun Bunko).
