BROOKE

I was drawn to this semi-autobiographical novel after reading up a bit on the author, Yukio Mishima. Not only his brilliance as an "avant-garde modern Japanese classical author", but his nature- being homosexual, pro-Imperial-Japan during the 20s and onwards. I now understand what others meant when they said it was obvious Mishima was going to commit suicide, as he writes about this agony of pretending, agony of self-deception throughput the novel. In honesty, it was difficult for me to understand his character at times, and it felt as though Mishima was deeply troubled- his whole existence was beyond our senses, or at least how he portrays it through Kochan. This book seamlessly carries you through Kochan's life, where you hardly notice the time passing (as in the plot) but are still engrossed in the further developments of who Kochan presents himself to be, or who he thinks he is- which is interesting in the way he rarely describes societal pressures. I've never read such a truly complex/developed person/character, and I think as a queer man in 40s Japan, it's revealing and complicated because that's just how it was. I don't think I can rate this novel, but I encourage others who are in the queer space to read it as well, but it's not really a coming-out book to be honest. As imperfect as he is, Kochan's masks show us his truth. I think I will come back and read this again as an older adult to digest it diferently.

I would rate this somewhere between a 3.5 and 4. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot itself, which left us in mystery and suspense with the somewhat "strange" antagonist. In a way, I would compare this to Silence of the Lambs- how someone who completely rejects social norms envelops a "victim" of the society they live in. This novel truly highlights how food controls and breathes life into a culture and the people that attempt to live by the rules placed upon them, whether it be gender dynamics, emplyoment, weight, or relationships. It reminds us how much food really affects our daily lives and how we interact with others. Not only just the food, but how much energy we put into making or enjoying it. As a food-lover, and a woman, "Butter" speaks to me on many levels. The character development is interesting and different.

Such a surprising, gripping read as the story continues. The first review on the back cover that states reading "Two-Step Devil" is like holding onto a live wire- how the music of the sentences makes their hair light on fire- is remarkably true, and I didn't realize how much so until I was too captured by the characters Jamie Quatro creates and breathes into. I was more and more impressed and entralled by this book as I continued to read, and the last 30-some pages left me with so much. I heavily recommend and cannot wait to reread another time and appreciate the beginning in a diffrent light.