Snow Country & Thousand Cranes

I enjoyed this book more and more as it went on. The thought processes sparked by this novella are never overtly stated yet clear. In addition, the book is written in a simple language. A recurring idea in this book: Sometimes, things are what they are and not what we want them to be, even if we are unaware of why or how.

I enjoyed reading this book and it was exactly what I expected but at the same time it wasn't. The writing was great and I really loved the descriptions. You have to read a lot between the lines, however, and I was often confused about what was going on and where I was and had to go back and reread what I've just read. There's really a lot to this story and even though I didn't like the characters, I did enjoy following their story and seeing how their lives change and how this novel ends.

Shimamura, a wealthy dilettante from Tokyo, travels to the snowiest region on earth and meets up with Komako, a poor provincial geisha. Snow Country tells the story of their relationship.

It's a poem of a story, complex, brimming with both the care and indifference that characterize a deep connection between two people. Like a haiku, the details of the season, of the place, fill the margins of the story, and color the emotional resonance of the relationship. The story is mysterious, with much left unsaid or unclear, as Shimamura and Komako come together and separate and come together and separate.

A beautiful little book on the powerlessness of the poet to be anything other than what they are.

Even as it gently reveals an empathy for these innocent and wise souls it doesn't shy away from the capriciousness of what they feel, or the potential selfishness in what they are.

No matter what else, this book will make you want to go skiing in Japan.