Una novela real. (A Real Novel)

Reviewed by Catherine Rendón, Savannah, GA -- Críticas, 6/15/2008

Mizumura, Minae.
tr. by Mónica Kogiso. Argentina: Adriana Hidalgo Editora. 2008. 607p. ISBN 978-987-1156-764. pap. $38.95. FICTION

Prize-winning Japanese American author Mizumura has until this excellent translation by Kogiso remained unknown to the Spanish reading public. Her third novel, this has the feel of its 19th-century ancestors. Mizumura makes straightforward references to her life in the United States but also offers her readers a tightly constructed novel that tells the story of a small group of individuals, including the rarely explored servant’s perspective, while offering a bigger picture of the evolution of Japanese society since World War II. Some critics have compared this to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, and Mizumura openly acknowledges being inspired by it. Deftly weaving descriptions of the beauty of the Japanese countryside into her tale, Mizumura adds unique layers to a story of unrequited and unhappy love while examining a nation that went from rags to riches and, in doing so, relinquished some of its uniqueness and nobility. This deeply atmospheric and moving novel is highly recommended for all libraries and bookstores.

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