jagrassi

An Artist of the Floating World made for an entertaining, and often thought-provoking, read but wasn't up to the standard of Ishiguro's other works like The Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go. It gives you a lovely, nostalgic view of the Japan that was, prior to the militarism of the 1930s and its consequent involment in WWII. Despite being central to the book, I don't think Ishiguro gives a full airing to ideas about the consequences of the particularly aggressive variant of nationalism that was pursued in Japan. Political ideas are dealt with quite lightly, and perhaps that appeals to readers who prefer the psychological realism of Ishiguro's writing. Personally I would have preferred to see a more thorough development of the complex and conflicting ideas of shame, face-saving, guilt, pride, and unacknowledged history which seem latent in a lot of discussions about Japan's role in WWII. Overall, it's an entertaining book but it fails to explore a lot of areas of great potential.

2022-10-29 03:19