Japanese Literature: Hope and Despair

Description: Reminscent of Ishiguro and Dostoevsky, both of these novels are historical fiction reads that talk about Japan and Korea.

In The Silent Cry, two brothers, Takashi and Mitsu, return from Tokyo to the village of their childhood. The selling of their family home leads them to an inescapable confrontation with their family history. Their attempt to escape the influence of the city ends in failure as they realize that its tentacles extend to everything in the countryside, including their own relationship.

A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee is a taut, suspenseful story about love, family, and community, and the secrets we all harbor. It is the story of a proper man, an upstanding citizen who comes to epitomize the decorous values of his New York suburban town. Yet as his story unfolds, precipitated by events that take place around him, we see his life begin to unravel.

Consists of: The Silent Cry (Very Good), A Gesture Life (Very Good)