Title: The Box Man

Author: Abe Kobo

Publisher: Vintage

Year: 1973 (Japan), 2001 (US)

This week in J-Shelf we’re going to be taking a look at one of Japan’s most famous authors : Abe Kobo. Before Murakami Haruki exploded in popularity in the late eighties, Abe was seen as one of the most imaginative and intelligent authors to have his works translated into English. Many of his works have also seen movie adaptations, with the most famous probably being The Woman in the Dunes. Today, we are going to look at The Box Man, a novel written in the latter half of Abe’s career. Like many of his novels, Abe was really writing (wait for the obvious pun) out of the box.

The Box Man is a story all about identity and perception. It’s philosophical, comical, and sexual while playing with the nature of who people really are. The main story involves a man who one day decides to become a box man. He puts a large box over his head, cuts out holes for eyes, and decides to walk the streets of Tokyo. Obviously, box men are not yet fully accepted by society yet, and so he runs into various problems with gun-toting angry citizens and stripping nurses.

The narration is set up as the scribbled journals of the box man, as he comes to grips with the reality around him and his very self. The nameless narrator is a likable guy who speaks casually about his new box man existence, but despite the simple tone of his language the book deals with so many complex ideas and metaphors that it really is quite an amazing and also challenging read. This is the fourth Abe book I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and in many ways it was the most difficult to grasp what was going on because of the narrative structure and the content of the story.

Of course, that is in no means meant as a criticism against the book, as I find that with most of Abe’s work I am initially a bit confused after reading but through time I come to appreciate the nature of his genius more and more. My first encounter with his work nearly 4 years ago with the equally compelling detective story The Ruined Map, would prepare me for this phenomenon with his writing. Of course, once the book starts throwing out “fake” versions of the characters it does require the reader to really think deeply about the novel, and I think those looking for fiction with interesting things to say about reality and identity will love this book.

While not my favorite work from Abe (that honor goes to Secret Rendezvous), The Box Man was easily one of his most bizarre, and with a body of work like Abe’s that’s really saying something. Interspersed throughout the fragmented narration are pictures with captions that also seem to further blur the exact reality that is taking place in the book. It all culminates into an impressive look at who we really are as people, and perhaps, who we really want to be.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to put my box back on and wander the streets. See you next time!

Tokyo Swan

If you liked this you may also enjoy: The Ruined Map: Abe Kobo, A Wild Sheep Chase: Murakami Haruki

Title: Socrates in Love

Author: Katayama Kyoichi

Publisher: Viz Media

Year: 2001 (Japan), 2008 (US)

Welcome back to the next exciting installment of J-Shelf! This week we are going to take a look at the best-selling Socrates in Love, or as it is known in Japan as 世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ or “Crying out love, in the center of the world.” The author, Katayama Kyoichi, revealed in the English language edition of the book that the English title was actually the original working title of the book, and thus that is why the English title is so different from the Japanese one used. By 2004, this became the book that sold more copies than Murakami Haruki’s Norwegian Wood, but did it surpass it in quality as well? Let’s find out!

Socrates in Love is a bittersweet love story that follows the young lives of classmates Sakutaro and Aki through junior high and high school. The story is tightly told in under 170 pages of simple prose about the two young friends bonding together and eventually falling in love. Unlike Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, where love was something of a fickle and sometimes destructive beast, the love found in this book is very pure which may either lull readers into a sense of nostalgia and comfort, or push them away for being perhaps at times overly mellow dramatic.

Regardless, without giving too much away of the plot (the following can all be found on the back blurb on the book), Aki becomes gradually ill with leukemia and Sakutaro most come to terms with what this will mean for their relationship. From the very first page, readers are sucked into a world of sadness and grieving, but the recounted memories of the young lovers brightens the page with fleeting moments of hope and happiness.

Despite the overly dramatic backdrop of two lovers about to be separated by leukemia, I found the characters to be real and easy to relate to. Sakutaro can be seen as the average guy, and he occasionally gets in arguments and disputes with Aki. I enjoyed that amount of realism in the book. Despite this coming at a time in what was known as the “Pure Love” boom of popular Japanese literature, the characters have flaws and don’t always gel well together. There’s one scene in the book where a friend is trying to help Sakutaro be alone with Aki on a trip to a secluded nearby island, and they scheme up a plan together to make it look like the friend has to leave and thus the two young lovers will have to be alone. Perhaps not the most noble of intentions, but it was this sort of very human quality about the characters that really saves the book from being a wishy-washy by the numbers piece of fluff love story.

For a book to sell millions and copies, it is thus going to be deemed pop literature and not something to really gain the respect of more culturally refined readers. And while Socrates in Love may not be the most complex book ever written, I think it really is a worthwhile read. Those looking for a light book to read to pass away a rainy day would do well to give this one a try. While it doesn’t quiet have the depth or staying power of Murakami Haruki’s work, this is a solid little book that should not be missed.

As of February 2009, no other works of Katayama Kyoichi have been translated into English. However, the mega popular manga version of Socrates in Love has also been released in the states, and in Japan the story has been made into a drama series and movie much in the same vein as say 電車男 (Train Man). Young lovers should give this book a try, as it captures the uncertain emotions that go along with such a powerful relationship early on in life, and those more experienced in life will be able to look at the scenes in this book with a sense of bittersweet nostalgia that comes only from losing those close to us.

That’s all for this week, happy reading and see you next time!

Tokyo Swan

If you liked this you may also enjoy: Kitchen: Banana Yoshimoto, Norwegian Wood: Murakami Haruki