librarytart

Abe, Kobo ~ The Face of Another

When I selected this book I thought
Hoo ahh, a tragedy, identity crisis, plot to trick a loved one and a test of social norms all bundled into a slim volume. Let me at it.

50-word description
Set in 1940s Japan, a scientist suffers terrible facial injuries after a workplace accident. He is shunned by his wife and those around him, and painstakingly creates a mask to conceal his scars. His return to society is chronicled in notebooks and a letter to his wife, in conjunction with setting a trap to seduce her and prove the ultimate success of his creation.

150-word review
Where to start? How about a description that the book moves between insightful philosophies about literal and societal loss of face, a technical manual if I ever need to construct a believable mask and lumps of detailed side journeys about I’m-not-sure-what.

Abe’s writing is detailed and intricately formed in a scientist’s observational style to be expected of the main character. I was awed at the insight of his sociological commentary along with wanting another book on hand because his blow-by-blow accounts of even trivial details had me skimming several times.

The novel’s point of view shifts interestingly from that of the protagonist, observers who encounter him and a letter from his wife that seal’s the books ending and provides a new interpretation of his mindset and preconceptions of the previous 221 pages.

I’m glad I read what the blurb considers a ‘modern classic of Japanese literature’ but it will be a long time before I dip another toe in the water.

kobo abe ~ the face of another

Found in
Fiction A

Borrowed
Oct 08

Publisher’s link:
Random House

Rating
Interesting but once is enough

This is book 2 of the project.