A brief review of what I read in the past year.
遣唐使 Kentoushi -- Yōko Tawada (多和田葉子)
It is quite a good novel tackling important themes (environmental issues, disability, gender) but the humour is not quite my kind and I found the Japanese very hard.
彼岸花が咲く島 Higanbana ga saku shima -- Li Kotomi (李琴峰)
This is a wonderful novel, an instant favourite. I wrote about it in more detail: https://quickandtastycooking.org.uk/articles/higanbana/
みずうみ Mizuumi -- Banana Yoshimoto 吉本ばなな (still reading)
I've liked Banana Yoshimoto ever since I read Kitchen (in translation; it is still one of my favourite novels, both the Japanese and the English version; I wrote about it long ago: https://quickandtastycooking.org.uk/articles/kitchen/). I am reading Mizuumi (The Lake) in Japanese but it has been translated, and I quite like its slow development and the nuanced feelings of the protagonist.
The Steep Approach to Garbadale -- Iain Banks
Iain Banks was one of my favourite writers, in particular his scifi, but his "serious" novels are very good as well. This one has the most sympathetic ned character I've ever encountered in a Scottish novel. The protagonist is very likeable as well, as is the academic mathematician.
Invisible Helix -- Keigo Higashino
I have read two other works by Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X and Malice. The former is famous, the latter is my favourite. By comparison, I feel Invisible Helix is let down by the translation, so much so that I consider re-reading it in Japanese. It's a murder mystery but it deals with issues of identity and family.
Rereads
The devotion of Suspect X -- Keigo Higashino
I reread this to compare the translation.
Matter -- Iain M Banks
You could read this book purely for the argument of why we are not living in a simulation.
Neuromancer -- William Gibson
I don't know why but I have reread this one many times. I have no affinity with Case or Molly, and yet I relate to them, and I love the texture of the world they move in.
