A Man
Hirano Keiichiro
Eli KP Williams (Translator)
(Published May 1st and June 1st 2020)
Memories make people who they are
I still sit here, in the midst of confusion and pandemic, but my head is clearer and my family is well.
So, I read, and I write.
And, I have been lucky enough to read a number of really good books, some of which appeared out of nowhere.
I was not familiar with Keiichiro Hirano, though he has many accolades, he hasn't yet to be translated into English. However, his Akutagawa prize at the age of 23, as well as winning the Yomiuri book prize for this very work, well, makes one anxious to get a copy.
And, I did.
And, I read.
And, I finished in just a few days.
And, it's a very, very good book.
The story is about Akira Kido, middle aged lawyer, and his search for the true identity of a dead man. Or, actually, maybe it's about the true identity of that dead man. Possibly it's about his wife... or maybe their son. It might be about a generations old onsen in the mountains of countryside Japan.
Or, it might be about all or none of that. It might be about what it means to be you, or me, or anyone.
As Kido searches for answers we learn of this mysterious Mr. X. What is his actual identity and why did he hide it? How could such a nice man need to hide his past? Was he a nice man? Does his past erase the actions of kindness and memories created with the family left behind.
As with any well written mystery, the audience is pulled along in the search for answers, but as with any really well written and planned mystery, the answer becomes less important, because the reality that our need to cling to defined identity is a safety net of sorts, or a crown of thorns.
I don't want to give anything away, so I won't describe much more of the plot, but I will bring up one plot point that comes up early and stays with all the action that follows.
Kido, is of Korean descent, having taken Japanese nationality during his teenage years.
Earlier this year I read the YA novel GO, by Kaneshiro Kazuki and though entertaining, and obvious for a high school audience specifically, it also dealt with being of Korean descent (North Korean in that work) in Japan. I felt a bit disappointed by the insights of that work, and despite not really being for adults, I thought that it could have done so much more with the subject (especially with it in many ways being Kaneshiro's real story).
A Man isn't really about Kido being Korean, but I found so much more insight into what it might feel like in the limited space spent examining it than in Kaneshiro's entire book.
Reading A Man brought up memories of incredible works of art I'd read or seen in the past. There's a bit of Citizen Kane here, with the mystery of who a man really is, and a bit of Wings of Desire, with a look at what it even means to be a human in the world. Hirano is aiming that high with his writing, and although those targets rest at the top of Everest, his final product lands in the thin air well above most books I've read from Japan in the last few years.
So, this book is very highly recommended and one of my favorites so far this year (I'll need to sit on it and think a lot to see if this ruminates more or less than Sayaka Murata's amazing Earthlings, review coming soon).
As compliments of Eli KP William, this could pass for an English language novel reasonably easily. Only it's setting and dependence of family registers make this a Japanese tale, and William's writing avoids the oddities of phraseology that sometimes plague new translators.
Overall, a highly recommended book that will satisfy the literature nuts that want something thoughtful and deep, as well as the mystery hounds who want a page turner. It lands softly right in the middle and will satisfy a very wide audience of readers.
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| The author at his TED Talk |
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