Masks (Vintage International)

Worth reading because it is so unusual... Characters with unusual motivations all viewed from an unusually dispassionate point of view, mixed with Japanese literature, Noh theater, and spiritual possession.

I first read this book when the translation first came out, back in the 1980s. I was reading a lot of Enchi Fumiko then in both translation & in the original, and loved this haunted, haunting story of thwarted love, misplaced desire, and long-term revenge. I loved the way the contemporary story was interwoven with all these stories from classical Japanese literature -- both Noh dramas as well as The Tale of Genji, especially the story of Lady Rokujo & her "living ghost." The story might be a little opaque for readers with little knowledge of Japanese literature; it's hard for me to judge that. On re-reading decades later, I have to say the book doesn't hold up quite as well for me. The whole thing felt a bit contrived, especially the opening chapters, when there's altogether a lot of what we call "dialogue as exposition," with characters implausibly explaining things to each other in conversation that's really for the benefit of the reader. But it hits its stride once the groundwork is laid, and still packs a pretty creepy punch by the end.

I'm not quite sure what to say about this one yet. I think I need time to process what I just read

This exquisitely written book is best read if you have read at least some of The Tale of Genji and have some knowledge of Japanese Noh drama, but even if you don't, I think you will find this book engrossing. It is the tale of a woman who seeks revenge and carries it out brilliantly and at high cost to herself. This isn't a blood and guts story but a subtle psychological novel about the status of women in the mid-twentieth century. She uses Noh masks as a way of adding flavor to some of the key characters and actions.

IMMA CALL SPOILER ON THIS This is, ultimately, a book about patience. It takes time when you are a woman in a patriarchal society to get satisfaction for wrongs done to you. Avenging yourself on the children of he who harmed you even after he is dead takes a certain focus of which we should be grateful to find ourselves incapable.

It was a really good book toward the end. I would say that the front is a little slow but it picks up as the book goes along. Only criticism is that keeping track of the characters is hard since first and last names are used interchangeably

I have to read it for my English class. Overall it's a very interesting book.

This book is not without merit, but the plot is fairly thin. Two men are attracted to a widowed young woman who seems too attached to her mother-in-law. There weren’t a lot of descriptive passages that reminded me it was taking place in Japan, other than the masks.

Me gustó

The cover was dirty. There were sopts of some book stickers which took some time to be removed.

Beautifully written translation. Of course many subtle nuances are lost because this author in Japanese has a predilection to prick the imagination with her word choice and historical allusions. If you read a bit about Noh drama, its stories and masks, other layers and meanings in the novel will reveal themselves.

I was engrossed by Masks. The plot is exquisitely constructed pulling together many strands and beautifully written/translated. For readers like me who know little about Japan I would suggest a little research into No theatre and masks. Also I needed to read a review to work out the relationships of the protagonists but perhaps that is my personal problem. I was intrigued in the novel by the portrayalof the character and motivations of the mother-in-law who seems to quietly pull the strings. Reading several reviews I find myself far more sympathetic to her than those who posted the reviews. Finally, a complaint about Amazon that I failed to be able to add to a review about the novel,Naomi, by Tanizaki. I bought it because it was recommended by a lecturer in Japanese literature. It also had a high star rating. It was unreadable! The translation was unintelligible. The high star rating was an amalgam of those having bought the Kindle version (all complaints) and those who had bought the physical book (highly praised). Amazon you cannot put out rubbish like the Kindle version. Has no one on you staff vetted it? Also you cannot merge reviews of two different translations. I have now read Naomi (not bought from Amazon) in a good translation and can highly recommend it. Two other complaints for Amazon! Stop pushing sales so determinedly. Whenever I log on I am taken to recommendations when I want to see my personal library. Secondly, when nearing the end of a book I am whipped to further recommendations even ,at times, before I have been able to read the final sentence. Thisdeters me from buying books from Amazon.

Prior to a holiday in Japan I searched on Amazon.co.uk for a suitable Japanese novel to read, and this came up as the number one pick with all the previous reviewers rating it 5 stars. I found it to be a rather dated psychodrama. It was written in 1958 and depicts a society in which men have complete freedom, while married women are expected to obey their husbands and manage the household. Under those circumstances this story would have been revelatory. A full synopsis of the plot is available on Wikipedia, so I won't repeat it here, but it summary it depicts men as being slaves to their sexual urges, who are easily manipulated by women who understand this and are better able to control their emotions: demure women are the puppet masters, vainglorious men the puppets. Now, in a period of female emancipation the story has much less power. The translation is also rather clunky and prosaic, and I suspect a lot of the subtlety and nuance in the original has been lost in the transfer to English. That said it is an interesting period piece, that portrays a society still in thrall to traditional values and beliefs. Overall, I moderately enjoyed it but found it rather dated, and the shocks are no longer shocking.