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Finger Bone
1942. At the turning point of the war, the Imperial Japanese Army is in retreat. On Papua New Guinea, the unnamed narrator of Finger Bone is wounded in the fighting and sent to a field hospital to recover. Finger Bone is the prize-winning debut by famed Japanese author Hiroki Takahashi. The novel explores the self-consuming nature of imperialism, the ingloriousness of war, and how we are all identical in death.
200 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 5, 2023
A second world war story about the Imperial Japanese Army in Papua New Guinea.
"We'll deliver your bones to your wife." A soldier cut off the remaining four fingers and tossed them in the fire.
Imagine a war where everyone's sick and scared, and instead of sending home brave soldiers, you send just one tiny bone, like a finger bone.
Imagine a war not with big tanks and loud guns, but with sickness and sadness.
It shows that even when things feel hopeless, we can still be kind and find ways to make the world less scary.
It is a short story that makes us aware of the dark side of the war.
"We'll deliver your bones to your wife." A soldier cut off the remaining four fingers and tossed them in the fire.
Imagine a war where everyone's sick and scared, and instead of sending home brave soldiers, you send just one tiny bone, like a finger bone.
Imagine a war not with big tanks and loud guns, but with sickness and sadness.
It shows that even when things feel hopeless, we can still be kind and find ways to make the world less scary.
It is a short story that makes us aware of the dark side of the war.
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June 12, 2023Novels about World War II are a dime a dozen. Some are excellent; some are forgettable and even offensive (looking at you, John Boyne, you terrible, terrible writer).
Finger Bone is one of those rare novels that transcends its genre. This is a masterpiece of Japanese war fiction that encourages us to wrestle with that age-old question: where is the good in war?
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-historic...
Finger Bone is one of those rare novels that transcends its genre. This is a masterpiece of Japanese war fiction that encourages us to wrestle with that age-old question: where is the good in war?
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-historic...
June 28, 2023
This is an absolute masterpiece. It needs to be part of the war fiction canon everywhere. No filler or fluff or needlessly flowery prose, every word is accounted for and does exactly what it needs to do. The result is oddly poetic and transformative. Definitely more than the sum of its 80-odd pages.
October 13, 2024
Geniunely one of my favorite reads of the year. An excellent and stark portrayal of the grueling monotone horror of war. I hope more of this authors work is translated into English in the future.
October 5, 2023
A chilling story that follows the horrors faced by a Japanese soldier deployed to Papa New Guinea in WW2. It largely focuses on the people he meets in the infirmary and on the battlefield, showcasing the isolation and community of war. The book exposes just how little governments care for the people fighting their wars, as the soldiers are practically abandoned in the jungle with waning supplies. Not only are they deprived of essentials, the characters are also starved of information, hopelessly fighting a war that might already be over. You get the sense that even those who survive physically are doomed.
This novel has a gorgeous rhythm to it and is just the right length. With the poetic tone, Takahashi creates a setting that is both beautiful and tragic, even commenting on how their battlefield will someday be a tourist destination. It’s graphic, without feeling like it’s just there for shock value. It just goes to show that there are no winners in a war.
This novel has a gorgeous rhythm to it and is just the right length. With the poetic tone, Takahashi creates a setting that is both beautiful and tragic, even commenting on how their battlefield will someday be a tourist destination. It’s graphic, without feeling like it’s just there for shock value. It just goes to show that there are no winners in a war.
January 6, 2024
"Was this war? When I left the field hospital, I'd expected to be thrown back into the war. Yet, here we were marching the yellow road, mostly unarmed, without rifles or grenades, and for those whose boots had lost their heels, barefoot. Enemy aircraft flew past us, leaving us to die and rot one by one without so much as a fight. This is war, I intoned. This too is war. And for as many times as I mumbled the words to myself, they did not sink in."
In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army was losing World War II and was in retreat. The unnamed narrator, a Japanese soldier who was deployed to Papa New Guinea, was injured at the beginning of the story. He was sent to the Japanese Field Hospital No 3 and befriended/interacted with other wounded soldiers. Of course, he witnessed deaths and noted that when a soldier dies, the medic removes the corpse's index finger, burns away the flesh, and prepares the remaining finger bone to be returned to the soldier’s remains family. Throughout the story, the narrator assumed that the Imperial Japanese Army was winning the war, due to the lack of information. But when he (and the other able-bodied men) was forced to leave the Field Hospital, it was only revealed to him that the entire Eastern coast have fallen under Allied control. Carrying his friend's (Sanada) finger bone in an aluminum bento box, the unnamed narrator, amidst his struggle for life, yearned for the war to be over, and for someone to find the bento box and deliver it to Sanada's family.
Finger Bone (written in Japanese by Hiroki Takahashi and translated by Takami Nieda) is a very well-written Japanese war fiction, told from the perspective of a young soldier who witnessed the fragility of the human condition during wartime. Takahashi employed and maintained a very bleak and melancholy tone throughout the novel. The descriptions of the injured soldiers, the deaths, the soldiers' sense of hopelessness, their sufferings, and blinded trust in the success of the Imperial Japanese Army, were vivid, unflinching, and brutal. "Death had become commonplace". The narrator's and Sanada's encounter with the native Kanak people mirrors the egocentric nature of imperialism, especially when Sanada remarked that the purpose of the Kanak people learning Japanese was to give sightseeing tours after the Japanese took over the island when they won the war. The self-consuming imperialism that led to Japan's humiliating defeat in World War II was perfectly brought out through the conflicted state of mind of the soldiers and the narrator. Especially when faced with the notion of death, the narrator's realisation of Japan's defeat, and his role as a puppet for the notion of Imperialism, is hauntingly imprinted into the readers' minds by Takahashi. "Humans are strange creatures: they seem to regain their senses momentarily before death takes them". Ultimately, Takahashi questioned the purpose behind the war, and then proffered an answer by depicting the ugliness and meaningless nature of war. Finger Bone is truly an essential war fiction and it is a strong 4.5/5 star read. Special shoutout to Hondford Star for bringing this impactful novel to the attention of international readers!
In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army was losing World War II and was in retreat. The unnamed narrator, a Japanese soldier who was deployed to Papa New Guinea, was injured at the beginning of the story. He was sent to the Japanese Field Hospital No 3 and befriended/interacted with other wounded soldiers. Of course, he witnessed deaths and noted that when a soldier dies, the medic removes the corpse's index finger, burns away the flesh, and prepares the remaining finger bone to be returned to the soldier’s remains family. Throughout the story, the narrator assumed that the Imperial Japanese Army was winning the war, due to the lack of information. But when he (and the other able-bodied men) was forced to leave the Field Hospital, it was only revealed to him that the entire Eastern coast have fallen under Allied control. Carrying his friend's (Sanada) finger bone in an aluminum bento box, the unnamed narrator, amidst his struggle for life, yearned for the war to be over, and for someone to find the bento box and deliver it to Sanada's family.
Finger Bone (written in Japanese by Hiroki Takahashi and translated by Takami Nieda) is a very well-written Japanese war fiction, told from the perspective of a young soldier who witnessed the fragility of the human condition during wartime. Takahashi employed and maintained a very bleak and melancholy tone throughout the novel. The descriptions of the injured soldiers, the deaths, the soldiers' sense of hopelessness, their sufferings, and blinded trust in the success of the Imperial Japanese Army, were vivid, unflinching, and brutal. "Death had become commonplace". The narrator's and Sanada's encounter with the native Kanak people mirrors the egocentric nature of imperialism, especially when Sanada remarked that the purpose of the Kanak people learning Japanese was to give sightseeing tours after the Japanese took over the island when they won the war. The self-consuming imperialism that led to Japan's humiliating defeat in World War II was perfectly brought out through the conflicted state of mind of the soldiers and the narrator. Especially when faced with the notion of death, the narrator's realisation of Japan's defeat, and his role as a puppet for the notion of Imperialism, is hauntingly imprinted into the readers' minds by Takahashi. "Humans are strange creatures: they seem to regain their senses momentarily before death takes them". Ultimately, Takahashi questioned the purpose behind the war, and then proffered an answer by depicting the ugliness and meaningless nature of war. Finger Bone is truly an essential war fiction and it is a strong 4.5/5 star read. Special shoutout to Hondford Star for bringing this impactful novel to the attention of international readers!
February 4, 2024
This is a strange little book set in Papua New Guinea in 1942, where the 21 year old narrator is at a field hospital, initially as a patient. Here he befriends other injured men, reflects on the randomness of survival, and muses about the unstoppability of the Japanese Empire as rumours that the US is to capitulate soon.
There's plenty of material here for a good story, but Takahashi's prose is clumsy and hardwork to trudge through. Of the any compelling directions in which it could have headed, it takes the one of least interest.
There's plenty of material here for a good story, but Takahashi's prose is clumsy and hardwork to trudge through. Of the any compelling directions in which it could have headed, it takes the one of least interest.
August 5, 2023
"...In part, Finger Bone is a story about how little Japanese soldiers understood about the bigger picture during the Pacific War. Misinformation is rampant. An officer 'blusters' about the Japanese army’s military successes, but, the narrator observes to himself, 'Who knew if any of it was true'. In fact, 'who knew if it was true' becomes a kind of refrain and one of the novel’s major motifs.
Throughout, the narrator and the other soldiers blithely assume the Japanese Imperial Army is winning. History will immortalize the man who kills General Douglas MacArthur. The native Kanak people will need to learn Japanese to accommodate the Japanese tourists who will visit the island at war’s end. There are air raids over the American coastal state of Oregon. The rest of the US mainland has been razed by firebombs.
The narrator never questions his assumptions in the face of his reality: all around him first his comrades and then his closest friends are slowly dying from lack of basic medicine and supplies. 'Death,' he notes, has 'become commonplace'.
The novel also asks the question, 'What is war?' There are a few notable battle scenes, but most of the action is quiet suffering and oppressive waiting. The narrator describes a scene as unarmed, starving soldiers march down a dusty and empty road and reflects, 'This is war… This too is war.' The words, he tells the reader, do not sink in..."
Full review in Asian Review of Books
https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
Throughout, the narrator and the other soldiers blithely assume the Japanese Imperial Army is winning. History will immortalize the man who kills General Douglas MacArthur. The native Kanak people will need to learn Japanese to accommodate the Japanese tourists who will visit the island at war’s end. There are air raids over the American coastal state of Oregon. The rest of the US mainland has been razed by firebombs.
The narrator never questions his assumptions in the face of his reality: all around him first his comrades and then his closest friends are slowly dying from lack of basic medicine and supplies. 'Death,' he notes, has 'become commonplace'.
The novel also asks the question, 'What is war?' There are a few notable battle scenes, but most of the action is quiet suffering and oppressive waiting. The narrator describes a scene as unarmed, starving soldiers march down a dusty and empty road and reflects, 'This is war… This too is war.' The words, he tells the reader, do not sink in..."
Full review in Asian Review of Books
https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
March 22, 2024
I will fully admit that I picked up this book with some skepticism, as it was from the perspective of a Japanese soldier during WWII and translated from Japanese. I had a sense that the atrocities committed by Japan during the twentieth century would not be covered, which… more or less was the case. It became clear as the novel progressed, though, that Takahashi had a somewhat different intention, which was to show how the soldiers were almost unthinkingly trusting a government that didn’t reveal the full picture to them. The soldiers were led to believe that their side was winning the war; they cheerfully discussed how the indigenous people of the island they were on (the Kanak) would have to learn Japanese to prepare for inevitable tourism once the war ends; and they were fed misinformation about how the Allied forces were doing. The narrator’s belief in his government wavered as morale dropped over the course of the novel, not so much because he believed his side was in the wrong, so much as it was to question the purpose of war.
Overall, an interesting and different perspective at a less-talked-about location during WWII.
Overall, an interesting and different perspective at a less-talked-about location during WWII.
January 14, 2024
Too many deaths, what’s good in war? Honestly nothing. I’ts rather straightforward with the narrative with no flowery texts. From a young soldier pov on what’s happening with his comrades during their battles with the enemies, on sickness and Japanese defeat on this land.
Finger Bone is actually a bone from a finger of the deceased soldier to be taken back home since the battleground it’s too far from their homeland. The act of removing the finger for keepsake for the family from freshly deceased body before the rest of the body was thrown out into the wilderness.
It was a harrowing and devastating read but I was quite numb with the emotional state of the mc since he’s always talking about everyone else instead of himself. Overall, please check on the trigger warnings.
Nak rant tapi ngantuk tapi tu laa nak rant pasai seppuku, this tradition of suicide mcm ye saya tak setuju, sebegitu murah nyawamu 😩
Finger Bone is actually a bone from a finger of the deceased soldier to be taken back home since the battleground it’s too far from their homeland. The act of removing the finger for keepsake for the family from freshly deceased body before the rest of the body was thrown out into the wilderness.
It was a harrowing and devastating read but I was quite numb with the emotional state of the mc since he’s always talking about everyone else instead of himself. Overall, please check on the trigger warnings.
Nak rant tapi ngantuk tapi tu laa nak rant pasai seppuku, this tradition of suicide mcm ye saya tak setuju, sebegitu murah nyawamu 😩
May 10, 2024
A slow burn with an absolute wallop at the end. Incredibly impressive to create such a strong sense of place in such a short book, highly recommend if you want a moving and different take on Japanese soldiers at the end of WW2.
January 23, 2024
This is a very powerful little book and an interesting view on WW2 from a Japanese perspective as they failed to defeat the allies on Papua New Guinea.
My rating is not based on enjoyment, it is a difficult read dealing with the traumas of war, but it is brilliant in its poetic language, its clear depiction of the effects and its strong anti-war sentiment and that is why it has 5*. As a comparison I would say it is in a similar mold to At Night All Blood is Black with the physical and psychological effects of war, though this one is much more poetic and better, in my humble opinion.
The story is mostly linear, aside from one or two flashbacks, and tells the narrator's story from being taken to PNG, the traversing of the island and attempted assault on the west where the American Army base was. Our protagonist is injured in battle and is taken to a field hospital where he witnesses the plethora of injured and diseased soldiers, the lack of medical supplies and the hopelessness of the situation.
There are lovely relationships formed, but being at war we know they are not going to last, there is a nod to the power of human spirit but also the limits where that spirit will eventually break, and the interactions with local tribes is insightful as well as seeing a part of the war that is not often told. We know about the atomic bombs and the Pearl Harbour attacks but apart from that my knowledge of WW2 does not extend to the Pacific Ocean.
Overall a very compelling and worthwhile read, though not a happy one.
My rating is not based on enjoyment, it is a difficult read dealing with the traumas of war, but it is brilliant in its poetic language, its clear depiction of the effects and its strong anti-war sentiment and that is why it has 5*. As a comparison I would say it is in a similar mold to At Night All Blood is Black with the physical and psychological effects of war, though this one is much more poetic and better, in my humble opinion.
The story is mostly linear, aside from one or two flashbacks, and tells the narrator's story from being taken to PNG, the traversing of the island and attempted assault on the west where the American Army base was. Our protagonist is injured in battle and is taken to a field hospital where he witnesses the plethora of injured and diseased soldiers, the lack of medical supplies and the hopelessness of the situation.
There are lovely relationships formed, but being at war we know they are not going to last, there is a nod to the power of human spirit but also the limits where that spirit will eventually break, and the interactions with local tribes is insightful as well as seeing a part of the war that is not often told. We know about the atomic bombs and the Pearl Harbour attacks but apart from that my knowledge of WW2 does not extend to the Pacific Ocean.
Overall a very compelling and worthwhile read, though not a happy one.
December 30, 2023
This novel is framed as a fictional memoir narrated by a Japanese soldier wounded during the Kokoda Track Campaign in Papua-New Guinea in August 1942. Written in a lean, easy-to-read style, it depicts among other things: the physical conditions endured by the troops; the lack of food rations and its consequences; their commitment to the Imperial cause; their perceptions of the enemy and the local population; and their views on death in combat and suicide. The text also includes many brief, beautiful and poetic descriptions of nature i.e. birds, trees, leaves, flowers, rivers, sunsets, jungle sounds, starry nights and moonlight. These are often juxtaposed with the crude realities of war that are going on in the same environment. In the end, this was a book that left me with much to consider about war, life, death, friendship, family and much more, including starry nights.
March 20, 2024
The Japanese people were fed propaganda throughout the war and thought they were winning, up until the air bombings of Tokyo and other cities. It seems the Japanese soldiers were also fed these lies, obviously to maintain a winning attitude. Makes sense. Although still interesting (I love other cultural perspectives.), most of the story simply described life at the infirmary. Don't expect thrills here. However, the final 10% or so gave you a solid descript sense of the days leading to thissoldier's end. And fyi, I did a brief google search to verify the finger bone collecting and sending but came up dry. I did however read a bit on what the American GIs did to the fallen Japanese soldiers. Not pretty. War turns everyone into monsters.
April 4, 2024
I wasn’t as taken by this novella as others were. It is by no means bad. However, I don’t find a lot of it to be super distinguishing. While getting this particular POV is new for me, I was not blown away by it. The overarching themes about the horrors of war I’ve seen before, so really all that’s left to set it apart for me would be the narrative and style. The story is fine—it follows our 1st person character and his trauma. His relationship with the other recovering soldiers is nice and there are some good scenes with them. The style was not particularly noteworthy until the end when it leaned much further into the “hell-on-earth” and hallucinogenic vibes, which I think is one of the big highlights. Overall, not bad, and probably really good for war story fans.
July 8, 2024
i picked this up in a library in japan, 2 hours before my class started and set out to complete it before i had to go.
i mainly chose it due to its short length, but also the premise. i did not even know war was fought in papua new guinea. like many other reviewers, i was wary of how the japanese author would describe the japanese side of war—but it was much like every other soldier with their respective countries. disillusioned.
i enjoyed reading about the other soldiers’ lives and hobbies. sanada probably being my favorite, though as an artist shimizu also stuck out to me.
i’m going to research more about the battle of isurava and purchase this book in japanese to heighten my understanding of the text.
i mainly chose it due to its short length, but also the premise. i did not even know war was fought in papua new guinea. like many other reviewers, i was wary of how the japanese author would describe the japanese side of war—but it was much like every other soldier with their respective countries. disillusioned.
i enjoyed reading about the other soldiers’ lives and hobbies. sanada probably being my favorite, though as an artist shimizu also stuck out to me.
i’m going to research more about the battle of isurava and purchase this book in japanese to heighten my understanding of the text.
March 6, 2024
It's Papua New Guinea, the balance of the war is changing, and the Japanese army is in retreat. Our narrator has been wounded in the fighting and taken to field hospital to recover and watch as people around him die and have their finger bones removed and sent home to their families. It’s a short but powerful indictment of imperialism and war. Why is it that stories of the vanquished nearly always resonate more with me than those of the victors? A good read.
August 27, 2024
This book reminds me alot of the discomfort I felt reading 'All Quiet On The Western Front'.
A slowly creeping novella on the impact of war on the psyche of those who are forced to participate in it, I don't know if I'd recommend it to everyone, but the emotional toll this book is currently having on me says it one that I'll reflect on for some time.
That ending is going to live with me for some time.
A slowly creeping novella on the impact of war on the psyche of those who are forced to participate in it, I don't know if I'd recommend it to everyone, but the emotional toll this book is currently having on me says it one that I'll reflect on for some time.
That ending is going to live with me for some time.
October 21, 2024
A brief story of Japanese soldiers fighting a losing battle in Papua New Guinea in 1942 that is both compelling and successful in it's messaging.
The book's message and story beats hold many parallels to Empire of the Sun, the close resemblance making it hard not to compare the two. No shade to this book, it's short and worth a read - but unless you are looking for a second book on the horrors of war, I'd advocate for picking up EotS over this.
The book's message and story beats hold many parallels to Empire of the Sun, the close resemblance making it hard not to compare the two. No shade to this book, it's short and worth a read - but unless you are looking for a second book on the horrors of war, I'd advocate for picking up EotS over this.
March 17, 2025
When i finished the book, I put it down and started crying like never before in my life. I have never cried because of a book or a movie. But this left me bawling. I am so utterly heartbroken…I dont think i will ever read something as good as this ever again. I am so thankful of what i have. It left me wondering once again, if war really ever was neccecary…i cannot put it into words how heartbroken i am…
November 1, 2023
At the turning point of the WWII, a soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army is faced with the prospect of perishing on an island . He is faced with the deprivations of war and endures the torment of loss. It's been described by some as sparse which, with its massively vivid style, is really a compliment. This is one of the best pieces of war fiction I have ever read.
November 20, 2024
Een interessante novelle over een Japanse soldaat, die in 1942 in Papoea-Nieuw-Guinea in een veldhospitaal is beland, terwijl Japan aan de verliezende hand is.
Elke keer als er een soldaat sterft, wordt de wijsvinger afgesneden om terug te sturen naar de familie van de desbetreffende soldaat in Japan.
We volgen het verhaal vanuit het perspectief van een naamloze soldaat.
Elke keer als er een soldaat sterft, wordt de wijsvinger afgesneden om terug te sturen naar de familie van de desbetreffende soldaat in Japan.
We volgen het verhaal vanuit het perspectief van een naamloze soldaat.
October 15, 2025
Although it's a novel based on a real event in World War II, but completely reflects the bitterness and ugliness that can be found in the war.
The writer (and translator) was really great at depicting what our main characters and also many soldiers have been told with their propaganda. The disaster left behind ignited the reality of the overcome of their fate.
The writer (and translator) was really great at depicting what our main characters and also many soldiers have been told with their propaganda. The disaster left behind ignited the reality of the overcome of their fate.
September 2, 2025
I’m not sure if you can call a war novel beautiful but the prose was so excellently done it’s hard to describe it so
Eloquently describing that we are all the same in death, no matter the circumstance, way of, culture or reason
Eloquently describing that we are all the same in death, no matter the circumstance, way of, culture or reason
June 18, 2023
A world war 2 story told from Japanese soldiers pov which is heartbreaking and makes you think about the point of war.
June 30, 2023
Terribly sad and beautifully written, what more could you want from a book about war (that's actually more about the soldier's journey, emphasising that wars are good for no one).
July 18, 2023
Harrowing and written as sparely as the flesh on a starving soldier, this is a quiet book that has all the more impact as a result.
December 8, 2023
2.5 🌟 it was just okay.
December 18, 2023
Short yet powerful story about a Japanese soldier stationed in Papa New Guinea during WWII. It has a similar vibe to All quiet on the eastern front.
June 12, 2024
Jesus Christ I can’t stop thinking about Finger Bone and its protagonist. Devastatingly beautiful it left me teared up due to the peaceful yet horrifying nature. Masterful writing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews