What do you think?
Rate this book
家族八景 [Kazoku Hakkei]
拥有读心能力的少女七濑，为了隐藏自己的超能力，辗转更换了八户东家做住家女佣。七濑能读取人心，能看见人性如同天使的一面和如同恶魔的另一面。亲子关系的崩坏、夫妻间信任的瓦解、兄妹对彼此的厌恶……生活在同一个屋檐下的人们，竟在家庭这个舞台上上演着一出出讽刺的闹剧。
拥有与生俱来的超能力究竟是幸运还是不幸？人性的本质究竟更接近善还是更接近恶？
拥有与生俱来的超能力究竟是幸运还是不幸？人性的本质究竟更接近善还是更接近恶？
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
11 people are currently reading
1091 people want to read
About the author
Yasutaka Tsutsui
270 books367 followersYasutaka Tsutsui (筒井康隆) is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. Along with Shinichi Hoshi and Sakyo Komatsu, he is one of the most famous science fiction writers in Japan. His Yume no Kizaka Bunkiten won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari award, and the 1992 Nihon SF Taisho Award. In 1997, he was decorated as a Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
His work is known for its dark humour and satirical content. He has often satirized Japanese taboos such as disabilities and the Tenno system, and has been victim to much criticism as a result. From 1993 to 1996, he went on a writing-strike to protest the excessive, self-imposed restraint of Japanese publishers.
One of his first novels, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (1967), has been adapted into numerous media including film, television and manga. Another novel, Paprika (1993), was adapted into an animated film by the director Satoshi Kon in 2006.
His work is known for its dark humour and satirical content. He has often satirized Japanese taboos such as disabilities and the Tenno system, and has been victim to much criticism as a result. From 1993 to 1996, he went on a writing-strike to protest the excessive, self-imposed restraint of Japanese publishers.
One of his first novels, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo (1967), has been adapted into numerous media including film, television and manga. Another novel, Paprika (1993), was adapted into an animated film by the director Satoshi Kon in 2006.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
December 25, 2018
I loved it! A highly observant, riveting narrative of human nature and family dynamics, this tale of a maid touched by mind-reading powers is truly splendid. The sci-fi aspect is not insisted upon but taken as a given fact. A sort-of explanation is found at some point, when Nana (the maid) finds her father's name in the research notes of a psychologist interested in parapsychological phenomena, but she doesn't pursue it because it would be too dangerous for the scientist to discover her secret.
I noticed some readers were put off by this lack of proper explaining, but I found the matter-of-fact of her psychic prowess charming. In fact, it allowed the prose to focus on what was fascinating in the first place, which is the thoughts and feelings of Nana's various employers. Family dinners were the best: all the shit floats up to the surface and there are so much hatred and cunning involved, it makes you bewildered that such people somehow stay together and endure.
Remarkable moments:
- when she has to reveal her power and actively destroy the mind of an older man in self-defense, as he is trying to rape her
- when she plays matchmaking for 2 couples living next to each other, and in which they are all in love with the neighbor of the opposing sex (the surprise is that jealousy spurs all of them into returning to their rightful spouse)
- when she almost falls in love with an artist because of the geometrical shapes, introverted way he sees the world, before she realizes what an inhuman narcissist he is
- when she realizes someone is being cremated alive in a case of premature burial but can't say anything about it for fear to reveal her power
A few excerpts I liked:
------------------------------------
“Nanase read Sakiko’s mind. But all she could find were odds and ends of consciousness.
The bathroom tiles are starting to chip. For tonight’s dinner, I’ll make stir-fried beef and green peppers with a miso sauce. There are problems with the TV’s vertical tuning, and the lock on the shed is broken. I’ll have to tell Nanase that the rice cooker isn’t working, but the store will be delivering a new one tomorrow.
Sakiko’s thoughts did not extend beyond such household matters. It was debatable whether these could even be called thoughts. They were simply insignificant notions tumbling about on the plain of an empty consciousness.
Was Sakiko running away from something? Nanase had encountered this type of consciousness any number of times. It was especially common among weak, middle-aged, middle-class women who were used to being ignored and who – even while fully aware that they were despised – blocked it out of their minds.”
“Nanase could not put up with someone passive being critical of a person of action. For Nanase, this was the consciousness of an old person or a defeatist. Even if the action was – like a spouse’s infidelity – the kind that was not to be admired, she did not see why a person who had lost his youthful energy had the right to criticize it.
It’s about time she acted her age.
Doesn’t she realize how foolish a middle-aged woman looks when she behaves like a young girl?
She’s so intelligent, and yet seems to have no clear idea of herself.
She’s only a woman, after all.
Tonight I’m going to say something to Hisao, thought Nanase. She could identify with Yoko, who was trying to live life to the fullest, and she had a strong desire to defend her.
I noticed some readers were put off by this lack of proper explaining, but I found the matter-of-fact of her psychic prowess charming. In fact, it allowed the prose to focus on what was fascinating in the first place, which is the thoughts and feelings of Nana's various employers. Family dinners were the best: all the shit floats up to the surface and there are so much hatred and cunning involved, it makes you bewildered that such people somehow stay together and endure.
Remarkable moments:
- when she has to reveal her power and actively destroy the mind of an older man in self-defense, as he is trying to rape her
- when she plays matchmaking for 2 couples living next to each other, and in which they are all in love with the neighbor of the opposing sex (the surprise is that jealousy spurs all of them into returning to their rightful spouse)
- when she almost falls in love with an artist because of the geometrical shapes, introverted way he sees the world, before she realizes what an inhuman narcissist he is
- when she realizes someone is being cremated alive in a case of premature burial but can't say anything about it for fear to reveal her power
A few excerpts I liked:
------------------------------------
“Nanase read Sakiko’s mind. But all she could find were odds and ends of consciousness.
The bathroom tiles are starting to chip. For tonight’s dinner, I’ll make stir-fried beef and green peppers with a miso sauce. There are problems with the TV’s vertical tuning, and the lock on the shed is broken. I’ll have to tell Nanase that the rice cooker isn’t working, but the store will be delivering a new one tomorrow.
Sakiko’s thoughts did not extend beyond such household matters. It was debatable whether these could even be called thoughts. They were simply insignificant notions tumbling about on the plain of an empty consciousness.
Was Sakiko running away from something? Nanase had encountered this type of consciousness any number of times. It was especially common among weak, middle-aged, middle-class women who were used to being ignored and who – even while fully aware that they were despised – blocked it out of their minds.”
“Nanase could not put up with someone passive being critical of a person of action. For Nanase, this was the consciousness of an old person or a defeatist. Even if the action was – like a spouse’s infidelity – the kind that was not to be admired, she did not see why a person who had lost his youthful energy had the right to criticize it.
It’s about time she acted her age.
Doesn’t she realize how foolish a middle-aged woman looks when she behaves like a young girl?
She’s so intelligent, and yet seems to have no clear idea of herself.
She’s only a woman, after all.
Tonight I’m going to say something to Hisao, thought Nanase. She could identify with Yoko, who was trying to live life to the fullest, and she had a strong desire to defend her.
June 24, 2010
a mind-reading maid finds out that hell is other people's psyche.
September 12, 2016
Tsutsui was the king of outrageous parodies and slapstick humor in the Japanese contemporary literature. This must be the translation of 家族八景, which is relatively a tame novel (novella, really, but there was a sequel) in his line of production. I liked the sharp observation of seemingly ordinary families.
I once read somewhere that men and women have different sense of humor. Some men even insist women have no appreciation of humor. Well. I read a handful of Tsutsui's books, including Twelve Laughing Men (in which the jury indict innocent citizen just because they can), Babbling Genesis ("Bub bub begot Bub bubby, Bub bubby begot . . ."), etc. (I don't think they are available in English; I translated the titles. The original title of this book The Maid was also a parody, by the way.) They were . . . hey, funny.
Btw this cover art with a kimono girl is completely misleading. Do you think the Japanese still wear kimono daily?
I once read somewhere that men and women have different sense of humor. Some men even insist women have no appreciation of humor. Well. I read a handful of Tsutsui's books, including Twelve Laughing Men (in which the jury indict innocent citizen just because they can), Babbling Genesis ("Bub bub begot Bub bubby, Bub bubby begot . . ."), etc. (I don't think they are available in English; I translated the titles. The original title of this book The Maid was also a parody, by the way.) They were . . . hey, funny.
Btw this cover art with a kimono girl is completely misleading. Do you think the Japanese still wear kimono daily?
September 25, 2011
My vacation read while I am in Japan. Yasutaka Tsutsui wrote a collection of short stories that reminded me of my beloved Boris Vian. If one had to put him into a category, I guess it would be science fiction. But he is also a very playful sort of writer. And this is where the Vian connection kicks in.
"The Maid" is by no means a major piece of work. Its a collection of stories about a Maid who can read minds. So each episode deals with her moving into a family or household and finding out their deepest secrets and desires. There is no additional information regarding these stories, but I suspect that Tsutsui wrote them for either a magazine or newspaper. It has that feel of pure pulp writing. Nevertheless I think he's an important writer to check out. And I do have a stack of his books (not read yet) in my 'to be read' section of the house.
"The Maid" is by no means a major piece of work. Its a collection of stories about a Maid who can read minds. So each episode deals with her moving into a family or household and finding out their deepest secrets and desires. There is no additional information regarding these stories, but I suspect that Tsutsui wrote them for either a magazine or newspaper. It has that feel of pure pulp writing. Nevertheless I think he's an important writer to check out. And I do have a stack of his books (not read yet) in my 'to be read' section of the house.
April 8, 2021
This book consists of eight stories separated yet connected through a 19 years old, telepathic girl named Nanase that worked as a maid in these stories in 8 different households. the whole concept was interesting but at the same time the narration was too simple and undeveloped. I think this character with its interesting potentials needed at least a 200 page novel(some can do it beautifully in 100 pages) , more psychology was needed. Nanase though telepathic seemed a bit shallow and cruel to the point you come to the conclusion that reading peoples ideas and feeling does not necessarily makes you sympathetic or empathetic (maybe it was author's notion) and each time she decided to do something about it the result was often catastrophic. Maybe the author wanted the readers to see that every one has their demons and nothing can be done about it even if you are a mind reader.
May 17, 2022
Más que cuentos, son anécdotas, todas bastante similares. Retratan infidelidades, odio familiar, lascivia y obsesiones que, seguramente, deben tener más sentido en un contexto oriental. Hay poca tensión en los textos, estos se limitan a hacer un recuento de los pensamientos de los personajes, varios de ellos muy parecidos entre sí. Creo que la premisa de una criada doméstica tenía mucho potencial, pero no llegó a explotar. Esperaba más de este autor que, en otras ocasiones, disfruté muchísimo.
February 19, 2018
"Durante mucho tiempo había creído que, a pesar de todas las fantasías e ilusiones que uno pudiera crearse sobre otra persona, siempre había una pizca de verdad."
October 10, 2023
Mi primera decepción con Tsutsui, y ha sido colosal. No encuentro en estos relatos ni su voz, ni su humor, ni su estilo tan peculiar.
Aunque la premisa era interesante, me han resultado relatos aburridos y repetitivos.
Espero que esto sea la excepción que confirma la regla
Aunque la premisa era interesante, me han resultado relatos aburridos y repetitivos.
Espero que esto sea la excepción que confirma la regla
May 16, 2025
Nanase had long believed that in spite of all the misunderstandings and illusions one might have concerning another person, there was bound to be a grain of truth. 129p
the writer has a strong misunderstandings of people's mind
the writer has a strong misunderstandings of people's mind
October 5, 2023
Много приятно четиво. Четенето на мисли е много подходящ пътеводител из японския ум. Абзаците, в които Нанасе чете мислите на хората, ни дават поглед към неизказания вътрешен свят на японците. А в реалността подобни пояснения, за съжаление, липсват.😁
June 27, 2017
I picked this one up somewhat reluctantly; my husband had found a copy for me, but then read it before I got to it and reported that he didn't care for it and could not recommend it. Still, I had asked for it, so I felt like I should give it a try. I have to admit I find myself a bit disappointed as well, though on different grounds. I'm going to disagree with his assessment that the book is well-written even if he doesn't like the subject matter. I found the quality to be lacking, regardless of how I felt about how negatively it portrayed humanity. And so it gets two stars from me, rather than the four he grudgingly awarded it.
The basic premise runs like this: Nanase works as a live-in maid. She can hear other people's thoughts. This book is composed of eight stories that tell of her employment in eight different households and what she overheard in each with her gift.
It sounded like such an interesting premise, but here's the thing. In order for it to be interesting, Nanase's ability has to add something to the narrative. This does happen in three of the tales, to varying degrees, but in the majority I felt like the psychic bits could have been taken out and the stories would not have suffered much. If you're going to make your main character presumably the only psychic in your fictional universe, you should use that, and the author does not do so nearly as much or as well as he could have. We are not given much information from Nanase's ability that could not have been conveyed just as easily, and in many cases more effectively, by other means. What she "overhears" in most situations does not appear to change her motivation or prompt her to act in any way that could not just as easily be attributed to or accomplished by completely mundane factors. Her ability plays no more of a crucial role in the events of most of the stories than does her height or her favorite color.
That does present an intriguing angle on the whole issue of what people hide, I suppose. It says that we are none of us as hidden as we think we are, that it doesn't take a telepath to see what we really are. Okay. I'll give it that much. Unfortunately, though, the way that is conveyed doesn't make for very compelling reading, and the repetition of the theme honestly gets a little boring. And yes, there are other ways in which what people hide and what they reveal are explored, but I didn't find that this was done all that effectively either. There is such a thing as being too subtle, and if I have to sit and search for a point to the whole thing rather than some sort of point suggesting itself, that's too subtle. I don't generally enjoy books in which the author hammers a message in too overtly, of course, but as a reader I also don't want to have to do all the work myself.
By contrast, though, a little more subtlety could have been used in description and conveying the characters' thoughts. The whole telepathy thing seems to have made the author a little lazy about exposition and character development. No need to show us the little signs of someone being nervous or aggressive or aroused or whatever when Nanase can simply pick it out of their mind and tell us about it, after all. No need for complex questions or mysteries about what's going on when she can read it straight from their thoughts. (Which, really, is what makes the first story so appealing to me, because it uses that and then turns the whole thing on its head -- but I run the risk of spoilers, here.)
And then the final story ("The Departed Mother") just completely lost me, when it should have been the most powerful. Nanase and the other three characters around whom it revolves are relatively believable, taking some unusual psychological factors into account. The reactions of the other characters read like a caricature, though, and I found the premise completely implausible. Some of that I can chalk up to cultural differences, maybe, but... It just completely shattered my suspension of disbelief.
When it comes right down to it, I enjoyed the first story, "The Plain of Emptiness", but felt that the rest of the book was unnecessary and not as well-done as it might have been. The author seems to have had this really neat idea, but then not really known how to use his chosen angle to its best effect. I won't completely recommend against it if you happen to have a chance to read it -- but it's fairly obscure and seems a bit difficult to find, and it's not something I'd go out of your way for. The idea had a lot of potential, but fell far short of fulfilling it.
The basic premise runs like this: Nanase works as a live-in maid. She can hear other people's thoughts. This book is composed of eight stories that tell of her employment in eight different households and what she overheard in each with her gift.
It sounded like such an interesting premise, but here's the thing. In order for it to be interesting, Nanase's ability has to add something to the narrative. This does happen in three of the tales, to varying degrees, but in the majority I felt like the psychic bits could have been taken out and the stories would not have suffered much. If you're going to make your main character presumably the only psychic in your fictional universe, you should use that, and the author does not do so nearly as much or as well as he could have. We are not given much information from Nanase's ability that could not have been conveyed just as easily, and in many cases more effectively, by other means. What she "overhears" in most situations does not appear to change her motivation or prompt her to act in any way that could not just as easily be attributed to or accomplished by completely mundane factors. Her ability plays no more of a crucial role in the events of most of the stories than does her height or her favorite color.
That does present an intriguing angle on the whole issue of what people hide, I suppose. It says that we are none of us as hidden as we think we are, that it doesn't take a telepath to see what we really are. Okay. I'll give it that much. Unfortunately, though, the way that is conveyed doesn't make for very compelling reading, and the repetition of the theme honestly gets a little boring. And yes, there are other ways in which what people hide and what they reveal are explored, but I didn't find that this was done all that effectively either. There is such a thing as being too subtle, and if I have to sit and search for a point to the whole thing rather than some sort of point suggesting itself, that's too subtle. I don't generally enjoy books in which the author hammers a message in too overtly, of course, but as a reader I also don't want to have to do all the work myself.
By contrast, though, a little more subtlety could have been used in description and conveying the characters' thoughts. The whole telepathy thing seems to have made the author a little lazy about exposition and character development. No need to show us the little signs of someone being nervous or aggressive or aroused or whatever when Nanase can simply pick it out of their mind and tell us about it, after all. No need for complex questions or mysteries about what's going on when she can read it straight from their thoughts. (Which, really, is what makes the first story so appealing to me, because it uses that and then turns the whole thing on its head -- but I run the risk of spoilers, here.)
And then the final story ("The Departed Mother") just completely lost me, when it should have been the most powerful. Nanase and the other three characters around whom it revolves are relatively believable, taking some unusual psychological factors into account. The reactions of the other characters read like a caricature, though, and I found the premise completely implausible. Some of that I can chalk up to cultural differences, maybe, but... It just completely shattered my suspension of disbelief.
When it comes right down to it, I enjoyed the first story, "The Plain of Emptiness", but felt that the rest of the book was unnecessary and not as well-done as it might have been. The author seems to have had this really neat idea, but then not really known how to use his chosen angle to its best effect. I won't completely recommend against it if you happen to have a chance to read it -- but it's fairly obscure and seems a bit difficult to find, and it's not something I'd go out of your way for. The idea had a lot of potential, but fell far short of fulfilling it.
December 18, 2010
Nanase has always been able to hear people's thoughts, and has learnt how to keep it a secret. Because of her telepathy, she takes jobs as a house maid, the kind of work that she can easily leave if she needs to, and not be bombarded with the thoughts of the same people every day as she would in an office.
But the people she works for are their own trial for Nanase. Lecherous, or vain, or stupid, or selfish - they all have their flaws, and Nanase is a witness to their family dramas, their squabbles, their emotional blackmailing and their vindictiveness. When she tries to subtly improve things using her ability, it doesn't always work out the way she intended.
This is a dark, twisted story - or rather, the characters are dark and twisted, since we get that look into their psyches. They are perfectly ordinary Japanese people, but in their hearts and minds their harbour such relentless anger, greed and hatred as to make you wonder at humanity. The scary thing is, it's all plausible. It certainly doesn't paint a pretty portrait of Japanese society (even if it was written in the early 70s), but that doesn't make it any less believable. On the one hand, you've got that amazing, vivid and somewhat crazy imagination that I feel only the Japanese can possibly possess (perhaps due to the repressive, restrained society and culture in other respects), and on the other because I have lived there and known hundreds of Japanese people through the work I did, I think I may even have met some Japanese who could be like these characters in some way or other.
It's a short book, and a quick read, and my first time reading Tsutsui - I've since got a copy of Paprika since I enjoyed this one so much. And that's the thing: it's no pleasant story, made up of unpleasant vignettes and ends somewhat horribly, but rather like a train derailing, or a multi-car pile-up, or a plane crash: you can't look away. Within disaster and destruction seem to fall humans stripped bare, to be made or broken. It's grotesque, but it's human, and stories like this one make you feel like you're closer than ever to understanding humanity.
But the people she works for are their own trial for Nanase. Lecherous, or vain, or stupid, or selfish - they all have their flaws, and Nanase is a witness to their family dramas, their squabbles, their emotional blackmailing and their vindictiveness. When she tries to subtly improve things using her ability, it doesn't always work out the way she intended.
This is a dark, twisted story - or rather, the characters are dark and twisted, since we get that look into their psyches. They are perfectly ordinary Japanese people, but in their hearts and minds their harbour such relentless anger, greed and hatred as to make you wonder at humanity. The scary thing is, it's all plausible. It certainly doesn't paint a pretty portrait of Japanese society (even if it was written in the early 70s), but that doesn't make it any less believable. On the one hand, you've got that amazing, vivid and somewhat crazy imagination that I feel only the Japanese can possibly possess (perhaps due to the repressive, restrained society and culture in other respects), and on the other because I have lived there and known hundreds of Japanese people through the work I did, I think I may even have met some Japanese who could be like these characters in some way or other.
It's a short book, and a quick read, and my first time reading Tsutsui - I've since got a copy of Paprika since I enjoyed this one so much. And that's the thing: it's no pleasant story, made up of unpleasant vignettes and ends somewhat horribly, but rather like a train derailing, or a multi-car pile-up, or a plane crash: you can't look away. Within disaster and destruction seem to fall humans stripped bare, to be made or broken. It's grotesque, but it's human, and stories like this one make you feel like you're closer than ever to understanding humanity.
March 24, 2013
This book confused me; I didn't like it as I read it. Nanase, the maid, has the ability to read people's minds. She's chosen to work as a maid and to conceal her gift of telepathy because she fears the consequences of anyone finding out. In each family she works for, everyone is reduced to thoughts and feelings of hate, sex, rape, envy, arrogance and condescension towards both family members and the maid.I wondered why the author had deliberately chosen to reduce all people to vessels of hatred, with no love or 'goodness' to be found anywhere.
Then I concluded that maybe the maid is just crazy. After all, nobody can actually read minds. Nanase's selective ability to apparently work only for families hiding bad thoughts and ill will inside their hearts seems unlikely to me - surely Japanese society isn't composed exclusively of morally corrupt people? As Nanase doesn't tend to judge people beyond not liking them or feeling wary of them, there doesn't seem to be social commentary going on here. Instead, Nanase's thoughts often centre around herself - in her mind, she had chosen to work as a maid to hide her secret; she makes an excellent maid because of her ability to know what people are thinking, yet nobody ever appreciates this; whenever she's around men, they all have lusting thoughts for her, appreciating her figure and beauty; she could do something different with her life, but chooses not to. Perhaps Nanase is just so bored with her life and cannot face the drudgery that lies before her, she's created an alternative reality for herself inside her head, placing herself at the centre of a universe where people are intrinsically tainted and she is purer and has powers that the rest of them don't possess. She's pretty narcissistic and is not to be trusted; her reality is so incongruent with mine, that the only way I can make sense of her is to conclude she's a little bit insane. Who knows?
Then I concluded that maybe the maid is just crazy. After all, nobody can actually read minds. Nanase's selective ability to apparently work only for families hiding bad thoughts and ill will inside their hearts seems unlikely to me - surely Japanese society isn't composed exclusively of morally corrupt people? As Nanase doesn't tend to judge people beyond not liking them or feeling wary of them, there doesn't seem to be social commentary going on here. Instead, Nanase's thoughts often centre around herself - in her mind, she had chosen to work as a maid to hide her secret; she makes an excellent maid because of her ability to know what people are thinking, yet nobody ever appreciates this; whenever she's around men, they all have lusting thoughts for her, appreciating her figure and beauty; she could do something different with her life, but chooses not to. Perhaps Nanase is just so bored with her life and cannot face the drudgery that lies before her, she's created an alternative reality for herself inside her head, placing herself at the centre of a universe where people are intrinsically tainted and she is purer and has powers that the rest of them don't possess. She's pretty narcissistic and is not to be trusted; her reality is so incongruent with mine, that the only way I can make sense of her is to conclude she's a little bit insane. Who knows?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2025
Excelente habilidad para entrelazar los pensamientos de Nanase con los demás personajes.Muy entretenida de leer, la telepatía de Nanase crea
situaciones de tensión que mantienen las historias muy intrigantes.
situaciones de tensión que mantienen las historias muy intrigantes.
June 14, 2019
Otro libro de Yasutaka Tsutsui que me encanta.
En este caso son ocho relatos cuya protagonista es la misma, una joven llamada Nanase que es capaz de leer la mente de las personas. Nanase comienza a trabajar como criada y gracias a sus poderes vemos la vida y pensamientos de esa familia (los que muestran a la gente y los que ocultan). Leerlo es como ver una telenovela en la que puedes ver lo que piensas todos los personajes. Los relatos tienen algo de morboso en el sentido de que estás bien los oscuros secretos que guarda cada miembro de las familias. Esto, unido a que no hay ni un solo personaje que sea bueno, hace que los relatos sean un poco pesimistas y perturbadores. Todos los personajes de Lo que vio la criada tiene rencor, envidia, odio en sus mentes. Incluso Nanase, que al principio vemos como una chica inocente va cambiando a una joven que se mueve por la curiosidad, que intenta hacer el bien pero tampoco se siente muy implicada en las familias, como que ninguna persona le importa demasiado.
En resumen, Lo que vio la criada es una recopilación de relatos entretenidisima y con crítica en la mayoría. Se nota que al autor le interesaba el mundo del subconsciente y la psicología.
RECOMENDADISIMO
En este caso son ocho relatos cuya protagonista es la misma, una joven llamada Nanase que es capaz de leer la mente de las personas. Nanase comienza a trabajar como criada y gracias a sus poderes vemos la vida y pensamientos de esa familia (los que muestran a la gente y los que ocultan). Leerlo es como ver una telenovela en la que puedes ver lo que piensas todos los personajes. Los relatos tienen algo de morboso en el sentido de que estás bien los oscuros secretos que guarda cada miembro de las familias. Esto, unido a que no hay ni un solo personaje que sea bueno, hace que los relatos sean un poco pesimistas y perturbadores. Todos los personajes de Lo que vio la criada tiene rencor, envidia, odio en sus mentes. Incluso Nanase, que al principio vemos como una chica inocente va cambiando a una joven que se mueve por la curiosidad, que intenta hacer el bien pero tampoco se siente muy implicada en las familias, como que ninguna persona le importa demasiado.
En resumen, Lo que vio la criada es una recopilación de relatos entretenidisima y con crítica en la mayoría. Se nota que al autor le interesaba el mundo del subconsciente y la psicología.
RECOMENDADISIMO
November 29, 2022
Disfruté "hombres salmonela en el planeta porno" así que esperaba algo similar, lo de "relatos psíquicos" me llamo mucho pero se quedó corto.
La premisa es buena y hay cierto "desarrollo" ya sea explicando o explorando las habilidades telepáticas de Nana pero son muy vagas y esporádicas.
En cada cuento/familia se repiten patrones de comportamiento, lo cual la vuelve redundante y aburrida.
Reluce también uno de los "pecadillos" ocasionales de la escritura de Tsutsui: mujeres irresistibles, muy bellas e interesantes por las cuales los hombres llegan a la obsesión.
Admito que es interesante si pensamos en el rol de la mujer japonesa esposa, trabajadora, madre etc.;ya que Nana va también en una búsqueda identitaria a través de las mujeres que conoce pero nuevamente el autor no conecta bien con esa construcción y la protagonista salta a otra casa donde la acosan antes de concluir algún tipo de crítica o aprendizaje.
Me gustaron el primer y segundo relato y el de las parejas con las que Nanase experimenta un "intercambio" siento que en esos 3, se exploran las habilidades telepáticas y las familias muestran con más crudeza la miseria emocional que cargan. Los demás relatos no son malos pero tampoco memorables
La premisa es buena y hay cierto "desarrollo" ya sea explicando o explorando las habilidades telepáticas de Nana pero son muy vagas y esporádicas.
En cada cuento/familia se repiten patrones de comportamiento, lo cual la vuelve redundante y aburrida.
Reluce también uno de los "pecadillos" ocasionales de la escritura de Tsutsui: mujeres irresistibles, muy bellas e interesantes por las cuales los hombres llegan a la obsesión.
Admito que es interesante si pensamos en el rol de la mujer japonesa esposa, trabajadora, madre etc.;ya que Nana va también en una búsqueda identitaria a través de las mujeres que conoce pero nuevamente el autor no conecta bien con esa construcción y la protagonista salta a otra casa donde la acosan antes de concluir algún tipo de crítica o aprendizaje.
Me gustaron el primer y segundo relato y el de las parejas con las que Nanase experimenta un "intercambio" siento que en esos 3, se exploran las habilidades telepáticas y las familias muestran con más crudeza la miseria emocional que cargan. Los demás relatos no son malos pero tampoco memorables
July 6, 2019
Yasutaka tsusui escribe esta serie de cuentos donde la protagonista es Nanase, una joven con poderes telepáticos que para evitar ser perseguida por científicos que buscan estudiarla, se emplea como sirvienta en diferentes casas. El trabajo de sirvienta le permite varias cosas: esconderse, mudarse y emplear sus poderes para analizar a la sociedad japonesa, viendo el lado B, los secretos que esconden las familias contemporáneas: ansiedad, depresión, narcisismo, bipolaridad, obsesiones y fobias son narradas en 8 cuentos que te estremecen, te sorprenden y te llevan a la reflexión.
De lo mejor que he leído este año!!
I loved the idea of a maid with telephatic powers that tell us the story of every house in which she works. My favorite tale was the last one ‘Rest in peace, dear Mom’ a super exciting and surprising text about the Oedipus complex.
De lo mejor que he leído este año!!
I loved the idea of a maid with telephatic powers that tell us the story of every house in which she works. My favorite tale was the last one ‘Rest in peace, dear Mom’ a super exciting and surprising text about the Oedipus complex.
March 17, 2010
Definitely an interesting book. Despite exploring a worn-off theme, Tsutsui manages to make it seem fresh and fairly original. The powerful last chapter leaves a lasting impression.
March 2, 2018
Cuentos que nos permiten 'disfrutar' del pensamiento de los japoneses en su vida cotidiana.
Una maravilla!
Una maravilla!
January 12, 2020
Genial como siempre Tsusui, usando aquí la ciencia ficción, en concreto la telepatía para describir de primera mano las pasiones y las fobias de distintas familias.
September 10, 2020
Muy divertido y deprimente a la vez. Se sacan a la luz todas las miserias humanas.
December 14, 2014
A dark work of magic realism and satire.
July 3, 2024
The premise of this book appealed to me: the fact that there are ordinary people who can read minds, who live among us and may have a job (such as being a maid!) that brings them into our household and gives them access to not only our private lives but also our private thoughts.
Unfortunately this book was written by a man in Japan in the early 1970s. So I find it misogynistic and out of date with the modern world, not to mention that I am an outsider to Japanese culture, so I don’t think I can fully appreciate some of the points that the author is trying to make.
I liked the first story. By the second story I was starting to realize how the writer was exaggerating. By the third story I was questioning the psychological realism and had difficulty reaching the end. The next couple of stories I only read partway in. I got tired of reading about lecherous men and disdainful women—I mean really tired!
Maybe in Japan in the 1970s everyone who would hire a maid DID have the egregious personality flaws that are depicted in this book. Maybe the author is trying to point out how awful it would be to be a telepath. (But there is not a lot of people’s actual personality that is revealed by reading their minds; I found it was more about having access to specific details like the name of a lover or the location of an assignation.)
I can’t think of any reason to recommend this book, or anyone I would recommend it to.
Unfortunately this book was written by a man in Japan in the early 1970s. So I find it misogynistic and out of date with the modern world, not to mention that I am an outsider to Japanese culture, so I don’t think I can fully appreciate some of the points that the author is trying to make.
I liked the first story. By the second story I was starting to realize how the writer was exaggerating. By the third story I was questioning the psychological realism and had difficulty reaching the end. The next couple of stories I only read partway in. I got tired of reading about lecherous men and disdainful women—I mean really tired!
Maybe in Japan in the 1970s everyone who would hire a maid DID have the egregious personality flaws that are depicted in this book. Maybe the author is trying to point out how awful it would be to be a telepath. (But there is not a lot of people’s actual personality that is revealed by reading their minds; I found it was more about having access to specific details like the name of a lover or the location of an assignation.)
I can’t think of any reason to recommend this book, or anyone I would recommend it to.
June 12, 2020
Weird and weirder novella. The Maid is Nanase, a telepath works as a maid in eight different households. In each household, she encounters and unveils different levels of yuckiness in family relations. From the first household with the salaryman who has the same mistress as his son, to the house of dirt where the filth of the household is embedded in a psychic smell, to the couple where Nanase listens to the mistress as she crashes her car and dies, to sending her rapist mad - there is a skein of horror threading through these stories. Nanase herself is an observer, whose interference with these family relations normally ends in some sort of unpleasantness. She is also part of the trope of horror stories of letting a stranger into the sanctity of the home. Strangely enough this book was written in 1972 and seems so modern in tone and setting. As we peep into modern Japanese life, the balance between the banal of the ordinary and the wild awfulness of the internal life is underscored in story after story. Not for the faint-hearted.
August 26, 2021
We have a young woman who can read minds who works as a live in maid so that she doesn't have to stay in any single place very long so that no one will guess her secret.
Thus begins our journey with Nanase as she works for and lives with 8 different Japanese families and ventures through their thoughts and discovers all their private truths.
As a lover of Japanese fiction i found this very interesting, and i can imagine that it must have been quite controversial in Japan when published and probably still is. Tsutsui essentially strips away the public veneer of polite and controlled Japanese people and society and suggests that there's something very different lurking underneath: what are their private thoughts and lives really like, can we really take people at face value?
My first book by Tsutsui and i'm looking forward to reading a few more soon, which are already queued up on my Kindle.
Thus begins our journey with Nanase as she works for and lives with 8 different Japanese families and ventures through their thoughts and discovers all their private truths.
As a lover of Japanese fiction i found this very interesting, and i can imagine that it must have been quite controversial in Japan when published and probably still is. Tsutsui essentially strips away the public veneer of polite and controlled Japanese people and society and suggests that there's something very different lurking underneath: what are their private thoughts and lives really like, can we really take people at face value?
My first book by Tsutsui and i'm looking forward to reading a few more soon, which are already queued up on my Kindle.
February 28, 2019
Reseña: https://www.fabulantes.com/2019/02/lo...
"Los temas de Yasutaka Tsutsui se centran en la estructura social tradicional japonesa: la familia. Todos los relatos tienen en ella a su pilar principal. Pero también es cierto que estos temas trascienden a la familia en cuanto institución, porque las familias son disfuncionales o están ya rotas: no se nos cuenta un proceso de decadencia, sino que se nos describe una situación de descomposición presente, real y actual. En este sentido, muchos de los personajes poseen ya una fuerte dosis de individualidad que consiguen trascender su sentido como miembros de una familia. Es a través de esta institución como se critican los nuevos tipos individuales de una sociedad japonesa tradicional en descomposición".
"Los temas de Yasutaka Tsutsui se centran en la estructura social tradicional japonesa: la familia. Todos los relatos tienen en ella a su pilar principal. Pero también es cierto que estos temas trascienden a la familia en cuanto institución, porque las familias son disfuncionales o están ya rotas: no se nos cuenta un proceso de decadencia, sino que se nos describe una situación de descomposición presente, real y actual. En este sentido, muchos de los personajes poseen ya una fuerte dosis de individualidad que consiguen trascender su sentido como miembros de una familia. Es a través de esta institución como se critican los nuevos tipos individuales de una sociedad japonesa tradicional en descomposición".
November 2, 2023
Excelente serie de cuentos lineales que comparten como protagonista a una criada con la habilidad de leer mentes.
Cada cuento representa el cuidado de una familia y cómo con sus poderes es capaz de bajar a las capas más profundas de los sentimientos y pensamientos humanos frente a las acciones de los mismos.
Me ha gustado mucho el argumento y la forma de escritura del autor
Me ha faltado un punto, tal vez, de originalidad en las historias, ya que algunos eventos o pensamientos eran repetitivos de una familia a otra.
Pero sin duda recomendable como lectura ligera, a mayores de 16 años, que quieran descubrir algo de lectura japonesa.
Cada cuento representa el cuidado de una familia y cómo con sus poderes es capaz de bajar a las capas más profundas de los sentimientos y pensamientos humanos frente a las acciones de los mismos.
Me ha gustado mucho el argumento y la forma de escritura del autor
Me ha faltado un punto, tal vez, de originalidad en las historias, ya que algunos eventos o pensamientos eran repetitivos de una familia a otra.
Pero sin duda recomendable como lectura ligera, a mayores de 16 años, que quieran descubrir algo de lectura japonesa.
August 24, 2022
I couldn’t put this book down. Like most Japanese literature it’s a bit unexpected and out of the ordinary. This book is the same. It’s premises is out of this world, yet it’s also about the daily lives of everyday people. It showed me the human nature greatest desires, thoughts and emotions. I loved every story in it and every story remained with me as it left an impact on my life. It’s my first book for Tsutsui but it won’t be the last?
June 13, 2020
I picked this book up in the library’s& judged it by its cover. Sounds like a great idea for a book, a maid that can read minds! It really isn’t worth reading though: awkward and unemotional, unrealistic and without warmth. Random words and despite seemingly intimate (and depressing) stories, they really didn’t touch me at all. No depth. I didn’t bother with the last two chapters....
July 31, 2023
No lo terminé, pero pase las 100 páginas esperando algo diferente. Es un NO absoluto. Hay una gran premisa que atraviesa los cuentos, pero es una personaje femenino escrito por un hombre oriental que claramente no supo hacer nada mejor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews