Rainbirds in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 07, 2018 Jillian rated it liked it

To me, this story felt very Japanese: a touch of dreamy, magical realism, a close attention to detail, characters who come and go, stark imagery, a kind of acceptance of the pain of life. I thought there was a lot of lovely imagery, scenes, and I was curious to see how the plot would unfold. However: I think there were so many threads to the fabric of this story that none was really expounded upon enough to be deeply meaningful or moving. We have a lot of intense plot points here: affairs, murde To me, this story felt very Japanese: a touch of dreamy, magical realism, a close attention to detail, characters who come and go, stark imagery, a kind of acceptance of the pain of life. I thought there was a lot of lovely imagery, scenes, and I was curious to see how the plot would unfold. However: I think there were so many threads to the fabric of this story that none was really expounded upon enough to be deeply meaningful or moving. We have a lot of intense plot points here: affairs, murder, munchausen (sp) by proxy, broken hearts, broken families, neglected children, abandoned daughters, “sister issues” implying some kind of incestuous romance, miscarriages...And yet—none of these super heavy topics felt delved into deeply enough for me to really feel moved—I kept waiting for things to tie up more fully, to truly get to the heart of these serious experiences, but there was something emotionally slow here, something detached and disconnected, a bit apathetic and pale. I’m not sure this was the intent of the author. I would not call this a thriller because the pacing was not linear enough—you wouldn’t depict a thriller in watercolors, and that, I think is what we have here. I didn’t dislike this story, but I was waiting for more. I think including all of these characters and these snapshots of their serious issues was a little too ambitious. I also think the protagonist was not convincingly male, and this leads me back to my belief that if you are writing from the first person, you should write from the perspective of your gender, however you identify. This was partially because of this heavy handed emphasis on the protagonists sexual exploits. I’m not sure a male author would have written them that way, or even found them relevant to the story (they weren’t). As an aside, I am extremely tired of the schoolgirl who coerces the male teacher into a romance trope. Like, enough with that please. It’s been done so much as to be a stereotype, and has even something fetishistic about it which makes me cringe. I had a very lukewarm reaction to this book, despite the well-crafted writing. Very middle of the road. ...more

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Jul 21, 2021 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: crime, just-for-the-cover, fiction, literary-schmiterary

The day my sister died, a part of me died, too.

The rain got heavier, and I stayed there, losing track of time. I waited until it stopped before opening my eyes. I turned over to face the road. The puddles shone, reflecting the streetlights. So this was what she saw before she died. I got up and walked back with an unbearable heaviness.

This book was very, very weird, and sad, and thoughtful, and oddly compelling, In a weird way. The book opens with a murder, but there’s not much of a murder ...more

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Apr 12, 2021 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: travel-2021

3.5 stars really. As another reviewer said, this book is reminiscent of Murakami, and although that reviewer had a problem with it, I didn't. I would read anything Murakami wrote.

Ren, a graduate student living in Tokyo receives news that his sister Keiko has been brutally murdered in the fictional Japanese town Akakawa. Ren goes to the town to collect her things, ends up staying in the town and taking over her position in a cram school.

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