Summary (incl. main characters, stakes, setting)
Follows housewife Natsumi in the never ending chatter of her inner thoughts. Set in Tokyo. Deals with the ennui and search of selfhood of a housewife
How I discovered it (rec, why now)
Recommended through a Mcnally Jackson book club. Never went to the book club, reading it months later.
How I felt (thoughts on writing, themes, plot, pacing)
- So many run ons, mirroring the never endingness of house duties. The words were claustrophobic, dizzying, hard to follow, the way it runs on and on, thought bleeding into the next, with so many things to keep track of.
- The art exhibit interlude was truly so uninteresting…skipped it
- Selfhood of a housewife, of a woman! Can one locate it in the constant stream of busyness? There’s less ego surely, but way more ambient frustration
Who would like it
Must be a reader who loves interiority! The craft of the book was very intentional and I think it’s a good book to study for its form, though not necessarily an “enjoyable” read
Top quotes
“Set routines and absence of change…overwhelming toll on the spirit…really did deprive her of any kind of emotional space”
“The thing about being boring, having a boring life, is that you should do it while you still can, if you don’t have time to be bored, you’ll be exhausted.”
“Boring, mediocre, eventless” - a feeling existed separately from any feeling of dissatisfaction
From Kate Zambreno’s afterword: “Narrative like an aviary” - exterior becomes the interior (scene recalling grocery store aisles)