La maison au toit rouge

by Kyōko Nakajima, Sophie Refle (Translator)

Original title : 小さいおうち [Chiisai Ouchi]
The 143rd Naoki Literary Award winner (7/2010). Live-in maid Taki worked in domestic service under a beautiful madam in a red roof house a long time ago. Now over 60 years later she recounts the events at the house.

Genres: Japan, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Historical Fiction, Asia, Asian Literature, Translated Fiction

301 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Nakajima (中島 京子) is an award-winning essayist and novelist from Japan. She studied at the Tokyo Woman's Christian University. Her many prizes include: the Naoki Prize, and the Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature. And her story Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House), was adapted for cinema in 2014.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Once cracks open in your feelings for someone, they will never return to the way they were before."
.
From THE LITTLE HOUSE by Kyoko Nakajima, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, 2010/2019.

#JanuaryinJapan

Taki, a woman in her twilight days, looks back at her life. She composes a series of journal entries for her nephew, reminiscences of a woman from northern Japan who moves to Tokyo to enter domestic service. She describes meeting her new employer, a young widow who along with her baby, is contemplating a new match. They marry, and move into the "little house", a landmark of sorts in its western style in 1930s Tokyo.

This is an intensely domestic novel - as in it takes place almost entirely in between the walls of the eponymous "Little House", following the daily rituals of Taki's caretaking for the "Mistress" and the "Young Master".

Moving between 1930/40s Tokyo and modern day, this story includes Taki's memories, and her own conversations with Takashi, her great nephew, in present day. There's some intriguing notes to mine here: Takashi questions her regularly about the beginning of the War, the political and militaristic landscape of early Shōwa Japan, but this was not Taki's world and she offers very little insights at that level. Her's was a small world, noting the subtlety of day to day, and the deep devotion and love for her employer family.

I liked the quietness of THE LITTLE HOUSE. Witnessing the lives of people far from the front lines in this period. I liked the perspective shifts in the latter half of the story and the meta-ness in the final sections.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a whole thread of Japanese fiction that just draws me in. The books are written in a simple unassuming style, but they manage to say so much. ‘The Little House’ belongs in that strand. It’s the simple story of Taki the maid, Tokiko the mistress, and Itakura, the designer cum artist, set against a background of Japan in the Showa era with its wars with China, and later with the United States. Nothing is overwritten but so much is said. Totally engaging from beginning to end.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet little book set in Japan in the lead-up to World War 2. Taki remembers her time as a maid for the Hirai family, the wife Tokiko not much older than herself at the time. It's remembrance of a time in Tokyo - the optimism of the 2600th Anniversary and the possibility of hosting the Olympics and the creeping spectre of war played out by this small, affluent family living in a red roofed house.

It is "Mono no aware" or "the pathos of things" and the ephemeral nature of beauty as shown in an unopened letter or a tin toy.

Tokiko's husband brings in a new colleague to help with designs at the toy factory and it's clear that Itakura is smitten with Tokiko. Taki knows that a good maid is responsible for the happiness of her employer's marriage. She remembers a story told by her first master about a maid burning a document "by accident", taking action in a way that the master never could, and could never ask for, and how that is what makes a truly great maid. Taki has her own decisions to make for the good of the household, for the sake of the marriage and reflected back from a distance of decades, what did her choice ultimately accomplish.

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Kyoto Nakajima's collection of short stories, I decided to read her novel, 'The Little House'.

The narrator of 'The Little House' is a former maid. She used to work in an elegant household in the years before the Second World War and during the war. She describes her experience then, her relationship to her mistress, the love and affection her mistress showered on her, her relationship to her young master, her mistress' son, and how she loved him like her own son, and an artist who worked in her master's company, who used to visit their home sometimes. The story also takes us back in time and describes that period vividly and brings it back to life. We get a beautiful view of Tokyo of the '30s and the '40s, and we discover how people lived then, what they thought, what they ate, what kind of work they did, whether women had freedom to live their lives the way they chose, or whether they were restricted by society's rules and familial pressure, how historical events affected the lives of normal people – this was after all the years leading up to the war and the actual war itself, when Tokyo was a repeated victim of American bombings and many parts of the city burned down – we learn about all these things through the eyes of our narrator. The love and affection and friendship between our narrator and her mistress is so beautifully portrayed in the story. There is a beautiful love story in the book too, and it is delicate and soft, with a lot of things unsaid. It was like reading an Izumi Shikibu poem.

I loved 'The Little House'. It is one of my favourite reads of the year. Kyoko Nakajima has written a few more novels. I hope they all get translated.

Sharing some of my favourite parts from the book.

#Quote1

"I’m now living in a one bedroom flat my nephew rented for me. The municipal housing I’d spent many years in was pulled down the month before last. Most of the residents there had been single elderly people, and we were given priority on this low-rent place, for which I’m grateful.

On the other hand, it’s one of these new-fangled, all-electric places and even when all you want is to run a bath, you have to press so many buttons it’s like you’re issuing orders to the electrical system, which is really quite exasperating.

My nephew’s second son very kindly came over to set it up for me so I can get by, but it’s a nuisance having to call them up whenever I can’t work it out.

Homes these days are very different to the way they used to be, and I don’t understand them anymore. I don’t feel attached to things and don’t mind where I live, but if I may be permitted to give my opinion, between you and me there was just one house where I was resolved to remain until the end. You may consider it strange and even impudent of me to wish to live out my days in the small servant’s room I was allocated in the house Mr. Hirai built in 1935, but that’s how I felt."

#Quote2

"The Hirais’ house had been constructed at the top of the narrow road that ran straight up the hill from one of the new stations on the private railroad that was rapidly expanding westwards as Tokyo grew. There were quite a few Western-style bungalows in the burgeoning residential area one stop along, but it was quite a rarity here and had instantly changed the atmosphere of the neighbourhood. Cosy yet also elegant with its striking red roof, the house had become a local landmark. I will never forget the scent of the seasonal daphne and osmanthus blossoms in the garden, or how the beautiful red roof was complemented by the dazzling fall colours of the maple tree and crimson-fruited rowanberry beside the front door.

That day I was sweeping up leaves outside the house when the Mistress opened an upstairs window and called out to me. As the breeze caressed her soft hair, several strands escaped her neatly bundled chignon and she smoothed them back down with her hands. It was such a natural move, but she looked sublimely graceful in that moment.

I liked doing my errands inside the house, and I liked gazing at it from outside, too. And I liked my room. I don’t think anyone would understand how much I loved that room, even if I did write about it."

Have you read 'The Little House'? What do you think about it?

[Charles Edwards-Freshwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and although it is quite slow, I think the beauty of the tale is the gentle unravelling of the layers and seeing the main character's relationship with her mistress grows against the background of a nation soon headed, and then experiencing, devastating war.

I've not read many stories about WW2 from a Japanese perspective and, even though the narrator is a maid and therefore not really in the thick of things, it was interesting to hear how quickly society changed and what this meant for everyday people.

The narrator isn't necessarily to be trusted, either - and I think that adds another level of interest to this. She's a determined, rather resourceful old woman with a knack for romanticism, and her character is written so well that you can really see her scribbling away her memories or steadfastly cooking for her beloved mistress and master, always on the fringe and yet crucial to their lives.

Definitely a story that will stick with me.

4.5

[Dxdnelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely want to like this book. It telling us the journey or should I say a thorough daily life about a maid that working for a kind family? It is a simple story, but engaging and telling us more about WWII.

The storytelling were based on the journal that written by the maid, Taki. She have been working for years to Hirai Family household. The cover in book is the Hirai's family house, it is small but all of them live happily there. Even Taki found her comfort and 'home' in that house.

At first, this book didn't give me much impact, very slow pace. It take me almost 2 weeks to continue this book, i am so glad to finish it now. Even though I could say I love the author's writing, its elegant, classic, straightforward but some of the part are unnecessary long. i get that this book is a journal about their life, but it could have been constructed well.

Some of things are left unsaid, so much questions that I have could not been answered. Its like the book purposely letting the reader to create their own theory and there is no wrong and correct answer. This make me feel unsettling and somehow like someone joking around with me.

The events, the war with China, with American, I do think its interesting to read. But that's it. There is nothing much happening that worth to mention.

Overall 3.5. Despite being disappointed, I do enjoy reading it. Maybe because I was expecting much more than I thought, so it end up to be tedious.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite convincing way of narration and it reads like a podcast.

However, for someone who is not familiar with all the big events that happened in history as is mentioned in the book I found it a bit dull at parts and not blended well as the story goes.

If you are really bored and want to read something different and vlog commentary like read, give this one a try.

[Brielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nakajima did it again, this time with the little house narrated by an elderly reminiscing about a happy time in her life. The author alternates between Taki's recollections of her prior experiences and Takeshi, her nephew's kid, commenting on her recollections, mostly with skepticism.

This is a book for everyone interested in the psychology of war propaganda, how the war's events affected the Japanese civilian population, and the representation of a past filled with regrets, both personal and national.

[Elif · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!!! Thank God it was translated into English. It is so good!
English: https://elifthereader.com/books/the-l...
Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi.com/kitaplar/t...

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a Tokyo literature class but loved it! Due to the natural way it is written, it took my until about 50% of the way through the book to realize its not a memoir but a novel. The final chapter made me question if maybe it WAS all real after all until I looked up the notable characters and they did not in fact exist. Honestly, I was disappointed finding out it was all real because I came the love Taki, the main character so much.

The rest of this review will contain Significant spoilers for The Little House!!

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I am LGBT myself, but did not really pick up on Taki being in love with Tokiko romantically until the last two pages when the book tells you. It made me rethink the entire book, every interaction and choice Taki made in connection with Tokiko. Even Itakura depicted the family as two women and a child. He saw the two women as intimate and connected. The master of the house was not relevant, and it seems even Itakura did not view himself as a part of the relationship with any of the three.

I also realized that Master Hirai was never a focus in the book. If anything, he would be in the scene talking about politics, boring Taki and Tokiko, but giving the reader insight on the current world events as they were filtered to the Japanese citizens. The book does an excellent job of showing how the people living in Japan during the world did not know the true extent of the war or what Japan was doing. Taki's great nephew would occasionally interject from the present day to exclaim that that is not what really happened or that people couldn't be living happy lives while the war was going on. But that is a modern big picture perspective, it's not what the everyday person would have known and lived.

The book also did a good job at showing to slow deterioration of everyday life and the militarization of the everyday citizen. Pre-war was lively and economically booming. Slowly, luxuries were cut down, rations started, propaganda increased, lives changed. But even as the these things increased, life was still largely lively and normal (in Tokyo) until the first bombing in Tokyo.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The pacing and style is similar to the Japanese genre "Slice of Life" which may be way some reviewers note that it seems slow or mundane. I don't think you need much historical or cultural knowledge to understand this book. The modern POV presented by the great nephew will give you the context you need to know what actually happened, for the most part. And if you don't understand something you can usual look up a quick photo to get an idea. This book will give you a valuable perspective on what living through the pacific war as a civilian was like and how you can have happiness during difficult times

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book tells a story about a family living in Japan in the years leading up to (and including) WW2. The story is told from the point of view of their maid, Taki.

When I read the excerpt I immediately was drawn to the writing style. The first 3 1/2 pages are narrated by Taki when she is an old woman. After that, present day narration is just here and there. The problem for me is that I liked that voice more. Young Taki's observations were interesting but it's not her story she's telling. Or it is when you consider she worked most of her life as a maid. However, this point of view is limiting. We only get to see things from a remote point of view as maids are not part of the family. That might be okay if something were actually happening but the real happening is what's going on in Japan. Most of the time Taki herself is not fully aware of things in her own country so once again it's limiting.

I've never read any WW2 books from Japan's perspective so this book is interesting in that regard. But it doesn't work for me as a family drama. Taki doesn't have much dialogue with the family until near the end of the novel so when she does all of a sudden it's jarring. The last chapter is not what it's made out to be. A 3rd person omniscient point of view would have helped.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully nuanced novel set in 1930s and 1040s Japan. At a base level, A Little House is an exquisite slice-of-life novel, but the pinch of mystery added by Nakajima makes this sheer perfection.

Nakajima perfectly portrays the naiveté and the effective nature of the propaganda of the pre-war era by tempering Taki's memoirs with Takeshi's modern-day reactions to them. There are enough questions or ambiguities left to continue to draw you in after the last page - I didn't find this at all unsatisfying: for me, it contributed to that sense of loss I feel thinking of things I wish I had asked my own grandmother.

[Ilze Paegle-Mkrtčjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jauks, bet neslēpti ambiciozs mēğinājums ieskicët un varbūt pat mazliet atmudžināt modernās Japānas vēsturies samezglojumus. Tomēr pagrūti iztēloties, ka stāsts varētu būt interesants arī tai pasaules iedzīvotāju daļai, kas dzīvo laimīgā neziņā par to, kas bija, piemēram, kamishibai

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, unassuming read with a surprise twist!

The novel is recollections of Taki, a housemaid who went into service as a teenager in pre World War 2. After short stint at her first employer's, she started working for an upper middle class family - The Hirais - for the next 14 years.
The novel is essentially a documentation of her time there to minute details. You can even try to replicate her mouth-watering recipes from the book 😋

But most importantly, it depicted the lifestyle, routines, concerns and opinions of ordinary Japanese in the years leading to the war.

Read more of the review here: www.instagram.com/booksbeckyreads

[Jazzminator · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malý dům pro mě představoval takové odpočinkové, milé čtení, avšak dosti nostalgické a občas také trpké. I když je kniha kratší, upřímně mi přišla trošku zdlouhavá především těmi svými popisy, co všechno a jak služebná musela udělat (obecně se v knize vlastně nic moc "akčního" nedělo). Každopádně musím říct, že mě bavilo sledovat vykreslení tehdejšího Japonska třicátých a čtyřicátých let, jeho společnosti a jejího smyšlení. To vše bylo podáno očima služebné Taki, což mimo jiné líčila také na pozadí dění v rodině, v níž sloužila. Mile mě překvapilo prolínání rovin ,,Taki v současnosti", ,,Taki služebné" a nakonec vyprávění jejího prasynovce, který celý příběh uzavírá za ni.

[Milo Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixture of Remains of the Day and Artist of a Floating World. The Little House follows the story of Taki, a maid for a Tokyo suburban middle class family in the 1930s to 1940s.

Plot 📖: the novel focuses on the aesthetics of Japanese households and the details of a maid’s job a lot. Thus, it could feel very slow at times despite the major events happening around the world in this period. While I enjoy reading this novel, it is very tedious at times.

Prose 🖊 : Written as Taki’s journal entries, the prose is set entirely in first person narrative. The language is simple and easy to read. In term of Nakajima’s style, she uses the typical Japanese exquisite prose similarly to Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of a Floating World. Some parts do get unnecessary long and repetitive.

I do feel like this novel could use a bit more editing and shorten it down to a novella or at least a 100 page less.

4 stars nevertheless ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai lu la traduction française et j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce livre, qui entrouvre l'intmité d'une famille tokyoïte d'un fabricant des jouets moyennement heureuse, de la période d'entre deux guerres. Cela me tient à coeur de voir poser sur papier la valeur de la mémoire subjective et la différence avec l'histoire dit "oficielle". Ce carambolage d'histoire s'opère dans la tête du arrière-neveu de la narratrice, qui lui rend visite et lis son journal régulièrement, mais en cachette.

[N ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god. That twist at the end. A great read, especially for those who enjoy history, little details and unreliable narrations of sort.

The one thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the actual physical copy itself. It bothers me that I found a number of typos that were jarring to my reading experience, or that there were some typos / phrasings that could really change the narrative. I don't necessarily see this as the translator's fault but an issue of printing or missing the errors during the editing phase.

[heartcolored · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bittersweet slice of life novel narrated from the point of view of a housemaid working for an affluent family in japan in the mid 1900s. it gives the readers a vivid portrayal of what life was like before and during the world war 2. i absolutely love the profound storytelling; it felt as if i knew the hirai family myself. the small plot twist at the end gives an entirely new meaning to the relationship between taki and mistress tokiko.

[Mili Greener · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book so much it was such a lovely story. i did find the last chapter suddenly really confusing though!

[Andreea Florescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read, but I wish I wouldn't have read the description of the book as I was wondering the whole time while reading the book what might have if meant, and that took away some of the joy.

[Michal Krchňák · Rating 3 out of 5]

A glimpse into the past shrouded in the fog of memories of an ordinary maid. Unfortunately, the writing is not very lively, and even the promised climax is nothing special.

[M. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vivid narrative of love(s?) that were never lived out, told by an unreliable narrator, a maid, much in the spirit of Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. The author's meticulous historical details are seamlessless intewoven into the story and never steal the stage, instead painting a lifelike (and rather educational) backdrop for her story.

To top it off--I would do anything for a cookbook based on all the dishes described in this book...As it is, it's full of culinary inspiration. I don't think I've ever encountered this in a novel. I'll remember this book always.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively easy to read. A story of the simple life of a maid in Tokyo during WWII, of the family that took her in, how she loved them, and how they disappeared one day in a puff of smoke. (Literally.)

The father of the family makes toys, and the mother has a romance with a guy who does Kamishibai and writes comics.

This was worth the effort of reading for me and it hit what I call the mononoaware spot. (I call it that because the author indicates at the end that she was aiming for that spot.)

As I read it, for the longest time, I wondered why I was reading it why my friend recommended it, and why it won awards. But, now that I am done, I feel quite satisfied, and actually shed a few tears along the way -- quite odd for an old crocodile like me. :)

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near the end of the book, a manga artist’s work is described; it resembles the Japanese flag… at the center are three tight knit characters: two women and ones child, and everything else has descended into chaos. This is a summary of this book. In a world gone mad, two women—one the mistress, one the maid —remain devoted.

A lovely sweet book about a friendship that transcends class in the run up to WWII Japan. A touch of forbidden love, and shades of “Atonement”.

[Mihoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

個人的にはカズオイシグロの「日の名残り」を思い起こさせる作品。主人公が日の名残りと同様に主人にそば近く仕える使用人という立場である点よりも、主人公が波乱万丈な人生を生きるという話ではなく、主人家族に対する思いを実現した人生を、現時点で振り返って甘さや苦さをかみしめるという静かながら味わい深い描き方、という点に共通点をみている。登場人物の心情を、直接に、または主人公の推察によってさまざまな描き方が、平穏な日常のなかのさざ波を変化に満ちた飽きさせないストーリーにしている。

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended novel set in in 30s and 40s Japan by Nakajima Kyōko 中島京子. Tone captured beautifully by translator Ginny Tapley Takemori . Original title: Chiisai ouchu 小さいおうち. Awarded Naoki Prize in 2010.

[Amy ☁️ (tinycl0ud) · Rating 4 out of 5]

NGL for the first 30% of the book I was bored and chalked up Taki's rambling to her senility and old people long-windedness as usual, but by the 90% mark I understood why there was so much seemingly unnecessary detail and I was actually struggling to hold back tears. I guess it's true with books as with everything else worth doing in this life—you can't take shortcuts if you want the full pay off.

To make it clear, I don't think this novel is romanticising war or even endorsing Japan's role in the second world war. What the author did was to illustrate how ordinary people felt and did, how they were just living their lives caught up in their own petty concerns before the war encroached upon them, and how effective the propaganda was at convincing everybody of the rightness of what the nation was doing.

There's also a little metafictive moment at the end when there was an article covering some artworks by the mistress' lover. The images of the home, sacred and untouched even after death, are superimposed onto the centre of national flag while the white space is overtaken by images of violence. To me, that is a sly way of saying that all the death and suffering comes from a domestic source, which reads as a clear indictment of Japan's choices in the war. The imperfect preservation of the past is also signalled through the museum masquerading as a house that can never exist again, and the memoir with its biased narrator. At the same time, the author also seems to be turning on its head the idea that some things are more worth remembering than others. Is the life of a maid less important than that of a military general? No.

The narrative takes the form of a fictional memoir written by a woman (Taki) who lived through the second world war, not that she paid much attention to it because she straight up did not care about anyone or anything outside her immediate sphere of influence. She was enlisted as a maid from she was thirteen and she stayed with the same family for over a decade. Her mistress (Tokiko) was a young mother, and majority of their time was spent together in a little red-roofed house. Taki became indispensable to the household because her young master had a childhood disability and required 24/7 care. Reading her memoir is like entering a time capsule. Her nephew constantly berates her for ignoring the 'more important things' going on, like the literal war, but honestly can you blame an uneducated maid with housework to do from morning till night for not caring about what doesn't concern her?

Now comes the part that's a bit of a spoiler. Honestly I found Taki's fixation on her mistress interesting, but I was convinced that I was just projecting because I have yuri brainrot. So when a third character insinuated to Taki that she was in love with Tokiko (just like everybody else), I told myself that I will never gaslight myself that way again. It's sad that Taki wasn't even aware enough of her own feelings but I don't think it mattered that her feelings had nowhere to go. She existed, she loved, she served unfailingly out of love, and it sustained her the rest of her days. That decade was a beautiful dream and it was enough.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little House [2010/19] – ★★★

“I will never forget the scent of the seasonal daphne and osmanthus blossoms in the garden, or how the beautiful red roof was complemented by the dazzling fall colours of the maple tree and crimson-fruited rowanberry beside the front door”. The Little House is a nostalgic look at life in pre and post-war Japan through the eyes of one devoted housemaid (Taki) who describes her past life serving the Hirai family in Tokyo. She entered her service while still being an impressionable teenager from the countryside, and quickly grew close to her beautiful, young Mistress Tokiko. The Hirai make an odd couple, and it is not long before Tokiko displays affection towards another, younger man, Mr. Itakura. What role, if any, will Taki play in her Mistress’s outside interest? Nakajima sweeps us through the turmoils of Japan, showing how the approaching war changes the quiet household, with each crisis of the 1930s and 1940s destabilising the Hirai family.

Japan’s hope for the future is first pinned on its relative economic prosperity and the preparation for the 1940 Summer Olympics (also a part of the talk in the Hirai household), but then, as the years roll by, the war makes itself felt, and Taki has to become more inventive in her work, including regarding food shortages. Her unquestionable loyalty to her Master and Mistress may remind of Ishiguro’s butler Stevens from The Remains of the Day, but there are perhaps deeper secrets hidden in plain sight in this novel, which sets it apart. The final chapter sheds some light on the matter, forcing us to re-evaluate certain aspects of the story. Though The Little House lacks a strong narrative propulsion, it still unveils historical aspects from a curious perspective, and, therefore, is largely worth a read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little House by Kyoko Nakajima is an understated gem. Taki, a Japanese maid working in Tokyo, writes a journal of her life leading up to World War II. She's a loyal worker to a married couple and helps them raise their son. Taki loves her job and the family. She gets along well with the Mistress of the house and keeps her secrets. Times were great before the war and she was content and happy. Helping the family gave her purpose and it's nice to have a meaningful job. Whenever I read wartime stories, hungry characters reminisce about their favorite dishes. Hearing about rations and everyone longing for rice made me want to eat curry with rice like Taki used to do. As food became scarce and rations were a way of life, Taki and the Mistress's conversation about all the amazing food they'd love to eat was fun and sad. Reading Taki's opinions of Japan's occupation and military campaigns in the Pacific alarms and disgusts her nephew, who reads her journal decades later. The nostalgia Taki feels about her early life is incomprehensible to her nephew. The contrast between Japan's past and present makes this a great work of historical fiction. The book earned a Naoki Prize. I never heard of it so I looked it up. According to Wikipedia, it's a prestigious literary award sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature. It's a big deal.

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