Miracles

by Ayako Sono

Miracles , a minor classic of Japanese literature, is a major contribution to fiction in pursuit of the supernatural. Sono Ayako's searching novel centers on Polish martyr Maximilian Kolbe, the "saint of Auschwitz." She retraces the extraordinary feats of this Conventual Franciscan-from his mission to Japan to the concentration camp where Kolbe offered up his life to save a man condemned to death. Through the veil of fiction Ayako meditates on the nature of self-sacrifice and the possibility of believable miracles in a disenchanted world. In her preface to Miracles she "Before he died, this priest flung a tough question like a red-hot iron rod at the dried-up soul of modern Man. The question was, 'what does it mean for us to love one another?'"
Sono Ayako (b. 1931) is one of postwar Japan's most prolific writers. Her fiction was shortlisted for the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. Besides Miracles , only Watcher from the Shore and No Reason for Murder have been translated into English.

Genres: Fiction, Catholic

226 pages, Hardcover

Published August 9, 2021

About the author

Ayako Sono was a Japanese writer.
Sono was considered to be a conservative and was also considered to be an advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who had had drawn controversy for advocating for a system similar to South Africa's apartheid for Japan's immigrants. She had also advocated for women to quit their jobs after becoming pregnant.

Reviews

[T.]

Found out about this here: https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclu...

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book because I love St. Maximillian Kolbe and because of the reviews on it. I never did warm to the book. The author claimed to be Catholic and yet she seemed to be totally ignorant on some of the most basic beliefs of Catholicism and I had a hard time liking her when she would go to the Holy Mass and then declare she didn't believe in an afterlife. Really?
She seemed to be very cold and dismissive of most of the people she interviewed and was skeptical of the miracles attributed to St. Kolbe.
There were some interesting people to be interviewed, but she seemed to lack real journalistic abilities. Maybe this is just a culture thing. I would recommend reading a good biography on St. Kolbe and pass this on this one.

[Nathaniel Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a ton to recommend it--Kolbe, Japan, investigating miracles--but it really fell short of expectations. The sequences in Auschwitz had a bit of power to them, but most of the novel gets bogged down in citing documents or retelling minor details of the various attested miracles from different perspectives that it was frequently a slog to read. Approaching it as more of a (somewhat dry) work of creative nonfiction than a novel helps its case somewhat, but it nevertheless largely lacked the mysticism and depth that the story deserved.

[Nicholas Ferrucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some readers might not be able to appreciate the book as much. If one has an idea on Japanese literature and culture, this style of writing isn't really any different. Some people might think that the main character is annoying and too doubtful. Again, this is only a novel.

I like how the lead character tries to do field investigations on the miracles attributed to Maximilian Kolbe. What makes something a coincidence? What makes something a miracle?

The book is not perfect, at least for me. But overall, I think the book is very good.

[Kelly Durocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautiful!!