Wayne P. Lammers, Japanese-English Translator
Evening Clouds
by Junzo Shono.
Stone Bridge Press, 2000. ISBN 1-880656-48-5 (softcover).
The once quiet country road running in front of the Ouras' house has turned into a noisy and crowded thoroughfare, so the family moves to a wooded ridge-top in the Tama hills of Kawasaki, southwest of Tokyo. But it isn't long before development begins to encroach on their remote new home as well. In telling of the Ouras' move, the process of setting down new roots, and the changes that follow, Shono creates what amounts to a meditation on how we find a place in this world, and how we both shape that place and are shaped by it.
by Junzo Shono.
Stone Bridge Press, 2000. ISBN 1-880656-48-5 (softcover).
The once quiet country road running in front of the Ouras' house has turned into a noisy and crowded thoroughfare, so the family moves to a wooded ridge-top in the Tama hills of Kawasaki, southwest of Tokyo. But it isn't long before development begins to encroach on their remote new home as well. In telling of the Ouras' move, the process of setting down new roots, and the changes that follow, Shono creates what amounts to a meditation on how we find a place in this world, and how we both shape that place and are shaped by it.
Reviews
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The Japan Times
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"Ordinary life made transcendent."
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The Atlantic Monthly
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"[A] delicate, sad novel that never admits to sadness."
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Persimmon
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"Junzo Shono, one of Japan's best kept literary secrets, challenges readers to rethink what constitutes a novel... Not unlike the trees, plants, flowers and vegetables that are so central to many of his images, Shono's style is alive and organic in the way it slithers, twists, and turns in an effort to capture the moment."
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Multicultural Review
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"[A] celebration of the very ordinary... If it seems that your attention is seldom caught by ordinary people and events, read this book and see if it changes your mind."
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