The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto

by Kenji Nakagami

Book Overview

Explosive stories of the little-known burakumin from one of Japan's great postwar literary masters. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880656396
• ISBN13: 9781880656396
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

The harder one tries to escape, the tighter the bonds become

In "The Cape" (5 stars), Nakagami excels at drawing the reader into what quickly becomes a nightmarish reality and oppressive existence for the protagonist Akiyuki, a young man who only wants to live a simple life, and yet is unable to escape the chains and fetters of his bloodline. He is defined, and defines himself, by his relation to others--his mother, his siblings, but most of all, his father. In the climax of the story, in his desperation to fight against his father's influence in his life, Akiyuki becomes most like his father--drunk, wild, and in bed with a prostitute (who very likely is his father's daughter, Akiyuki's own half-sister!). The more Akiyuki fights his destiny, the closer he comes to fulfilling it. Unfortunately, "House on Fire" (4 stars) explores similar themes but without quite the same impact as "The Cape". Where "The Cape" was incredibly focused, with the plot and characters masterfully detailed, "House on Fire" tries (perhaps a little over-ambitiously) to tell the dual stories of Akiyuki's father, Yasu, and Akiyuki's later life family problems. Like "The Cape", this story is told in the third person, but the events surrounding his father are viewed from the perspective of Akiyuki's older brother (a boy of 11 or 12 at the time) whereas Akiyuki is the subject and object of the later events. The shifts in time and perspective make this very short story disjointed and difficult for the reader to become fully engaged in, unlike "The Cape". Although the "like father, like son" themes are the same, Akiyuki's personality has dramatically shifted from a well-meaning youth to a chillingly violent man, his transformation into his hated father complete. The reader is left with little sympathy for the "arsonist" father and son who destroy fragile houses made not only of wood, but of family ties. "Red Hair" (3.5 stars) is an unrelated story that tells of the sexual liaison between the blue-collar Kozo and a red-haired hitch-hiker. The story lacks the fire of a young Oe or Murakami Ryu, the twisted passion of Tanizaki or Mishima, or even the cool detachment of a Murakami Haruki and is instead essentially just a well-written, but ultimately forgettable piece of erotica. This collection of stories might have been better served had another of Nakagami's pieces been chosen, as this one is a step below the first two stories. Although "Red Hair" is a disappointment and "House on Fire" pales in comparison to "The Cape", the title story alone makes picking up this book worthwhile. Very well-written with an eye to detail, "The Cape" is clearly a direct product of Nakagami's guts and soul. Akiyuki's futile yet valiant struggle against his genes makes for a memorable work, one that personifies a gifted writer who maintains a unique place in Japanese post-war literature.