50books_poc | Kawabata Yasunari -- Snow Country and Thousand Cranes

4. Kawabata Yasunari, Snow Country

I had high hopes for this book, about the relationship between a wealthy urbanite and a geisha at a hot springs resort in the mountains. Unfortunately, although several of the characters were sympathetic and interesting, the narrative itself felt unsatisfying. There were too few resolutions and too many unsolved mysteries, especially regarding a few of the characters' personal histories and their interrelationships.

The writing style was also hit and miss for me. Some passages were breathtakingly lovely, only to be followed by others that were banal or excessively belabored. The translation may be partially to blame, but it can't account for infelicitous writing choices such as the metaphor in the line: "The high, thin nose was a little lonely, a little sad, but the bud of her lips opened and closed smoothly, like a beautiful little circle of leeches."

5. Kawabata Yasunari, Thousand Cranes

Much more to my taste, this is a lovely, perceptive novel about family, love, betrayal, and the tea ceremony. One brief suggestion of violence in a scene midway through the book felt out of place to me; otherwise, the story is very well crafted and the characters believable and finely drawn.