The Sound of the Mountain: Yasunari Kawabata

Image Credit: Bookrags

Soulmuser has already made a great beginning by reading a book in half an hour in a shop!

My last book of 2009 was Yasunari Kawabata’s “The Sound of the Mountain,” a gentle portrait of aging in a Japanese family. Kawabata tells the story of Shingo, a businessman who is in the process of aging and discovers tell tale signs everyday. He is ably supported by the cast of characters that include his philandering son Shuichi, his quiet daughter-in-law Kikuko and his wife Yasuko.

Kawabata artfully constructs a delicate novel filled with lush imagery that enhance aspects of the character.

“In Kamakura in the season of the cherry blossoms, the seven-hundredth anniversary of the Buddhist capital was being celebrated. The temple bell rang all through the day. There were times when Shingo could not hear it. Kikuko heard it, apparently, even when she was working or talking; but Shingo had to listen carefully.”

Aging is the prominent theme in the novel and very poignantly Kawabata portrays Shingo’s growing frustration at not being able to sleep, at his increasing forgetfulness and deafness. He finds a gentle companion in his daughter-in-law Kikuko with whom he is more comfortable talking than his wife. His feelings towards her swing between tenderness and romantic love, which he finds embarrassing. Kawabata has handled it so masterfully that it never becomes distasteful to read about the sensual thoughts of a 60 year old. Shingo fantasizes about his daughter-in-law, has no passion left for his wife, reprises memories of longing for Yasuko’s sister, lives with disappointment in his children and becomes frustrated with the mounting signs of senescence.

My only gripe is that it moved a bit slowly but that is more than fine considering that the characters, landscapes and themes in the book are so finely woven together making some wonderful reading. Kawabata is the first Japanese writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and I would say he richly deserved it.

Verdict: Yes, read it.

Rating: 4/5