Divorced and cut off from his family, Taro lives alone in one of the few occupied apartments in his block, a block that is to be torn down as soon as the remaining tenants leave. Since the death of his father, Taro keeps to himself, but is soon drawn into an unusual relationship with the woman upstairs, Nishi, as she passes on the strange tale of the sky-blue house next door.First discovered by Nishi in the little-known photo-book 'Spring Garden', the sky-blue house soon becomes a focus for both Nishi and Taro: of what is lost, of what has been destroyed, and of what hope may yet lie in the future for both of them, if only they can seize it.
Title: Spring Garden
Author: Tomoka Shibasaki, translated by Polly Barton
Publisher & Date: Pushkin Press, Nov 2017
Source: Netgalley
Rating: ★★★☆☆
I developed a bit of a love for Japanese literature after reading Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" a couple of years ago. For me, Spring Garden captured the mood that I am familiar with even though there isn't much in the way of a plot. I found myself drawn into the small and simple life of Taro, happily being led along with the story as we met Nishi and learnt a little more about the blue house that she is curious about. Whilst there weren't many characters in the book, I found them to be charming.
The Novella was poetic and descriptive in a way that's different from the books I usually pick up, I wasn't in a rush or trying to anticipate a story, if I was I think I would have been disappointed. Whilst Taro is written as the main character in the book and I expected that it would follow him through a small snippet of his life, really, the book is about home. The spaces in which we live and how they change and evolve, how we fill them with beautiful things and how they shape our lives.
For me, the book did end a bit abruptly and I would have liked a bit more direction in terms of a plot but this is was a lovely short read, a breath of fresh air and one to pick up if you fancy something gentle to while away an afternoon.
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