Sunrise; Radiant Stories
Title of the book: Sunrise; Radiant StoriesAuthor: Erika Kobayashi (Trans Brian Bergstrom)
Publisher: Astra House
Publishing Date: 2023
ISBN: 9781662601170
Summary:
"A knockout." — Publishers Weekly (Starred review)
"A remarkable collection." —Kirkus Reviews
A collection of contemplative, lyrical stories examining the visible and invisible consequences of atomic power on Japanese society
Sunrise is a collection of interconnected stories continuing Erika Kobayashi’s examination of the effects of nuclear power on generations of women. Connecting changes to everyday life to the development of the atomic bomb, Sunrise shows us how the discovery of radioactive power has shaped our history and continues to shape our future.
In the opening, eponymous story “Sunrise,” Yoko, born exactly two years and one day after Nagasaki was decimated, mirrors her life to the development of nuclear power in Japan. In “Precious Stones,” four daughters take their elderly mother to the restorative waters of a radium spring, exchanging tales of immortality. In “Hello My Baby, Hello My Honey,” a woman goes into labor during the final days of WWII. And finally, “The Forest of Wild Birds” shows Erika visiting the site of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, touring grounds that were once covered in green.
Translator Brian Bergstrom returns in this collection, bringing to life Kobayashi’s unsettling, lasting, and striking prose. The stories in Sunrise force a reckoning with the lasting effects of known and unknown histories and asks how much of modern life is influenced by forces outside of our control.
(From goodreads)
N/A
Table of contents:
Sunrise
A tale of burning books
Precious stones
Hello my baby, hello my honey
See
Coco's century
She waited
Shedding
The flying Tobita sisters
His last bow
The forest of wild birds
Personal Opinion:
For those who have read the authors previous novel, Trinity, Trinity, Trinity ( Review coming up!) I would highly recommend on reading this collection of short stories, in particular to understand which ideas the author used and discarded in her quest for story. I think I definitely preferred the short stories, my two favorites are Radium Stones and the last story, about her visit to Forest of the Wild Birds. There is definitely something inhuman and sad about what nature touched the humans torched, and yes for those who desire to learn more about radiation and Japan in 20th century, then do read it.
This was given for review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
Comments
Post a Comment