Seeing Voices

by electrizer

Wow, I’m reading books! Jesus, still can’t believe it myself… Probably in the period of the past two months I read more than in the preceding year Well, maybe except for when I was studying. Read Martel’s “Life of Pi”, Yoshimura’s “One Man’s Justice”, Sacks’ “Seeing Voices”, and now reading another one by Yoshimura – “Shipwrecks.” The mere fact that I got round to writing this, right now, is kinda weird. But I can consider it a part of my long-term ongoing therapy called “Starting and Doing Shit Matters, Even Though It’s Been Done Before and Probably You Won’t Change The Course of The World.” Catchy…

So yeah, I liked “One Man’s Justice” quite a bit. Maybe for its no-nonsense, unpretentious style and a bit of austerity. Japanese-style. “Shipwrecks” seems to be even slower and scantier in action, but not in content. It’s actually an interesting story taking place in a small Japanese coastal village several centuries back, where people experience hardship and have sell themselves for long-term bonds working away from their families for a lump sum of money. However, their discovery, in time turned into an official sacred tradition, was that lighting night-time bonfires on the beach lures cargo ships seeking shelter, unbeknownst to them that the bottoms of their ships are about to be ripped open by the coral reefs. Occasions like that are times of great celebration for the villagers as the loot from the ships consists of articles like money, valuables, food, and large quantities of mere wood which is possible to be turned into tools or furniture. Basically, the story is about a boy named Isaku coming to terms with the entire situation. Grim but quite fascinating.

Enjoy!