A review by crafalsk264
The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ogata Shingo is 62 years old and lives outside of Toyoko. When we begin following him, it is some time after the occupation (~1950s). Shingo is beginning to experience memory lapses. His son, Shuichi, is a returned Japanese soldier and is  having adjustment problems (drinking, affairs, anger). Shuichi works at the same firm as his father so he backs up his father’s mental difficulties, rides the train to and from work and reminds him when his memory fails. Yasako is Shingo’s wife of many years. Shingo initially planned to marry her beautiful sister. When the sister dies, Shingo marries Yasuko to keep a Japanese tradition. Shuichi and his wife Kikuko live with his parents. Shingo’s daughter, Fusako, has moved home with her two small daughters, Satoko (4) and Kuniko (2) when her husband, addicted to drugs, asks her to leave.

Shuichi has a mistress and spends many evenings and weekends with her. When he is home, he is frequently drunk and abusive. Shingo identifies his wife, daughter and granddaughters as homely. Shingo finds her attractive and finds her appearing in his dreams. Kikuko is an attractive young woman and she gravitates to Shingo for emotional support.  Kikuko waits on Shingo as an honored parent and turns to him for comfort, when Shuichi abuses her. When Kikuko has an abortion, he tries to spend more time at home and control his drinking. But Shingo learns that Shuichi’s past mistress is pregnant and intends to keep the child. When Shingo confronts her, she says Shuichi is not the father.

This book is a quiet inquiry into aging and its effects. Shingo questions his memory. When he can’t remember, he tries to cover by changing the subject. In his examination of his life, he questions how long does a parent have responsibility for the bad actions of their adult children. He feels some responsibility for the problems of both of his children.

The relationship with Kikuko is a sweet, affectionate friendship. They both are nature lovers who enjoy visiting parks, noticing flowers, trees, and birds around their home. Although there is some sexual fantasy , it is not acted on. The relationship provides each of them some companionship and a person to go to with problems.

This is a subtle book. Shingo goes through his life observing things from a distance. He broods on things until he convinces himself of what his opinion is. Shingo observes and questions his behavior to his family members. He also awakens regularly in the middle of the night when he hears the sound of the mountain.

“It was like wind, far away, but with a depth like a rumbling of the earth. Thinking that it might be in himself, a ringing in the ears, Shingo shook his head.
The sound stopped, and he was suddenly afraid. A chill passed over him, as if he had been notified that death was approaching. He wanted to question himself, calmly and deliberately, to ask whether it had been the sound of the wind, the sound of the sea, or a sound in his ears. But he had heard no such sound, he was sure. He had heard the mountain.”