The Housekeeper and the Professor

 

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Fiction

2009 Picador (first published in 2003)

Finished on May 23, 2023

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem--ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory.

She is an astute young Housekeeper, with a ten-year-old son, who is hired to care for him.

And every morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Though he cannot hold memories for long (his brain is like a tape that begins to erase itself every eighty minutes), the Professor’s mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. And the numbers, in all of their articulate order, reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the Housekeeper and her young son. The Professor is capable of discovering connections between the simplest of quantities--like the Housekeeper’s shoe size--and the universe at large, drawing their lives ever closer and more profoundly together, even as his memory slips away.

The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family.

There was a lot of buzz about The Housekeeper and the Professor a decade or so ago. Many of my blogging friends raved about this thoughtful novel, and when I came across it while browsing in a favorite independent bookstore (Cloud & Leaf Bookstore in Manzanita, Oregon), I decided it was time to finally buy a copy. The book is only 180 pages, and can be read in a day or two, but I chose to savor this quiet novel, which is very readable despite the vast array of mathematical equations and formulas. You don't need to be a math whiz to enjoy this story, nor do you have to care about baseball, the latter of which was unexpected and an added bonus! 

As noted in the publisher's blurb, the Professor suffers from memory loss, living with only eighty minutes of memory. And yet, he is fully capable of solving (and teaching) complex mathematical equations, bringing him joy and comfort. 

Soon after I began working for the Professor, I realized that he talked about numbers whenever he was unsure of what to say or do. Numbers were also his way of reaching out to the world. They were safe, a source of comfort.

In addition to helping the Housekeeper's son with his homework, the Professor shares an interest in baseball with his new friends. None of the three have ever been to a game in person, so the Housekeeper decides to treat them to a Tigers game against Hiroshima. 

As we reached the top of the stairs that led to the seats above third base, all three of us let out a cry. The diamond in all its grandeur was laid out before us--the soft, dark earth of the infield, the spotless bases, the straight white lines, and the manicured grass. The evening sky seemed so close you could touch it, and at that moment, as if they had been awaiting our arrival, the lights came on. The stadium looked like a spaceship descended from the heavens.

I love it when a book forces me to slow down and pause, making me think more deeply about the actions and connections between characters. Not only did I feel this way about The Housekeeper and the Professor, but I noticed that I was reflecting on similar novels such as The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (another lovely, quiet Japanese novel) and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Perhaps it's the tender bond that develops between strangers, kindness expressed, patience observed, ultimately growing into close friendships, or even love, that links these works of literary fiction. Or, maybe it's the simplicity of beautiful writing, not a single wasted word.

Highly recommend. I loved it.

Convenience Store Woman

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Fiction
2018 Grove Press
Finished on January 21, 2020
Rating: 1/5 (Poor)

Publisher's Blurb:

Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers' style of dress and speech patterns so she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life but is aware that she is not living up to society's expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko's contented stasis—but will it be for the better?

Sayaka Murata brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the familiar convenience store that is so much part of life in Japan. With some laugh-out-loud moments prompted by the disconnect between Keiko's thoughts and those of the people around her, she provides a sharp look at Japanese society and the pressure to conform, as well as penetrating insights into the female mind. Convenience Store Woman is a fresh, charming portrait of an unforgettable heroine that recalls Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, and Amelie.

My dear friend Meredith (of Dolce Bellezza) has been hosting a Japanese Literature challenge for the past 13 years. Every year I consider participating in this event, but I have to admit it's not a genre I particularly care for. Prior to reading Convenience Store Woman, I think the only other translated Japanese book that I've read is Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. I was disappointed with both of these books, not quite understanding their large appeal. While perusing the reviews on Goodreads for Convenience Store Woman, I was surprised to see so many 4 and 5 star ratings. Not only did readers love this novel, but they thought it was brilliant! I scrolled and scrolled, searching for a 1 or 2 star rating, but they were few and far between. I am definitely in the minority on this one. The dialogue was unrealistic and stilted and the premise of the story was unsettling and ridiculous. After a dozen or so pages, I grew bored and impatient to finish. Had it not been such a short book, I would have given up halfway through.

Click here to read Bellezza's thoughts on this novel.

Looking Back - A Bridge Between Us

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

A Bridge Between Us by Julie Shigekuni
Fiction
1996 Anchor
Finished on August 8, 1996
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Four generations of Japanese American women make their home in a large house in San Francisco, united by the obligations of family and tradition and, perhaps, by love. In alternating chapters, the four women--Reiko, Rio, Tomoe, and Nomi Hito--speak with unflinching honesty about their lives, the secrets that have separated mother and daughter, and the fierce ties of intimacy that form an inextricable bridge between them.With the touch and power of a master storyteller, Julie Shigekuni gracefully interweaves four distinctive voices to shape a moving story of love and the courage it requires. In baring the heart of one family, she illuminates the truths about families, real and imagined, we all create.

My Original Notes:

Very, very good. Reminded me of Amy Tan's style of writing. I really enjoyed it, except the last couple of chapters were strange and disturbing. But really a great novel.


My Current Thoughts:

Once again, this is a book of which I have no recollection. So odd since I obviously enjoyed it.

Looking Back - The Sound of Waves

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
Fiction
1994 Vintage Books
Finished on August 4, 1996
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good!)

Publisher's Blurb:

Set in a remote fishing village in Japan, The Sound of Waves is a timeless story of first love. It tells of Shinji, a young fisherman, and Hatsue, the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach, upon her return from another island, where she had been training to be a pearl diver. They fall in love, but must then endure the calumny and gossip of the villagers.

My Original Notes (1996):

Very good! Beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A quick read, also.

Some of the dialogue seemed simplistic, maybe due to the translation?

My Current Thoughts:

Yikes. I have no recollection, good or bad, about this novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
(translated by Alexander O. Smith with Elye J. Alexander)
Mystery/Thriller
2011 Minotaur Books
Finished 2/26/11
Rating: 2.5/5 (Average)
FTC Disclosure: Received ARC via B&N


Publisher’s Blurb:

One of today’s most sophisticated and brilliantly crafted literary thrillers.

She’s a single mother with blood on her hands. It was a murder that should have never happened. Without hesitation her enigmatic neighbor, a brilliant math teacher whose devotion towards her runs deep, calculates the perfect alibi. When evidence doesn’t add up for the authorities, the lead detective seeks the advice of his friend, a brilliant physicist, who knows the math genius from his past. What ensues is a fierce battle of wits.

How far will one mastermind go for love and the other for truth?

And how long must one woman feel indebted to her protector when her heart lies with another?

Discover Keigo Higashino as he delivers his first major English publication. Higashino is Japan’s biggest bestselling novelist.

The Devotion of Suspect X won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel—the equivalent of the National Book Award. More than 2 million copies have sold in Japan. The blockbuster motion picture spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office in Asia.

In Japan, Higashino has assumed an almost iconic status. He and Haruki Murakami are often cited in tandem as the two major writers that a general reader would be expected to know immediately, like Stephen King or James Patterson. (Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness)

And my reaction? Meh. I really didn’t care for the writing, characters or plot, but once I hit the halfway mark, I decided to keep going. I cared enough to see how the book was going to end, but overall I felt like I wasted my time.

Wendy, of Musings of a Bookish Kitty, enjoyed this thriller quite a bit more than I did; so much so that it made her top ten crime fiction list for 2010. You can find her review here.

Kitchen

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Translated from the Japanese by Megan Backus
Japanese Literature
1988 Washington Square Press
Finished on 7/30/08
Rating: 2/5 (Below Average)



The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind, if it's a kitchen, if it's a place where they make food, it's fine with me. Ideally it should be well broken in. Lots of tea towels, dry and immaculate. White tile catching the light (ting! ting!).

Product Description

With the publication of Kitchen, the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, the literary world realized that Yoshimoto was a young writer of enduring talent whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of contemporary Japanese literature. Kitchen is an enchantingly original book that juxtaposes two tales about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Mikage, the heroine, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, Mikage is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother (who is really his cross-dressing father) Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale with the kitchen and the comforts of home at its heart.

In a whimsical style that recalls the early Marguerite Duras, "Kitchen" and its companion story, "Moonlight Shadow," are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a very special writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul.


Bellezza loved this book and after reading her review, I thought I would, too. I was so surprised when she sent me a copy and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, it pains me to say that it just wasn't my cuppa tea. It was full of so much loneliness and hopelessness, that I struggled to continue reading to the end. I kept thinking I just needed to give it more time, but I found myself plodding along simply because my good friend was kind enough to send me the book.

I guess it's a case of "vanilla versus chocolate." I know Bellezza and I have quite a lot in common, but I'll bet she's a lover of chocolate ice cream. Personally, I prefer vanilla.

I would be very happy to pass on the kindness I was shown and send this to someone who thinks they might enjoy it. Just leave a comment by Wednesday night and I'll draw a name from the hat.

For further reading, go here for an interview with Banana Yoshimoto.