I picked this up because I loved his near-future novel of clones being harvested for body parts! (Never Let Me Go).
Although very well done, I didn't like this book as much.
Told in the first person, the narrator, Ono, is an elderly man who, we learn, came to success and recognition as a patriotic artist during WWII. However, now that the war is over, the tides of opinion have turned, and now many that were considered to be patriots are now called traitors.
Since we only see the narrator's perspective on things, it is hard to tell how accurate his perceptions are. His daughters are shown to claim to disagree with him - but are they merely being polite? Is Ono as important as he thinks he is? (Although he keeps claiming to be humble, he certainly is not).
It's an interesting study in character and cultural attitudes, but there's not much more of a story than 'Will his daughter get married, or will the family reject the match due to Ono's reputation?'
Although very well done, I didn't like this book as much.
Told in the first person, the narrator, Ono, is an elderly man who, we learn, came to success and recognition as a patriotic artist during WWII. However, now that the war is over, the tides of opinion have turned, and now many that were considered to be patriots are now called traitors.
Since we only see the narrator's perspective on things, it is hard to tell how accurate his perceptions are. His daughters are shown to claim to disagree with him - but are they merely being polite? Is Ono as important as he thinks he is? (Although he keeps claiming to be humble, he certainly is not).
It's an interesting study in character and cultural attitudes, but there's not much more of a story than 'Will his daughter get married, or will the family reject the match due to Ono's reputation?'
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