Snow Country & Thousand Cranes

I enjoyed this book more and more as it went on. The thought processes sparked by this novella are never overtly stated yet clear. In addition, the book is written in a simple language. A recurring idea in this book: Sometimes, things are what they are and not what we want them to be, even if we are unaware of why or how.

I enjoyed reading this book and it was exactly what I expected but at the same time it wasn't. The writing was great and I really loved the descriptions. You have to read a lot between the lines, however, and I was often confused about what was going on and where I was and had to go back and reread what I've just read. There's really a lot to this story and even though I didn't like the characters, I did enjoy following their story and seeing how their lives change and how this novel ends.

Shimamura, a wealthy dilettante from Tokyo, travels to the snowiest region on earth and meets up with Komako, a poor provincial geisha. Snow Country tells the story of their relationship.

It's a poem of a story, complex, brimming with both the care and indifference that characterize a deep connection between two people. Like a haiku, the details of the season, of the place, fill the margins of the story, and color the emotional resonance of the relationship. The story is mysterious, with much left unsaid or unclear, as Shimamura and Komako come together and separate and come together and separate.

A beautiful little book on the powerlessness of the poet to be anything other than what they are.

Even as it gently reveals an empathy for these innocent and wise souls it doesn't shy away from the capriciousness of what they feel, or the potential selfishness in what they are.

No matter what else, this book will make you want to go skiing in Japan.

So this short novel doesn't spell it all out for you. It takes some teasing, and the introduction read before and after the novel joined some dots.
The tale of a wealthy man from Tokyo (Shimamura), who need not work, but is a self appointed expert on Western Ballet, and his love affair with a hot springs geisha (Komako) in 'snow country' - the western coast of Japans main island where heavy snows characterise the area. He makes trips once or twice a year for a number of years throughout the story.In his first visit to the town, Shimamura is fascinated with a girl he sees on the train, a young girl named Yoko who is caring for a sick man traveling with her. Through Komako he is drawn to Yoko, who in some unexplained way is nursing Kamoko's almost-fiance. (I know - its confusing.) Often drunk Kamoko is forever changing her mind, one minute leaving the next staying, and constantly jealous of Yoko, although Shimamura has almost little to do with her. The constant jealousy of Kamoko seems to have the effect of pushing him towards Yoko, and although he never gets there, he is continually drawn to her.
So now that I have written that, I guess I need to put it in a spoiler, as it basically outlines the plot, but then, so does the summary on the inside cover, and the introduction...