Every 14 Days...(38)

Men Without Women (Haruki Murakami)

It's fair to say that the books of Murakami (yes, that one) aren't quite what they were in his late Twentieth Century peak. While still somewhat enjoyable, there is a sense of a bit of simplistic repetition. So, where do these seven stories sit on the scale from creative enjoyment to more of the same?

Probably somewhere in the middle. His short story collections have switched between the very good to the quickly skipped over and forgotten, and while each of these entertain, the likelihood of any sticking particularly in the memory is slim.

The borrowed title for the collection perhaps reflects that fact in that they do not feel hugely original, and the theme of "men without women" is one he has explored before. But maybe I'm being harsh and these shorts stand up just as well as many of his previous works. You just feel that it needs a "Tony Takitani" or "The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday's Women" thrown into the mix to make it stand-out a little.

Days to read: 18

Days per book: 15.2

Mizoguchi and Japan (Mark le Fanu)

Now that I'm a dad and that, I probably read about more films than I actually watch. To this day, from memory, I have only seen "The Crucified Lovers" from Mizoguchi's extensive ninety-nine (such a frustrated cricketer) film oeuvre. But, given that many of these films were made pre-World War II, with many no longer surviving, not many - if any living - can claim to have seen all of his work.

Alongside Ozu and Kurosawa as one of the original masters of Japanese cinema, Mizoguchi has the claim that he got there first, his first film made in 1923, churning out dozens of now lost films in the Twenties and Thirties. While Kurosawa is known for his samurai epics and Ozu family dramas, Mizoguchi looked more at the lower ranks and underclass within Japan, and thus his works can be seen as a better reflection of the state of the nation in a period of widespread change.

Something of a feminist director, many of his films look at the lives of prostitutes and the struggles of women in Japanese society, something taken from the sacrifices his older sister made for his development. Le Fanu looks at his use of long takes and placing the camera at a distance to create a sense of realism, with the audience as voyeurs on the lives of the protagonists.

While not as well known today, Mizoguchi is one for the purists; his repeat success in Venice in the Fifties testament to this. Yes, I should definitely watch more Forties Japanese films about prostitutes...if only I had the time...I probably do have the time...I don't get out much...

Days to read: 15

Days per book: 15.2

Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)

"Pachinko" isn't a word that takes "Pa" (dad) and "chinko" (willy) to form a new, fun compound word, but rather combines "pachin" (snap or click) and "ko" (diminutive). The game is associated with a Zen-like repetitive motion within a world of sounds and flashing lights, but also Twentieth century Korean immigrant workers, as Min Jin Lee's book explores. Starting off in early Twentieth century small town Korea, it charts to journey of generations of an unorthodox family, as they cross the Sea of Japan to Osaka, suffering during World War II and subsequently building pachinko empires.

Now, books that chart generations of one family in a single novel can start to wear thin a little, feeling like brief history lessons, glossing over many areas, and lacking true depth. In some ways, "Pachinko" falls into some of these traps as the years develop, skipping to the Eighties quite quickly and abruptly, throwing in "of the time" generalisations, such as everyone having AIDS in the Eighties. Towards the end, the story tries to add too much, throwing in things suddenly in the hope of ensuring you're still awake, but overall taking away some of the good work done earlier in the book.

To start, young Sunja develops from naive country girl to strong woman as she is taken advantage of and escapes to Japan to avoid local scandal, before being forced to makes ends meet in the post-war years. All the while, the Korean yakuza associate who got her pregnant watching over her.

The social comment as to Koreans in Japan is an important one to explore, and to start, this is effective. But as the story develops, with new and varied characters thrown in, it starts to lose its depth and its way, with holes starting to appear, favouring somewhat extreme examples. As with many "epics," the interest can start to fade as breadth replaces depth.

Days to read: 21

Days per book: 15

Two Caravans (Marina Lewycka)

It's probably as interesting a time as any to read a book about Ukrainian migrant strawberry pickers. Not that the Ukraine are in the EU, but the Poles are, and some of them feature in this book. Written ten years ago, before Brexit was a thing, British-based middle-aged woman Marina Lewycka wrote "Two Caravans" about young immigrant workers in the UK, coming initially for seasonal strawberry picking.

As uncertainties today arise, the EU versus non-EU positions of the different nationalities is referred to frequently, written at a time when workers from Eastern Europe were on the increase. And I thought this would be an interesting time capsule piece to read from my wife's book shelf next to her Slash biography.

The problem with "Two Caravans", however, is perhaps a switching to guns, the criminal underworld and borderline white slavery. How much of this is true, I can neither confirm nor deny, but as a result, the look at the motivations, often naive, for coming to the UK feel a little watered-down by this. One can't help but feel what could have been an interesting look at migrant workers becomes a bit of a trashy novel in parts.

There are indeed interesting moments throughout, such as the "too many bloody foreigners" analysis of a middle-aged Pole. But trying to throw too much into one book has hindered its overall impact.

Days to read: 12

Days per book: 15.2