The emissary

by

138 pages

English language

Published Nov. 11, 2018

ISBN:
978-0-8112-2762-9
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OCLC Number:
992742755

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3 stars (3 reviews)

Japan, after suffering from a massive irreparable disaster, cuts itself off from the world. Children are so weak they can barely stand or walk: the only people with any get-go are the elderly. Mumei lives with his grandfather Yoshiro, who worries about him constantly. They carry on a day-to-day routine in what could be viewed as a post-Fukushima time, with all the children born ancient--frail and gray-haired, yet incredibly compassionate and wise. Mumei may be enfeebled and feverish, but he is a beacon of hope, full of wit and free of self-pity and pessimism. Yoshiro concentrates on nourishing Mumei, a strangely wonderful boy who offers "the beauty of the time that is yet to come."A delightful, irrepressibly funny book, The Emissary is filled with light. Yoko Tawada, deftly turning inside-out "the curse," defies gravity and creates a playful joyous novel out of a dystopian one, with a legerdemain uniquely her …

1 edition

reviewed The emissary by Yōko Tawada

Never hooked me

2 stars

I wanted to fall in love with this book after reading Tawada's 'Scattered All Over the Earth,' but it just never hooked me. There isn't much of a plot to speak of, just a series of recollections about people and places outside of time. There are some unique ideas and fun wordplay as in Tawada's other work, just not enough of a story to keep me interested. I shelved it before finishing it. Life's too short for books that don't excite you.

reviewed The emissary by Yōko Tawada

Review of 'The emissary' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Wonderfully weird. Super generation of old people doing all the work because current generation bodies are too week. This work almost seems like political satire like Party Members. It riffs on climate change, corrupt govt, old people that live forever in Japan, helicopter parenting, and isolationism/protectionism. This book is one of those books that sort of defies description. If you are interested in Asia, and like dark humour/satire, you should enjoy this.

avatar for knowledgelost

rated it

2 stars

Subjects

  • Societies
  • Ethics
  • Group identity
  • Fiction

Places

  • Japan