Review: A True Novel

A True Novel by Minae Mizumura
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm sorry. The first thing you hear about this book is how it is a "remaking" of Wuthering Heights. I'm not overly pedantic, and I don't even remember every detail of Wuthering Heights. And even if I did, I fully understand that a Japanese author who lives in New York in the 20th century (and has original thoughts) would write a very different novel.

Still, the one thing that I remember (and that stuck with me) about Wuthering heights was that it was supernatural. There was a literal ghost knocking at Heathcliff's window.

I understand this novel may have many other elements, but couldn't we just as well say it's a "re-imagining" of The Great Gatsby? (Taro starts off poor, becomes a rich well-known man, then disappears from public life). Actually, in a way it was more reminiscent of À la recherche du temps perdu by Proust, since it discusses a changing Japan and the passage of time, like Proust discussed his personal memories and a changing France.

Anyway, again, not to be overly pedantic, but I guess I was looking forward to an equivalent.

I'd say this is a great story about changing Japan and a gravitation toward the US (and back). There is also a story of star-crossed love spanning the entirety of the novel. But mainly, the novel is divided into two: the "I" novel and the "True" novel.


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