Yūko Tsushima (1947–2016)
Author of Territory of Light
About the Author
Image credit: Japanorama
Works by Yūko Tsushima
Associated Works
Other Voices, Other Vistas: Short Stories from Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America (1992) — Contributor — 212 copies, 2 reviews
群像 2008年 01月号 [雑誌] — Contributor — 1 copy
現代詩手帖 1979年 02月号 特集・悪漢グラフィティ — Contributor — 1 copy
月刊ポエム 1978年 02月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
津島佑子: 土地の記憶、いのちの海 — Contributor — 1 copy
現代詩手帖 1977年 10月号 特集 抒情のありか・70年代の新鋭 — Contributor — 1 copy
新潮 1990年 09月号 現代SFの冒険 — Contributor — 1 copy
海 1977年06月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
カイエ 創刊号 1978年 07月号 特集・80年代文学へ向けて — Contributor — 1 copy
海 1983年6月号 現代詩1983年[1] — Contributor — 1 copy
ユリイカ 詩と批評 1977年 02月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
自然読本 夢・眠り 夜明かしする人悩む人、夢見る人は眠る人 — Contributor — 1 copy
新潮 2010年 03月号 [雑誌] — Contributor — 1 copy
るしおる (31) — Contributor — 1 copy
平成の名小説 （新潮2019年08月号増刊） — Contributor — 1 copy
津島佑子展 いのちの声をさかのぼる — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Tsushima, Yūko
- Legal name
- Tsushima, Satoko
- Birthdate
- 1947-03-30
- Date of death
- 2016-02-18
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Shirayuri Women's University
- Occupations
- writer
critic - Relationships
- Dazai, Osamu (father)
- Nationality
- Japan
- Birthplace
- Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan
- Place of death
- Tokyo, Japan
- Associated Place (for map)
- Tokyo, Japan
Members
Reviews
I was hypnotized by this book from the very beginning. I don't read many books about mothers -- is that strange? This was constantly tipping back and forth between scenes where I read, set at a comfortable distance from the narrator and her feelings, to scenes where I identified SO INTENSELY that I was awash with sympathetic guilt, exhaustion, anxiety, or quiet awe.
At the beginning of the novel, she separates from her husband and moves into an apartment with her two-year-old daughter. Over show more the next year and a half, she attempts to make a life for herself and her daughter, while untangling them both from her husband, and figuring out how to be a good parent to a toddler while she herself is struggling. The lack of support she has coupled with the judgements she faces from all sides, and her own judgements of herself leave her frequently feeling a bit untethered and adrift -- a stress a child can't help but pick up on. The ways she both accepts and rebels against responsibility for every aspect of her daughter's behavior -- that slides from apathy if not defensive rage to guilt and panic -- cannot help but be relatable to many mothers, whether or not the specific circumstances causing those reactions are familiar.
This was such an impulse purchase for me -- I had seen the cover image over and over on Instagram, but don't think I had even read any of the reviews. I am very glad to have discovered this one. A quiet, deeply empathetic novel. show less
At the beginning of the novel, she separates from her husband and moves into an apartment with her two-year-old daughter. Over show more the next year and a half, she attempts to make a life for herself and her daughter, while untangling them both from her husband, and figuring out how to be a good parent to a toddler while she herself is struggling. The lack of support she has coupled with the judgements she faces from all sides, and her own judgements of herself leave her frequently feeling a bit untethered and adrift -- a stress a child can't help but pick up on. The ways she both accepts and rebels against responsibility for every aspect of her daughter's behavior -- that slides from apathy if not defensive rage to guilt and panic -- cannot help but be relatable to many mothers, whether or not the specific circumstances causing those reactions are familiar.
This was such an impulse purchase for me -- I had seen the cover image over and over on Instagram, but don't think I had even read any of the reviews. I am very glad to have discovered this one. A quiet, deeply empathetic novel. show less
“No matter how she pushed herself, she couldn’t manage anything apart from the round trip, toting Akira, between home and the nursery and on to the restaurant. A day, a week, a month had gone by like sand sifting past her body, odorless and tasteless.”
Yuko Tushima’s works happened to find me as I started my journey into motherhood. Though I am very fortunate to not have experienced the abuse her protagonist was forced to endure, I was floored by how accurately Tsushima detailed the show more grueling lifestyle changes and dissonant feelings of unconditional love and stress that I myself experienced as a new mom. Reading each page felt like I was entering something deeply personal to the author and yet also universally relatable to many mothers around the globe.
Another thing I appreciated was how the protagonist was so realistically human. She was naïve and reckless at times, but I loved how Tsushima wrote her with so much empathy and without judgment. Her depiction of the marginalization of single women in Japan is heart-wrenching.
I enjoyed this novel as much as I enjoyed her other work, Territory of Light. I highly recommend both to mothers and single parents who want to feel heard. show less
Yuko Tushima’s works happened to find me as I started my journey into motherhood. Though I am very fortunate to not have experienced the abuse her protagonist was forced to endure, I was floored by how accurately Tsushima detailed the show more grueling lifestyle changes and dissonant feelings of unconditional love and stress that I myself experienced as a new mom. Reading each page felt like I was entering something deeply personal to the author and yet also universally relatable to many mothers around the globe.
Another thing I appreciated was how the protagonist was so realistically human. She was naïve and reckless at times, but I loved how Tsushima wrote her with so much empathy and without judgment. Her depiction of the marginalization of single women in Japan is heart-wrenching.
I enjoyed this novel as much as I enjoyed her other work, Territory of Light. I highly recommend both to mothers and single parents who want to feel heard. show less
First published 1978, [b:Child of Fortune|1536879|Child of Fortune|Yūko Tsushima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1184880371l/1536879._SY75_.jpg|1529013] follows an independent woman named Koko and her tweenage daughter Kayako. Koko is divorced and effectively lives alone, as Kayako stays with Koko's sister for most of the week. It is a short novel of complex and subtle characterisation rather than plot. Koko is a compelling and sympathetic protagonist, show more although she's clearly not a good mother to Kayako. The tension of the family dynamics is shown with great insight in scenes like this:
I appreciated the sympathy and insight Tsushima had for her female characters, who were all trying their best with no real help from the feckless men in their lives. [b:Child of Fortune|1536879|Child of Fortune|Yūko Tsushima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1184880371l/1536879._SY75_.jpg|1529013] is a subtle and memorable little novel. It would have been nice if this new edition had included an afterword or translator's note, though. show less
Her sister exchanged smiling glances with her own children for a long moment, then suddenly grew serious. "But isn't there something wrong with you? They say that when your weight changes very quickly it generally means you're ill. It's awful the amount you've put on. Have you been to a doctor?"
Koko shook her head, unable to find her voice. It wasn't time yet, not until dinner was over - or so at least she consoled herself. Not only had she lost her voice, but she was beginning to feel hot under the gaze of the three children. Strange, she thought, are people really so vague about what they see in others? Passengers on a train would surely be better judges of her this bulging belly. Why were her sister and the children so very certain that she couldn't be pregnant? The unsuspecting looks on all their faces let her helplessly irritated - thought she told herself she was behaving like a child who digs a trap then feels thwarted when no one falls in.
I appreciated the sympathy and insight Tsushima had for her female characters, who were all trying their best with no real help from the feckless men in their lives. [b:Child of Fortune|1536879|Child of Fortune|Yūko Tsushima|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1184880371l/1536879._SY75_.jpg|1529013] is a subtle and memorable little novel. It would have been nice if this new edition had included an afterword or translator's note, though. show less
Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima is a slender volume which is episodic due to its initial release as a serial in a monthly journal. That said, it still holds together as a novel because it takes place over the course of a year, each chapter taking place in subsequent months.
This is the type of novel one can read in a single sitting quite easily, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think this warrants a slower read with time between chapters to think about what happened, what it means, and how show more the character may have changed. In that sense this might be better read as a collection of related short stories even though it isn't.
At times poignant and tender, at times harsh and almost cruel, Territory of Light illustrates the fluctuations of everyday life, especially after a life-altering decision. What seems certain one moment is questionable the next. Plans become merely hopeful predictions while surprises become the new normal. These aspects will speak to all readers. The fact that this is a woman in a very gender-conscious society speaks specifically to any readers who know what it is like to battle not only personal obstacles but societal ones as well.
I highly recommend this for readers who might like to read and think about the day-to-day process of living, flaws and mistakes included. While very specific it also offers multiples avenues into the narrative so that any reader will be able to find something with which to empathize.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads. show less
This is the type of novel one can read in a single sitting quite easily, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think this warrants a slower read with time between chapters to think about what happened, what it means, and how show more the character may have changed. In that sense this might be better read as a collection of related short stories even though it isn't.
At times poignant and tender, at times harsh and almost cruel, Territory of Light illustrates the fluctuations of everyday life, especially after a life-altering decision. What seems certain one moment is questionable the next. Plans become merely hopeful predictions while surprises become the new normal. These aspects will speak to all readers. The fact that this is a woman in a very gender-conscious society speaks specifically to any readers who know what it is like to battle not only personal obstacles but societal ones as well.
I highly recommend this for readers who might like to read and think about the day-to-day process of living, flaws and mistakes included. While very specific it also offers multiples avenues into the narrative so that any reader will be able to find something with which to empathize.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads. show less
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