Woman on the Other Shore

In "The Woman on the Other Shore," Mitsuyo Kakuta’s Naoki Prize winning novel, the reader is placed into contemporary Japan. The novel provides an intimate account of the difficulties growing up in a society where the simple act of opening oneself up to friendship is filled with dangers. Tracking the stories of the two main characters, the adventurous unmarried president of her own company, Aoi Narahashi, and the timid housewife, Sayoko Tamura.

Sayoko’s story is set in the novel’s present. Saddened at watching her young child grow up with the same timid fears that plagued her all her life, Sayoko decides to place her child in a nursery and get a job, two decisions that are counter to the desires of her somewhat useless husband and show more nagging mother-in-law. That decision changes everything in her life, bringing her into contact with Aoi.

Aoi’s story is set in the novel’s past. There the reader learns of her unorthodox friendship with Nanako Noguchi during her first year at high school. The friendship is unusual because the entire girls’ high school has broken into cliques. This cliquish behavior includes a serious measure of bullying and cruelty. In fact, Aoi’s parents have moved out of Yokohama to live in a backwaters community to help Aoi get away from the cruelty she’d experienced in junior high school. Unlike all the other students in the high school, Nanako flits from clique to clique, never belonging to any of them. She and Aoi form a friendship that changes Aoi from a shy young lady, not too different from Sayoko, into the more dynamic woman she has become by the novel’s opening chapter.

Kakuta mixes these two stories masterfully, letting each add resonance to the other until they finally come together as the book closes. The characterizations are very real, the pacing exquisite, and the insight into human character illuminating. The place is one we in the west barely know and cannot penetrate, but that is no obstacle to enjoying this fine novel since the characters and their motivations are universal.

I strongly recommend this book, though some men might find its being set almost completely in the world of women to be a drawback. I urge them to give the book a chance by reading two chapters since the story transcends gender to become a finely drawn story of striving and achievement. show less

ebook version

Sayoko, un ama de casa de treinta y cinco años con un niño de tres, empieza a trabajar para Aoi, una mujer universitaria de su misma edad y espíritu libre que tiene una agencia de viajes y un negocio de servicio de limpieza. Tímida e incapaz de conectar con otras madres en su barrio, Sayoko se siente atraída por el estilo de vida independiente de Aoi y su personalidad tolerante. Las dos congenian desde el principio, comenzando una amistad que es para Sayoko también una reafirmación del valor de la vida. Aoi, por su parte, no siempre ha sido la persona segura de sí misma que parece ser. De adolescente sufrió bulling en el instituto y tuvo que cambiar de centro, experiencia que la marcó de tal modo que a partir de entonces se ha show more pasado la vida evitando el contacto con los demás. La amistad entre Sayoko y Aoi, por un lado, y las penurias de la Aoi adolescente, por otro, conforman una narrativa a dos niveles que converge en el arrebatador capítulo final. Una novela rica en sensibilidad y en análisis psicológicos sobre la dificultad profesional de las jóvenes madres y el dolor de ser diferente en una sociedad que privilegia la uniformidad. show less

Sayoko, un ama de casa de treinta y cinco años con un niño de tres, empieza a trabajar para Aoi, una mujer universitaria de su misma edad y espíritu libre que tiene una agencia de viajes y un negocio de servicio de limpieza. Tímida e incapaz de conectar con otras madres en su barrio, Sayoko se siente atraída por el estilo de vida independiente de Aoi y su personalidad tolerante. Las dos congenian desde el principio, comenzando una amistad que es para Sayoko también una reafirmación del valor de la vida. Aoi, por su parte, no siempre ha sido la persona segura de sí misma que parece ser. De adolescente sufrió bulling en el instituto y tuvo que cambiar de centro, experiencia que la marcó de tal modo que a partir de entonces se ha show more pasado la vida evitando el contacto con los demás. La amistad entre Sayoko y Aoi, por un lado, y las penurias de la Aoi adolescente, por otro, conforman una narrativa a dos niveles que converge en el arrebatador capítulo final. Una novela rica en sensibilidad y en análisis psicológicos sobre la dificultad profesional de las jóvenes madres y el dolor de ser diferente en una sociedad que privilegia la uniformidad. (Reseña Casa del Libro) show less

Sayoko è una casalinga trentacinquenne, moglie di Shuji e madre di un figlio di tre anni di nome Akari. Negli ultimi tempi, come se di colpo il peso della routine quotidiana le fosse caduta addosso, Sayoko sente di dover cambiare qualcosa nella propria vita e trova un impiego part-time come donna delle pulizie. La direttrice si chiama Aoi, ha la sua età, ma uno stile di vita completamente diverso dal suo. Eppure sin da subito le due donne sentono una naturale e reciproca curiosità. Durante i turni si studiano, si confidano e si domandano segretamente come sarebbe potuta essere la loro vita, se avessero fatto l'una le scelte dell'altra. Quando viene ricollocata in un gruppo speciale che si occupa di pulire alcuni appartamenti per le show more vacanze, Sayoko conosce altre dipendenti: giovani spensierate che vivono alla giornata; isteriche donne di mezza età; anziane in difficoltà economiche Ma, soprattutto, viene a sapere che Aoi, quando frequentava ancora il liceo, era stata bullizzata e aveva tentato di uccidersi assieme alla sua migliore amica... show less