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songsforwillow's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leoroses's review against another edition
4.75
I LOVED this book. It was exhilarating, from start to finish.
My one nitpick was that the ending was slightly anticlimactic, but other than that it was flawless. Phenomenal.
My one nitpick was that the ending was slightly anticlimactic, but other than that it was flawless. Phenomenal.
robyn1998's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be CONFUSING. I didn't dislike it but there were multiple loose ends, I did not understand the perspective at all, and some of the scenarios were described in a way that seemed almost childish. I'd be interested to find out whether the translation had any impact on the generally disjointed atmosphere of this novel
pssurmer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking
spenkevich's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this book happened in concurrence with first listening to a new song by an artist I’ve really loved in the past, and I can’t help see how my impressions on them both have helped me process my feelings on them. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize, The Woman in the Purple Skirt is the English language debut by Natsuku Imamura and lovingly translated by [a:Lucy North|3890679|Lucy North|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is a slow turning of the screws on tension about voyeurism and manipulation. As I began this book, Lorde released a new single that also has a slow creepy build to it, but when the moment comes to unleash at the end, there’s no punch. Like this novel, you listen along wondering where it will go and tell yourself “I’m into this because it has potential” despite not actually being all that into it but where the song underwhelmed, this book achieved with a turn-up-the-bass and hold on tight finale. Neither are bad and while neither are all that particularly fresh or interesting despite being quite well crafted, but still Imamura grips you and pulls you forward towards a satisfying conclusion. This brief and ravenously addicting novel pulls off a quirky “creepy but make it cute” vibe in this dark tale of obsession, workplace politics and the social structures that can destroy a person at whim through rumor and innuendo that will leave you chilled.
It’s the deadpan narration that really gets me in The Woman in the Purple Skirt. The book features a narrator like someone who has saddled up next to you at a bar and they are off-putting enough that you’re hoping they’ll leave yet somehow their story is so engaging you can’t quite cash out and leave like you know you should. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, as she introduces herself, has a seemingly innocent fascination with the Woman in the Purple Skirt that reveals itself to be an uneasy obsession. She keeps a journal of her comings and goings, worklogs, and follows her everywhere she goes. ‘I think what I’m trying to say, she tells us, ‘is that I’ve been wanting to become friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt for a very long time.’ The voyeuristic nature of the narrator, and all the clever ways Imamura finds to place the narrator in each scene to observe, pokes at the perspective of a reader in any 3rd person perspective novel. Are we, the readers, voyeurs into characters' lives, intruding upon them, taking notes on them in our minds and projecting our hopes and flaws into them?
This seems innocently creepy at first, but the narrator quickly crosses from watching to subtle interactions and manipulations, such as leaving her job notices at her own workplace and leaving shampoo at her door to help freshen up for the interview. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is built up to a near local-celebrity status through the descriptions of her, complete with an uncanny agility to move through a crowd without ever being bumped.
It should be remembered, however, that these impressions are only delivered through the mind of her obsessive observer and may be inflated to serve her vague fantasy. For while we learn the Woman in the Purple Skirt is a lonesome, unemployed person, we realize that so is the narrator. Both seem to be outsiders, the narrator with her debts and Purple Skirt who is even the target of local children’s taunting games. Yellow Cardigan’s aims to improve Woman in the Purple Skirt may be a psychological deflection from her own inability to better herself.
Most successful in the novel is the way that it employs a workplace hierarchy as a metaphor for society and all the gatekeeping therein. At the hotel both women work at, Purple Skirt (who we learn is named Mayuko Hiro, the name Mayuko from 真 (ma) for "real, genuine" with 悠 (yu) meaning "leisurely" and 子 (ko) meaning "child") excels for her athletic ability and having quickly been liked by management staff. ‘She had fully mastered how one is supposed to behave at work,’ the narrator writes, as if to show that work persona is merely a facade over the real person within. Her quick rise from outsider to special privileged insider finds her full of self-confidence expressed through a more refined and ornate outward appearance and attitude but also a target for those who wish to see social climbers fall. There is a definite class aspect to the staff, with the management being the only ones you learn their names and the general staff speaking and acting as an amalgam of faceless/nameless wage laborers. With her rise comes the threat of a fall, and dislike turns to rumors that take on a life and teeth of their own. Soon we see how much outward appearance, such as persona and public opinion, override the person within and the once empathetic Woman in the Purple Skirt appears unpleasant.
If anything, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is being taken advantage of for her abilities. As someone familiar with low-pay jobs like retail or food service, often being competent at your job leads you not to success but more responsibilities and difficult duties for very little extra compensation. The worker is often manipulated into being used more, and Purple Skirt is manipulated into far more than just work duties at the hands of the married Director. The story is a slow motion train wreck, and when the wheels come off they really fly. While the more or less inevitable happens, the descent and nervous conclusion scenes soar from the creeping melodies of the novel into a satisfying ending. There is a psychological build-up that feels at home alongside Hitchcock films or the works of [a:Patricia Highsmith|7622|Patricia Highsmith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418715271p2/7622.jpg].
While there isn’t much going on here, what does happen is done so successfully. It is a short but tight little thriller heady enough to really charm. It takes the mundane but sets it to the piercing soundtrack of old slasher films. Something I greatly appreciate is that Imamura gives the reader everything they need to know right from the start, but then never connects the dots to what occurs later, trusting the reader to make the connections the characters can’t place. It is a trust between author and reader I enjoy. There will be a lot of comparisons between this and Convenience Store Woman, which I can see due to workplace culture themes but also feel is a bit of a stretch, and while I feel Murata may have been a bit more successful with her book this is still a wonderful read. This is a quick ride, but well worth it as the eeriness of a very nuanced obsession takes an otherwise run-of-the-mill narrative and makes it shine while examining the voyeuristic nature of fiction.
3.5/5
It’s the deadpan narration that really gets me in The Woman in the Purple Skirt. The book features a narrator like someone who has saddled up next to you at a bar and they are off-putting enough that you’re hoping they’ll leave yet somehow their story is so engaging you can’t quite cash out and leave like you know you should. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, as she introduces herself, has a seemingly innocent fascination with the Woman in the Purple Skirt that reveals itself to be an uneasy obsession. She keeps a journal of her comings and goings, worklogs, and follows her everywhere she goes. ‘I think what I’m trying to say, she tells us, ‘is that I’ve been wanting to become friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt for a very long time.’ The voyeuristic nature of the narrator, and all the clever ways Imamura finds to place the narrator in each scene to observe, pokes at the perspective of a reader in any 3rd person perspective novel. Are we, the readers, voyeurs into characters' lives, intruding upon them, taking notes on them in our minds and projecting our hopes and flaws into them?
This seems innocently creepy at first, but the narrator quickly crosses from watching to subtle interactions and manipulations, such as leaving her job notices at her own workplace and leaving shampoo at her door to help freshen up for the interview. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is built up to a near local-celebrity status through the descriptions of her, complete with an uncanny agility to move through a crowd without ever being bumped.
’Some people would pretend they hadn’t seen her, and carry on as before. Others would quickly move aside, to give her room to pass. Some would pump their fists and look happy and hopeful. Others would do the opposite and look fearful and downcast. (It’s one of the rules that two sightings in a single day means good luck, while three means bad luck.)’
It should be remembered, however, that these impressions are only delivered through the mind of her obsessive observer and may be inflated to serve her vague fantasy. For while we learn the Woman in the Purple Skirt is a lonesome, unemployed person, we realize that so is the narrator. Both seem to be outsiders, the narrator with her debts and Purple Skirt who is even the target of local children’s taunting games. Yellow Cardigan’s aims to improve Woman in the Purple Skirt may be a psychological deflection from her own inability to better herself.
Most successful in the novel is the way that it employs a workplace hierarchy as a metaphor for society and all the gatekeeping therein. At the hotel both women work at, Purple Skirt (who we learn is named Mayuko Hiro, the name Mayuko from 真 (ma) for "real, genuine" with 悠 (yu) meaning "leisurely" and 子 (ko) meaning "child") excels for her athletic ability and having quickly been liked by management staff. ‘She had fully mastered how one is supposed to behave at work,’ the narrator writes, as if to show that work persona is merely a facade over the real person within. Her quick rise from outsider to special privileged insider finds her full of self-confidence expressed through a more refined and ornate outward appearance and attitude but also a target for those who wish to see social climbers fall. There is a definite class aspect to the staff, with the management being the only ones you learn their names and the general staff speaking and acting as an amalgam of faceless/nameless wage laborers. With her rise comes the threat of a fall, and dislike turns to rumors that take on a life and teeth of their own. Soon we see how much outward appearance, such as persona and public opinion, override the person within and the once empathetic Woman in the Purple Skirt appears unpleasant.
If anything, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is being taken advantage of for her abilities. As someone familiar with low-pay jobs like retail or food service, often being competent at your job leads you not to success but more responsibilities and difficult duties for very little extra compensation. The worker is often manipulated into being used more, and Purple Skirt is manipulated into far more than just work duties at the hands of the married Director. The story is a slow motion train wreck, and when the wheels come off they really fly. While the more or less inevitable happens, the descent and nervous conclusion scenes soar from the creeping melodies of the novel into a satisfying ending. There is a psychological build-up that feels at home alongside Hitchcock films or the works of [a:Patricia Highsmith|7622|Patricia Highsmith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418715271p2/7622.jpg].
While there isn’t much going on here, what does happen is done so successfully. It is a short but tight little thriller heady enough to really charm. It takes the mundane but sets it to the piercing soundtrack of old slasher films. Something I greatly appreciate is that Imamura gives the reader everything they need to know right from the start, but then never connects the dots to what occurs later, trusting the reader to make the connections the characters can’t place. It is a trust between author and reader I enjoy. There will be a lot of comparisons between this and Convenience Store Woman, which I can see due to workplace culture themes but also feel is a bit of a stretch, and while I feel Murata may have been a bit more successful with her book this is still a wonderful read. This is a quick ride, but well worth it as the eeriness of a very nuanced obsession takes an otherwise run-of-the-mill narrative and makes it shine while examining the voyeuristic nature of fiction.
3.5/5
mrgnreadsabook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lah123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
3.0
Proof that I ate a meal and drank a coffee out of my house this year. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is fairly impassive in tone but gently creepy in mood. The reader spends the book piecing together who the voyeuristic narrator is. The Japanese fiction we’re seeing translated into English at the moment seems particularly interested in the workplace and how time is spent at work, a topic I am always interested in. But this is ultimately a book about isolation, loneliness and what it means to be seen. Translated by Lucy North.
pipsy's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I went into The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura with no expectations and still ended up disappointed. It was a Libby recommendation as a similar book to The Hike, by Lucy Clarke (which I had just finished and was a lukewarm experience, so maybe it's my fault for not realizing this book would not be spectacular).
The narrative centres on a peculiar woman—simply referred to as the Woman in the Purple Skirt—who piques the narrator's curiosity—the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. The story moves in a strange way as the narrator seems to be fascinated and consumed by this mysterious figure. Though the idea had great promise, the way it was carried out left me disappointed. What may have been a captivating study of social dynamics and obsession turn into dull and meaningless reading.
The novel is filled with introspective monologues that delve deeply into the narrator's thoughts and feelings, which could have help create interesting layers. However, I still found the character lacked development. The lack of compelling arcs made me feel disconnected from both women, and I struggled to invest emotionally in their predicaments.
One of the main subjects of the book is the battle between involvement and observation. The narrator spends her days observing the Woman in the Purple Skirt from a distance; although this viewpoint offers some interesting insights, it also made me feel detached and made it hard for me to fully engage with the story.
I felt quite disheartened as I finished the book. The conclusion seemed abrupt and inadequate, rather than the closure I had hoped for. It left me with more questions than answers, which could be good for a novel, but in this instance felt like a lost opportunity to connect the several threads of the plot.
Simply said, The Woman in the Purple Skirt presents a fascinating concept and features moments of lyrical beauty, but it did not provide a memorable experience. The writing's introspective nature, combined with a lack of major character development and irregular pacing, made it uninteresting.
If you enjoy slow, contemplative reads and can appreciate a more subtle approach to storytelling, you might find value in this book. For others looking for an exciting and interesting story, though, it may be wiser to search elsewhere.
The narrative centres on a peculiar woman—simply referred to as the Woman in the Purple Skirt—who piques the narrator's curiosity—the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. The story moves in a strange way as the narrator seems to be fascinated and consumed by this mysterious figure. Though the idea had great promise, the way it was carried out left me disappointed. What may have been a captivating study of social dynamics and obsession turn into dull and meaningless reading.
The novel is filled with introspective monologues that delve deeply into the narrator's thoughts and feelings, which could have help create interesting layers. However, I still found the character lacked development. The lack of compelling arcs made me feel disconnected from both women, and I struggled to invest emotionally in their predicaments.
One of the main subjects of the book is the battle between involvement and observation. The narrator spends her days observing the Woman in the Purple Skirt from a distance; although this viewpoint offers some interesting insights, it also made me feel detached and made it hard for me to fully engage with the story.
I felt quite disheartened as I finished the book. The conclusion seemed abrupt and inadequate, rather than the closure I had hoped for. It left me with more questions than answers, which could be good for a novel, but in this instance felt like a lost opportunity to connect the several threads of the plot.
Simply said, The Woman in the Purple Skirt presents a fascinating concept and features moments of lyrical beauty, but it did not provide a memorable experience. The writing's introspective nature, combined with a lack of major character development and irregular pacing, made it uninteresting.
If you enjoy slow, contemplative reads and can appreciate a more subtle approach to storytelling, you might find value in this book. For others looking for an exciting and interesting story, though, it may be wiser to search elsewhere.
sydneymauer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25