A review by jakej
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

dark reflective slow-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

My experience reading The Temple of the Golden Pavilion was peculiar. I picked it up from a bookstore in Kyoto after visiting the temple. I read the first half while in Tokyo, put it down for a few months, and then finished it back in the United States. 

 

While reading it I would continually drift off into daydreams, flooded with memories of Japan or of my own life years ago. Instead of pulling me along as a smartly paced novel would, Temple advanced at a glacial pace, content to patiently wait for me as I veered off course. 

 

Ultimately Temple has sufficiently aroused my interest in Mishima as an author, even though it didn’t convince me of his greatness. Although I was occasionally unable to parse the story’s vocabulary and ideas, much of the book is sublime, rendering an ineffable, brooding atmosphere with gorgeous prose and a simplicity of narrative. I am excited to read more of his work, or even reread Temple one day.