A review by blkudrna
Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I’m genuinely not sure how to feel about this book. I really enjoyed how language, food, and art were used to describe a culture, and reading about Hiruko’s invented language. However, it left me with a lot of questions (losing the ability to speak means never aging?).
SPOILERS?
It was like in the last 2 chapters the author decided they didn’t like the story they’d written up until that point and just scraped it. Really not a fan of Susanoo’s graphic hatred towards women, that added absolutely nothing to the plot and was just there to be disturbing it seems. Even so, I wish there was a conclusion about Hiruko and Susanoo instead of the weird & public therapy session between Knut and his mother. The ending in no way ties the story together, completely abandoning all discussion about what it means to lose a culture and how language ties everything together.
SPOILERS?
It was like in the last 2 chapters the author decided they didn’t like the story they’d written up until that point and just scraped it. Really not a fan of Susanoo’s graphic hatred towards women, that added absolutely nothing to the plot and was just there to be disturbing it seems. Even so, I wish there was a conclusion about Hiruko and Susanoo instead of the weird & public therapy session between Knut and his mother. The ending in no way ties the story together, completely abandoning all discussion about what it means to lose a culture and how language ties everything together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Xenophobia and Misogyny