I picked up this book a few years ago when I was desperate to find something to relate my feelings to.
I adore this book but I have been reading the wrong meaning into the final line of the book.
The barkeeper calls Yozo an angel in the final line of the book. My first reading (and several repeat readings) I read this line as positive. I understood it as despite Yozo’s feelings, he was loved and I think in a way this interpretation saved my life.
However, it is clear to me now that I have read it wrong. The bartender cannot possibly know his true feelings and she only knows him as a young drunk. It also, now obvious to me, highlights how overlooked mental illness and personal struggles are. In a way, I fell into the same trap as the bartender.
I should have known better because I have read about the author’s life and his other works. Anyway, to bring this rambling to an end, I will read the book again with new eyes and a new understanding.
by jonfivejive
1 Comment
This reminds me I haven’t finished this book. I was put off at first after having read about half of it – it felt like the author’s whole shtick is just dropping sudden off-tone reveals in-between mundane stuff for shock value. Is it really deep? I’ll give it a try I guess.