Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami: My thoughts

I finally finished Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. This book had been lying on my shelf for the longest time (okay not really, there are other books way ahead in that game) but I have finally conquered it. It’s a very small, airy book and I adore it so much. This was my introduction to Kawakami and I have loved her writing style so very much in this book that I will be reading more of her work in the future. It’s a matter of personal preference of course but I don’t particularly enjoy a very verbose style of writing. It feels cluttered and sometimes if a writer is skilled enough to use subtext in dialogue, that works way better. As I said, this is my personal opinion and you can disagree. I love imagery and rich descriptions as much as the next person but if given an alternative, I’ll pick up sparse prose over it. That’s why I like Kawabata and Japanese writers in general.

In this book Kawakami spins a tale of modern love in Tokyo between a young woman and her former school teacher, in a very poignant, warm, and funny way. The story is lovely and the dream-like prose is nothing short of magic. It’s interspersed with great dialogue, delicious food, and sometimes awkward but always endearing conversations between the two central characters. Highly recommended!