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~ Book TW: self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt ~
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is a twisted, odd and creative coming of age story following the life of Noburo who is struggling to cope with the fact his mother, Fusako is engaged to another man, Ryuji, following the death of his father. Noburo and his friends believe they see the world in a unique way and consequently believe that they are superior to other members of society, specifically adults and more specifically their fathers. A running theme throughout the book is masculinity, honour and pride and it explores what that means and how it affects a father-son relationship. Throughout the novel you understand the internal struggle Noburo is facing - whether to trust and believe his friends or to find faith in his stepfather, whom he does like.
As I was reading the novel, I was constantly questioning the sense of the plot and the thought process behind characters and their motives. Even though there are only three main characters in the book, I don’t think these characters are fully formed or defined which makes it difficult to connect with them and understand their views. For example, towards the end Ryuji reveals something to the reader that takes us by surprise and was an aspect previously gone unmentioned – 80% into a book you would think you had understood and could predict characters. This prevailing lack of identity is even more true of Fusako as I found it very difficult to figure out how she went through the world, considering her role is only geared towards helping others – she runs her business, helps her son with homework, helps her ‘friend’ during a difficult time – where is the real Fusako? This could just be the way she was intended to be written considering the character was written by a right-wing author who believed in more conservative, traditional views for post-World War II Japan. Mishima wrote most of his works after the Second World War, which resulted in a huge cultural change in Japan, one that Mishima was not pleased with. As a right-wing Nationalist who believed westernisation and Americanism was corrupting Japan, he created Tatenokai, an unarmed civilian militia where he sought the re-installation of the Japanese Emperor. His right-wing nationalism is reflected in Fusako because it her role is merely to give and to serve. Even her importance within her business is mentioned in the light that it was her husband’s which she is now dealing with, and soon she wants to teach her new partner the ways so he can take control of the business. Additionally, Fusako seems very willing to be at the centre of the male gaze and perform knowing she is being watched. The values of Mishima and his conflict with East versus West seems to always appear in his novels, highlighting how important he thought the subject was.
One of the main weaknesses of the novel, in my opinion, is the writing style. Mishima jumps from a conversation between characters, to their thought process to a completely different scene very quickly and sometimes it’s difficult to follow, meaning that you end up re-reading paragraphs to ensure you are following the dialogue correctly. In my review for Normal People, I argued Rooney executed dialogue and narration perfectly as it had a natural flow to it, compared to Mishima’s attempt which jumped between perspectives. Ironically, it felt like being at sea during a storm.
Additionally, as someone who can handle gore very well, the underpinning violence in the novel is quite unsettling and not for someone who is squeamish. While it is clear the angle Mishima was attempting, especially when the violence comes from a group of teenagers finding their place in the world and trying to ‘make a difference’, so to speak, it does come out of nowhere for someone unaware of Mishima’s background. Throughout the authors life he advocated for Japan to revert to the traditionalist ways and it is obvious how his inability to accept modernism, Americanism and change in Japan post World War Two affected his work. The similarities are seen in the boy’s refusal to accept any man in their life because they deem them all too dumb, too masculine, too secluded or involved and overall, just not a good father figure. Mishima in his personal life too rejected people and aspects which he thought were too American, too naïve, and too Western. Through this we can see that masculinity, violence, and traditionalism are entrenched in the boys in the novel because they were in Mishima who saw Americanism, presented through Noburo’s stepfather as representing everything wrong with the modern world.
However, to contrast this, and Mishima is very good at this, his writing style does make you feel a certain way, hence my previous comment about being at sea. Throughout the novel, Ryuji tells his stepson a few anecdotes about his life at sea and the horrors and difficulties that come with a job like that. Even when the anecdotes are not being told, the turbulence of the writing style as well as the shocking violence compared to the mundane Japanese home/work life if reflective of the sea. Fair to say that by the end of the novel I was more nauseous than I would like to admit. When I do my review on The Sound of Waves it should be even more clear how Mishima is very drawn to coastal areas of Japan and uses either the calmness or the intensity of the sea to either reflect the mood of the novel or foreshadow something that is to come. In both novels, the sea can make the reader feel either calm or worried and I think that is a sign of real talent in his writing.
Overall, I think the novel is quite odd and the whole premise is an example of a simple plot told in a very unusual away. However, when you read the novel knowing the life of the author (in this book and all others, I believe) the real conflict and themes of the novel come to light and connects the emotions of the authors fed through the characters to the reader. If you’re a reader who is interested in reading books originally written in a language that isn’t English or are trying to learn Japanese and wish to read it in its native language then this really is the book for you. I will say time and time again that when it comes to Japanese classic authors like Mishima and Murakami the essence and emotion of the books are never lost in translation and if anything exacerbated. Additionally, if you like reading books of a different time or books out of your comfort zone this is one that has layers of romance, suspense and even a coming of age story.
As a challenge to anyone who reads this it would be interesting to see people read The Sailor Who Fell from the Sea with Grace as well as The Sound of Waves and have a discussion on their differences in their plot and writing style and the feelings they invoke through their separate methods.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐