The Nagano Thrift Shop: Book review




Book review

Title: The Nakano Thrift Shop
Author: Hiromi Kawakami
Genre: Fiction/ Translation (Japanese)

The Nakano Thrift shop is an endearing story about lives of offbeat characters working in a little shop that sells a wide variety of objects. The shop is set in suburban Tokyo. While the shop has curious things to sell, the people working on the shop are quirky and fascinating in their own way. 

We have our characters- Nakano who is the owner of the thrift store. He is on his third marriage and enjoys spending time with his mistress whom his colleagues nickname as ‘the bank’. There is  Nakano’s sister Masayo who thinks she has found the love of her life.  Our narrator Hitomi is in love with her colleague Takeo and in unsure about how to win his life. The book explores their bond and their loyalty to the thrift store. 

The entire story is narrated in first person from the point of view of Hitomi. She is at times naive, confused and has a tainted view of the world. There are times you see her as a young girl and times when she sounds wise for her age. As the character Masayo tells her, “You sound like an old lady.” The character of Takeo is indifferent and cold to an extent that it infuriates Hitomi. Through the narrator’s eyes we get a glimpse of these characters’ lives, feelings, emotions and also of the Japanese food and customs. 

There are times when you feel that there isn’t actually any plot. But that’s the beauty part of such books. It manages to capture the mundanity of everyday life and make it engaging. These are characters who experience changes and struggles just like anyone of us. Despite their idiosyncrasies and complexities, you cannot help but warm up to them. 

The author touches upon themes of love, life and human relationships. While the setting revolves around the thrift store, most of the story is entwined around the characters’ lives. The language is simple and the style conversational. The voice of the narrator depicts a multitude of emotions- anger, disappointment interspersed with doses of humour in between. 

The Nakano Thrift shop is one of those books that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling. Simple yet evocative.

-- 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the importance of f
Read more

The Chennai resistance

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=3cd78548-4240-47c3-a608-8432df372190 Mentality of a Chennaite is something that never fails to amaze me and other people of different cities. This city has a rich cultural heritage and people indeed try their best to preserve it as much as possible. However in spite of globalization descending upon them, with BPOs lurking at every corner, with the Burgers and pizzas invading their eateries, the typical chennaite will go by his time tested staple food. Times have changed, and Chennai itself is now invaded by population from other cities not only in India but form the world, thanks to the IT boom and the automobile hub centre that it has become. One can see the metamorphosis almost everywhere; old buildings have given way to modern architecture, arterial roads choked to the brim with modern vehicles, individual bungalows replaced by the apartments. Only the age old temples have withstood this onslaught, but they too
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the
Read more