Name: A Personal Matter
ISBN: 9780802150615

Kenzaburō Ōe

The story of a frustrated intellectual in a failing marriage whose Utopian dream is shattered when his wife gives birth to a brain-damaged child.

A Personal Matter

 by Kenzaburo Oē and it's such a touching but harrowing tale. The copy I have was pre-owned and in good condition, but the previous owner left some annotations. On the title cover, they wrote: "Conclusion to this: a silent cry." As I read, I thought back to that ending statement so many times. Given Oē's strong connection to the book and the semi-autobiographical nature of post-war Japanese literature, I felt like it was accurate.

Bird's poor child was framed as a centerpiece of the story, but the scenes revolving around the little boy were placed as a backdrop to Bird's story of mental anguish and promiscuous struggle. The depiction of his wife struck a chord in me that I didn't know could be pulled.

Overall, I'm enjoying the story so far. I'm excited to continue it.

sabuu

a personal matter: a silent cry

Currently, I'm reading A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oē and it's such a touching but harrowing tale. The copy I have was pre-owned and in good condition, but the previous owner left some annotations. On the title cover, they wrote: "Conclusion to this: a silent cry." As I read, I thought back to that ending statement so many times. Given Oē's strong connection to the book and the semi-autobiographical nature of post-war Japanese literature, I felt like it was accurate.

Bird's poor child was framed as a centerpiece of the story, but the scenes revolving around the little boy were placed as a backdrop to Bird's story of mental anguish and promiscuous struggle. The depiction of his wife struck a chord in me that I didn't know could be pulled.

Overall, I'm enjoying the story so far. I'm excited to continue it.

Connor Bragg

** spoiler alert **
           I’m conflicted by this book. On the one hand it is a wonderfully written and crafted story. On the other it portrays a character I hated for almost all of the book. Maybe it showed me the darkest possibilities of myself and that’s why it disturbed so much. Maybe it made me empathize with someone who is seemingly impossible to empathize with. I’m not sure right now, but Ōe knows how to write and that’s enough.

Ezra Alie

Going into this book, I expected it to be a darker version of Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, but I wasn't prepared for just *how* dark (or how horny) it is. I was going to give it 4 stars, but the masterful ending convinced me it's 5-star material. Ōe is a legend.

Gabriela Roxana 

This was the sickest book I have ever read.