我が友、スミス

My friend, Smith

我が友、スミス is a fun little novel that somehow manages to be both reserved and intense at the same time. The story follows office worker "U野" as she trains for a bodybuilding competition, grappling not just with her own body but also with society’s expectations of how women should look and act, both in daily life and on the competition stage. The prose is mostly straightforward and devoid of any excess fat—though certainly not dry or dull—methodically documenting every step of U野’s preparations in a way that is reminiscent of the act of weight training itself. Little lines that are gleaming with insight are sprinkled throughout the text, providing plenty to ponder while reading. I particularly appreciated the ending, where many threads came together nicely for a satisfying conclusion that elevated and added further depth to the entire book.

The part of 我が友、スミス that resonated deeply with me was the exploration of the gap between individual ideals and societal or group expectations. U野 struggles with this gap in the context of achieving her ideal body, but I found it relatable in terms of my own experience with learning Japanese—balancing my personal goals against societal perceptions of foreign language learners (they all speak fluently all the time!) and the Japanese learning community's ideal learner (who perhaps speaks, writes and reads like someone who is not non-native at all…🤪). This struggle is universal and can be broadly applied to everything from gender expectations, as depicted in the book, to hobbies, relationships, and careers. I believe anyone who reads this novel will find something that resonates with them and, hopefully, gain the courage to be themselves and pursue their own ideals, just like the main character!

Notes on language difficulty: When it comes to language, the main challenge in this book is most certainly the vocabulary. It uses some advanced words and idioms and along with a fair amount of speciality terms related to weight training and gym equipment. Luckily, the author explains any workouts or terminology that come up, assuming the reader doesn’t know much about weight training, which is very helpful. If you’re interested in learning fitness or gym-related vocabulary, this book is a golden resource that will teach you all the basics. I feel confident enough to visit a gym in Japan or have an in-depth conversation related to working out after reading it.