火花

A Very Serious Novel About Comedy

火花 is a beautiful, pensive novel about what it takes to make others laugh, self-expression, the ups and downs of friendship, dealing with one’s own insecurities, and trying to make it in show business. The story follows two friends, Tokunaga and Kamiya, who are trying to make it in Tokyo as 漫才師 throughout their youth and beyond. Belonging to separate 漫才 duos, Tokunaga asks Kamiya to become his master after seeing him perform at a festival one night, and their relationship as 後輩 and 先輩 begins.

又吉直樹’s writing is intimate and cinematic; I felt like I was there with the characters throughout their philosophical discussions in bars, drunken nights in apartments of strangers, in the crowded rooms backstage at their shows and could see the events unfolding vividly in my minds eye. Although predominantly slice-of-life, the narrative possessed a sense of momentum that propelled me forward. At times, a scene might have appeared random, yet a detail unveiled later in a chapter would suddenly infuse the story with meaning, bringing everything together. His writing breathed life into all of Tokunaga’s emotions, portraying his personal growth, failures, and joys with a touching kindness that felt so human and relatable. I even teared up while reading during one scene close to the end. Upon completing the book and understanding the significance of the title and cover image, I was not only emotionally moved, but also deeply impressed by what 又吉直樹 was able to do and convey in this novel.

This book is probably not for everyone; the language challenges alone, with a healthy amount of advanced vocabulary and philosophical diatribes written in Kansai-ben, make this one of the least accessible of the popular 芥川賞 books. On top of that, you may be a bit lost (or find the characters not very funny) if you don’t have some knowledge of how 漫才 and the entertainment industry in Japan work. But, if that doesn’t daunt you and you enjoy human dramas and introspective, character-driven novels, then I couldn’t recommend “火花” more. It’s an absolute gem and one of those special novels that made me grateful and glad that I stuck it out with Japanese.