April 2, 2025
There was not a single story in this book that I didn't enjoy immensely. After finishing each short story, I had to take a break to really digest what I had read. The text itself is not prohibitively difficult, but Oe has a unique writing style and the way he structures his sentences can take some getting used to. While some of the stories are as short as 30 pages, the developments in plot and vividness of the imagery makes for an extremely rich experience. To think he could write these in his early twenties!
