Jeff Talarigo

Das Buch ist ruhig und poetisch erzählt. Doch die Geschichte, um die es geht, ist grausam und wuchtig. Natürlich weiß ich auch aus den Nachrichten, dass Nordkorea ein schwieriges Land ist. Aber wie es den Menschen dort geht und unter welchen Umständen sie sich zur Flucht nach China aufmachen, wo sie ebenfalls niemand möchte, das war mir nicht bewusst. In diesem Buch geht es um einen etwa 50-jährigen Ginsengjäger, der an der Grenze lebt und seine Wurzeln sucht. Er begegnet einer aus Nordkorea geflohenen Prostituierten und einem Mädchen, das mit sechs Jahren ganz alleine ist. Willkür und Gewalt bestimmen über Leben und Tod, Glück und Unglück. Das Buch ist nicht dick und liest sich gut, der Nachhall aber ist groß.… (més)

While the prose of this novel are excellent and the structure original, the story is one of overwhelming sadness, and I was glad when I was finished. The story is set in post-war Japan and spans 40 decades of the life of a 19-year old pearl diver who is diagnosed with leprosy and is exiled to a leper colony on a small island not far from where she grew up (she can see her hometown island from her new home, Nagashima). She must change her name and takes on “Miss Fuji” for the island she climbed when she was 9 with her Uncle.

Her leprosy is a mild case and she is able to remain relatively healthy compared to the other patients on the island. She struggles to accept her new life and especially the loss of her diving which she loves most in life. While she makes friends and becomes quite useful on the island; eventually becoming a nurse there, her longing for her beloved diving never ends.

Talarigo does a wonderful job of letting the reader feel Miss Fuji’s full range emotions from anger to sorrow, to longing, and even that of joy and hope. She is a complicated character with contradictory feelings about things and people (like real people do) and I found that added much to being able to relate to her and feeling empathy for her.

Although this is a relatively short book, only 237 pages, it is not a light read. There are many themes to explore and consider, it would make a very good selection for a book club.
… (més)