We do get feelings and opinions (she’s so passionate about ebooks, for example), but she never gets emotional. I love how matter-of-fact her voice is. She’s describing everything objectively, even casually (this is her everyday life, after all). She comes across as a very strong person. I’m sure that being very comfortable financially helps. How do people with her condition and fewer or no financial means cope at all?
I’m not sure what to make of 田中くん . I’m hoping we’ll revisit later. She even wonders if he’s an incel? But in any case, why does VR have anything to do with it? How would it cause him any (extra) trouble? I guess I just don’t know anything at all about him (yet?).
In the passage you quoted, I was more impressed by 日本では社会に障害者はいないことになっているので. The default is for them to be excluded, just like that, apparently. It’s not only Japan. It’s a vicious cycle: Less accessibility means less apparent need for accessibility, as disabled people tend to not be visible, as they can’t even get out of their homes without help, let alone work or study.
In Japan, a “eugenic” law permitted involuntary sterilization of people with intellectual or mental disability from 1948 to 1996. More than 16,500 women and men were sterilized against their will.
Yes, I deliberately left that first part in because I agree that the first statement is terrible, in my opinion only made worse by the latter part. At least when I talk to disabled people in her supposedly as better described “western” world (since she mentions France and the US, I will just use western), they still feel often feel invisible from society and not sufficiently included – but even that imperfect status quo is considered アグレッシブな配慮. I mean, it’s not that hard to make an ebook readable by screen readers – I work a lot with digital accessibility and it’s quite easy. That this isn’t the status quo is just insanity to me. It’s minimum effort.
I have to collect my thoughts more to comment on how to story developed, but I have a hard time putting the book down! But now I have to head into work, so maybe I’ll have more time to formulate my thoughts later on.
I finished the book.
I think I’ll collect my thoughts some more and then write more about my impressions. All in all, I think it’s an important book and I would definitely read more from 市川 沙央.
I read a bunch of reviews on bookmeter and feel like the book did cause the reaction the author intended, although I am just assuming that.
I’m impressed with your speed. All the katakana and cultural references have reduced my reading speed considerably. Large parts of the book feel more like an essay than fiction. I guess the book is somewhere in between anyway.
Also, thanks for all the cultural context links. They really helped.
I also had the same impression after finishing, reading reviews and also explaining the plot of the book to a friend and hearing their reaction. All in all, that made me really impressed with the book , especially the ending .
Honestly, some things I was just ok with not understanding as well (especially surrounding smut vocabulary – I get what was going on there without understanding every word in detail ). That made me go faster for sure. Also, some sections felt way easier than others and were pretty straight forward (especially towards the end, so since you’re now at section 8, I think you might be getting into the parts that are kind of binge-reading-able. )
Seems like I have quite a bit of catching up to do, but now that 1 BC is done, I can focus on this. It’s short at least. Looking forward to unspoilering your thoughts.
This is surprisingly easy (read up to the paragraph starting “COVID-19” - my ebook doesn’t have sections) and now I am wondering if I am missing something, since ppl seemed to struggle with the beginning.
tbf, I am reading with the audiobook so maybe that makes it easier?
You’re probably far better than me then, or have read very different things that make this easy for you. I do sometimes find that I struggle with different things than most people, and find easier things that most people find harder. I guess it’s subjective. But I found it difficult throughout, with some parts easier than others. So much unknown vocabulary, so much katakana that my dictionary refused to explain and I had to google, so many names and cultural references.
Anyway, I just finished. And if someone who also finished could kindly explain the ending to me (after Ezekiel) I’d be grateful. I feel somewhat stupid today.
Was this another of her stories? Was she the story of this girl at the end? Something else? Also why did the creepy helper guy quit without taking the money after all? I never quite understood him or their interactions.
I also read with the audiobook and struggled. But I think my level is very low anyway, so I wouldn’t be surprised by you having less issues Most of my time was spent looking up things that don’t have straight forward dictionary entries or things that need more reading up since it’s a japanese society thing that I don’t know about
Thank you! These confirm to me that the book was deliberetaly complex, and that I’m not stupid for not immediately understanding on a surface level. Among so many other names, David Lynch is mentioned there at the end and this should be a clear clue that reality and dream might indistinguishably blur into each other.
All in all, I can say I’m impressed. I too would like to revisit it when I’m more fluent, and better equiped to look for themes behind the obvious.
Oh yeah sorry for not spelling that out, I agree completely!! I also think the author is extremely well read and obviously has really good education. I think even for native speakers this is complex.
Maybe we can revisit the book club in a year and read the book again and check our new (?) understandings.
During dinner scene:
So, apparently how names are written are sometimes important, because the audiobook makes a note on what kanji 釈華 is written with, but that’s the first, so far. Or maybe it’s the first that’s unusual? I am not good with Japanese names, so… but I have never come across an audiobook that gave reading explanations.
My take on this: Because he is the one who would have to deal with it (because he seems to be the only tech savvy person in that facility, looking at that LINE chat), which would add to his burden (in his mind at least). And he thinks he is already underprivileged as is (that’s why MC makes the incel comment) and weak people with money should be careful not to burden others just because they have money. It felt a bit like a threat, and I too had a こわっ moment.
Section 5 (?):
左手の中で減っていく残ページの緊張感 made me do a double-take… my brain was like “wrong hand” and then “oh, Japanese. Of course.”
That part really jump scared me when it was the first thing I listened to really early in the morning because I didn’t expect them to act that one out I hope I didn’t wake anyone up…
). That made me go faster for sure. Also, some sections felt way easier than others and were pretty straight forward (especially towards the end, so since you’re now at section 8, I think you might be getting into the parts that are kind of binge-reading-able. 
)
These confirm to me that the book was deliberetaly complex, and that I’m not stupid for not immediately understanding on a surface level. Among so many other names, David Lynch is mentioned there at the end and this should be a clear clue that 
