Yes! That’s exactly how I felt about it too!
Now that I think about it again, I should probably try to read more stuff from 林真理子. along with my forever extending TBR pile.
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If you want more 不倫物, I could recommend 奇跡. I really enjoyed it, especially because it was based on real people (林真理子 had a friend who asked her to write the story of her relationship - what else do you do when you have a friend who is a famous author who writes about adultery) and I felt like I could be nosy in addition to enjoying a unique story. I also loved 葡萄が目に染みる for slightly more innocence and showa era shojo manga vibes (still plenty angsty though).
Ahh the ever-growing TBR…
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I finished reading the book today! I am a little lost for words about the ending. I know 麻也子 is incapable of self reflection, but the ending punched me in the face. Even down to the last line of the last page… wow. I think I loved it, though. The last chapter was a draining to read, but that was the perfect payoff and cherry on top of the mess the entire story was.
I think I need further time to process that chapter. 
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the 50s are well and alive. 
I am currently in chapter 6 and I think I enjoy all of your commentary more than the book.
I feel like potentially this books doesn’t work for me, because I am ace and this books seems to be about sex, and sex only. (Also I really dislike the MC… she is such an awful entitled brat… I so hope she gets some sweet karma.)
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And sexual frustration, so, yes, probably not the most interesting for you then 
But
Only one way to find out! You’ll probably be disappointed though.
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It has been quite a long time, but both my reading partner and I have been super busy for a good while, and so we only managed to finish the book today (but we finished 
)
Spoilers ahead!
First of all, congratulations to Mayako for finding out that it’s always the same, no matter what you change or who you have sex with – if you’re generally unhappy and keep seeing yourself as the victim, then this will remain the same forever. Kinda amazing that the author needed 350 pages to tell us this… 
But I generally liked the writing, and I learned a lot about “the bubble” (which my reading partner was happy to provide explanations and background for). I found the end a bit rushed - I would have loved to hear more about how Mayako’s married life changed compared to before. But her searching new excitements by having a child who maybe doesn’t know his father is saying enough already… both in how unhappy she is with the new developments (no money, no life in Italy, etc.) and how selfish she is (by not letting the child know its origin, which is a personal rights violation in modern terms, at least in Germany).
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