Masks [Paperback]

Fumiko Enchi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Aventura ed edition (September 12, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394722183
• ISBN-13: 978-0394722184
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tantalizing Read, November 7, 2001

By 

Lisa R. Everett "Mommy 4 Life" (High Point, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masks (Paperback)

I first studied this writer in college (with her book, The Waiting Years). I expected Masks to be similar, but it was extremely different. It is more modern and twisted. The story revolves around two women, one older and one younger (the younger is the widowed wife of the older woman's son). However, their relationship is not straight-forward; they have a psychic, almost sexual, connection. They use this connection to play with the hearts of the men around them. I found the descriptions in this book particularly striking; there is a party scene with the release of fireflies that I can still very clearly visualize. It was extremely enjoyable to delve into the dark depths of the two women. Just like in the story, the men are inconsequential. This is a great read for those who prefer things a bit uneasy and weird.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous..., May 20, 2001

By 

Jadepearl "geezer geek" (Wandering, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Masks (Paperback)

Fumiko Enchi has a remarkable body of work including short stories, novels and a translation of the _Tale of Genji_ from the Classical Japanese to modern (quite a task that legend speaks of her losing her vision partially to accomplish).

This is one of the most amazing novels that I have read. It is about the rage of women and to what extraordinary lengths that vengeance and love can call in a woman and in a manner through all women. The text is imbued with references and imagery from classical literature (Enchi is a classical scholar as was her father) but not knowing the references does not detract from the raw power of the text.

It is a short work and can be a dense read with some of the subtle references but the unmistakable cold anger that runs through it is markedly different from Enchi's other renowned work, _The Waiting Years_. The female characters are more dynamic and the male characters not as reprehensible as in her other works The novel may make some men uncomfortable in reading it since men are a focus of anger and vengeance.

If you are familiar with Japanese literature and symbology the work provides an extra layer of meaning from the bare text. The blurring of real and dream is remiscent of older tale literature and the use of various images such as, Noh masks adds further resonance. There are no footnotes nor explanatory notes so be prepared for that.

It is a pity that not much of Enchi's work has been translated but if you were to choose _Masks_ and the _Waiting Years_ you will not be disappointed.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An improbable page-turner, a chilly and alluring novel, August 3, 2005

By 

J. Holt (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Masks (Paperback)

I read Enchi's "Masks" nearly ten years ago and knew I wanted to read it again. Having just completed reading Tyler's new translation of The Tale of Genji, I figured it would be a good time to return to it. You don't have to know much about Genji to enjoy Enchi's book -- but it helps. The world she describes is one that is her own: I have sensed characters something like this in other Japanese novelists, but Enchi's characters are really unique: they exist on cultural 'roids, making a deeper impression on one than they should. I'm not convinced that such characters exist in reality, but I do believe that Enchi believes they do.

Enchi uses Genji, Tales of Ise, Noh theater, and a bit of Kojiki as if it were still very much a part of the milleu these 20th century (circa 1958?) characters inhabit. However, instead of a "mythic" structure where the modern characters re-enact the personalities of the past, they are rooted in Enchi's world. The tragedy for many of the characters in the book is not so much that they are doomed to repeat the past, but that they will be doomed to repeat their mistakes in the future. As another reviewer suggested, the book ends with a lot of questions. It is a highly poetic novel without a clear sense of resolution, but it reads remarkably fast and is quite enjoyable. Bound to generate hours of discussion as one tries to look beneath its surface.