This episodic novel, originally published in Japan in 1964 and appearing for the first time in translation, scrupulously observes one family's experiences getting used to a new home atop a windy hill near Tokyo. As the three children and their parents discuss the intricacies of buying a new desk, or deal with curious centipedes and residential developers who threaten to destroy the surrounding landscape, they accustom themselves to the trials of moving and the necessity of accepting change as the only constant in life. Each section revolves around the observations of father Oura, whose character is loosely based on Shono himself. Oura describes without embellishment even the most banal events of daily life, like grating yams for soup and the children preparing for their midterm exams. Such quaint aper?us of domestic routines, along with prolonged descriptions of harvesting gingko nuts and buying a sake vat, offer nothing but themselves. Shono's aim is to write about only what he has experienced, offering up placid slice-of-life realism. None of the vignettes, nor the novel itself, build to a climax or end in revelation. Simple, occasionally platitudinous conclusions are drawnA"there's no telling what you can learn by keeping your ears open"; "of all the things we come to know in this world, there is ultimately nothing that does not pass on." Shono's diary-like observations do not resonate or transcend the immediate narrative, but the quiet, innocuous narrative engages readers with details of Japanese domestic life. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

This series of vignettes focusing on the fictional Oura family was originally serialized in a Japanese daily. A subtle collection of episodes, it gives readers a glimpse of the idyllic country life through the eyes of the Ouras, who have just moved from Tokyo to a small house atop a nearby mountainside. Shono treats us to the simple pleasures of making yam soup, catching dragonflies, eating ripe red pears, and transplanting wild flowers into the family garden, as each family member delights in a different aspect of nature. Shono's writing conveys the flavor of life lived fully and the peaceful stillness found when one is happy with where one is at any given moment. Not even an invasion of stinging centipedes, the threat of a typhoon, or an encroaching housing development farther down the mountain can spoil the Ouras' happiness. Writing in a simple, honest style, Shono uses the everyday details of rural life as metaphors for the growing love the Oura family members feel for one another. Bonnie Johnston
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