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Thersa Matsuura

A Robe of Feathers: And Other Stories Paperback – May 1, 2009

by Thersa Matsuura (Author)

7 customer reviews

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In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living.

When a child playing near a river fails to return home, it is whispered that she was swept away by an adzuki arai, or Bean Washer. When a man boarding a ship hears the ringing of an unseen insect, it is announced that a funadama (Boat Spirit) is present and so the auspicious harbinger of smooth seas and abundant catch is celebrated. Even something as innocuous as waking up to find your pillow at the foot of your bed is thought to be the trick of a makura gaeshi, otherwise known as a Pillow Turner. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Your neighbor isn’t merely an eccentric old woman—she might very well be a shape-shifting, grudge-harboring Water Sprite.

The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A Robe of Feathers is] all fascinating material—very fresh to Western ears in both subject material and characterization—and comes to us wrapped in some of the most gorgeous prose I've read in a while. The stories are eerie, at times disturbing, occasionally sweet natured, but always compelling. A Robe of Feathers is truly a unique collection that suits no easy categorization except that of excellence." —Charles de Lint

Product details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Counterpoint; Original edition (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582434891
ISBN-13: 978-1582434896
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 7 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,304,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1259 in Asian Myth & Legend
- #17605 in Mythology & Folk Tales (Books)
- #189152 in American Literature (Books)

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So good it's frightening

May 1, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Like many horror buffs, I have become desensitized by repeated scenes of outlandish violence. Simply put, they no longer frighten me -- probably because they don't seem real.

"A Robe of Feathers: And Other Stories," however, is an entirely different animal. I had little idea of what to expect, and the first page or two of this ethnic anthology's opening story lulled me into passivity. The prose was elegant and sophisticated, but since when is elegant and sophisticated scary?

Read the ending of the first of Thersa Matsuura's seventeen short stories and you'll find out for yourself. "A Robe of Feathers" frightens not with blood, but with subtlety. It sends chills up your spine not with gore, but with insidious journeys into the subconscious.

"A Robe of Feathers" gave me nightmares. But not in the ways you might expect. Instead, it slithered into the dark recesses of my mind and found things cowering there that are better off left alone. All in all, this is a brilliant yet disturbing work. Even the Stephen Kings of the world could learn a thing or two from Matsuura.

-- Jim Melvin, author of The Death Wizard Chronicles, a six-book epic fantasy

6 people found this helpful

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A Remarkable Book!

June 30, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What an incredible book! I had to force myself to put it down from time to time and I have to blame this wonderfully written tome for making me late for work on at least two occasions!
This wonderful collection of short stories provided insights into the culture of Japan that I would probably never have acquired otherwise. The stories are fascinating and left me feeling...well, SPOOKED a bit. This would be a great book to grab while you snuggle up on your couch with a blanket on a stormy night...!
I'll be re-reading this book over and over...it's really that good! Honestly.

2 people found this helpful

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March 31, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The stories are each excellent and uniquely beautiful.

One person found this helpful

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STUART MCCALLUM

Fascinating and Darkly Brilliant Collection

June 4, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Thersa Matsuura's: `A Robe of Feathers - And Other Stories' is undoubtedly the most insightful, thought provoking and realistically frightening books I have ever read.

When the fusion of Japanese folklore, superstitions and supernatural phenomena combine, I was immediately drawn into each of the seventeen superbly crafted stories. Each story features the Youkai (bewitching apparition) and is brought to life by the author.

`A Robe of Feathers' has indeed a long lasting affect which will stay with you long after the book is read. An intelligent, outstanding achievement that I recommend as a must read for all.

3 people found this helpful

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Honyomi-kichigai

wonderful insights into the Japanese mind

May 9, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

As a long-time resident of Japan, I opened this book hoping to learn more about this country's ghosties and goblins. I certainly did, but what surprised and delighted me was the way the author interweaves the folk-tale element into the lives of contemporary Japanese people. It is a reminder that these entities are alive and well and running cold fingers down the spines of the human inhabitants of Japan even today. I wouldn't call these horror stories, although some of them are disturbing. It was, for me, more of a brand new take on the subject of the Japanese psyche in general. Beautifully written, too. Brava! ...from Rebecca Otowa

4 people found this helpful

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Peter J Buckmaster

A wonderful read for anyone interested in Japanese folk-lore and simple, daily life here.

May 30, 2018

Format: Paperback

I'd recommend this to anyone who lives or has lived in Japan, and anyone who fancies a taste of Japanese life and folklore. The stories themselves are a mix of eerie, sinister, sorrowful and fun, and all open up a pocket of Japanese life or myth. In each tale there was something, maybe just a quick mention or an aside, that gave me the urge to head to an onsen, go out for some soba or walk between rice fields. The prose feels like it was written with great care and thought, and readily conjures up images of daily life in Japan. Gorgeous front cover to boot!

review image

Comment

March 18, 2010

Format: Paperback

Horror, much like humor, has different nuances in other cultures. Being able to capture and translate those nuances without losing any of their potency is no easy feat. Thersa Matsuura not only captured the strangeness of Japanese folklore beautifully, but framed it in an easy to understand modern setting.

Like a delicious box of assorted chocolates these vignettes provide many different flavors of Japanese culture. The stories alternate in tone and style showing off Matsuura's deft way with words while giving a layered richness to the entire book. Each tale is steeped in emotion interwoven beautifully with the narrative: In "Sand Walls, Paper Doors" the bittersweet nostalgia for a way of life being destroyed in the name of progress; "Her Favorite" is filled with the pain and heartbreak of old age; Anger--from shame or embarrassment--is at the heart of "The Bean Washer" and "Hate and Where It Breeds". That's just scratching the surface of this great book. The last time I read a short story collection with such textures and emotions was Clive Barker's Books of Blood.

The quality of these stories elevates the level we're used to seeing our horror at. I only wish more authors put this kind of effort into their work. To those looking for more than just cheap scares or pointless gore, I highly recommend this book.

[...]

2 people found this helpful

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