rebsreych

I really wish this would have been called Twenty-eight by Endo but then the title wouldn't have appeared so zen and balanced as Five by Endo. I loved this small collection of shorts... melancholy, introspective, and so very refreshing. Nearly all of the stories dealt with old age, death, and faith... or a struggle with one's faith. Unzen touched on the torture and martyrdom of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan. A Fifty-year-old Man introduces a Mr Chiba who while taking ballroom dancing to keep his spirit young and legs limber faces the death of his mongrel dog and older brother (my favorite in the collection). Japanese in Warsaw, one of the lighter and more humorous stories, still slams you with the power of faith and sacrifice. Retracing a story through old postcards found in an old wooden chest in the story called The Box reveals a mystery and surprise. And The Case of Isobe, the opening chapter of Endo's novel Deep River is a sad story of death and rebirth. A truly great collection of stories I'd heartily recommend to everyone. Haiku from the short story The Case of Isobe: Not telling the truth again today I went out of the hospital With a shudder, I open my eyes and think of life without my wife

2023-03-02 23:42