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A review by samdalefox
Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Average rating of all short stories = 3.17 ⭐, please see individual ratings below.
I'm so happy I finally get to read Suzuki's works in English! Her work and ideas were clearly trailblazing for the time, some stories I think have aged better than others, all are valuable to read. It's important to note that this is a collection of Suzuki’s work ~40 years after being released and 35 years after she died by suicide in 1986. I think a short introduction at the beginning would be beneficial here to contextualise the stories, additionally notes on the translators and their translations could be insightful.
The theme of Suzuki’s collection is the commentary and critique of the arbitruness performance of gender roles in society, sexuality, womanhood/identity and how invasive the government and technology is. Suzuki reminds me of Tiptree Jr. in this respect, however Suzuki more directly questions the gender binary, her writing style is much more dialogue-focused and has many pop culture film and music references. Suzuki's scifi/speculative elements do not truly affect the stories, but are rather settings to study and observe the characters.
Only the tititular story grabbed my attention. Mostly I found that the stories' ennui and narrative tone very similar, making the transition between stories barely distinguishable. However 'Terminal Bordem' spoke to me. The descriptions of boredom are SPOT ON. The small glimpse of the world the characters live in was grimly relatable. The last words "The boredom is gone". was like a punch to the gut. WHY?! Why is it gone? Because of the sex? Because of the regret? The chemical-induced contentness from the implant? The exercising of autonomy and authority? The performance of domination masculinity through violence? Something finally felt real to her? It was by far the best story of the collection.
Excerpt from a review: Izumi Suzuki, Terminal Boredom (2021) by Ola G:
"I must say the stories’ mood affected me a little: the pervasive ennui, unhappiness, despair hidden beneath a very thin surface of the bustle of everyday life are depicted in a thoroughly realistic way....Suzuki’s stories are focused predominantly on creating a certain mood and exploring mostly psychological ideas of alienation, addiction, exhaustion; there is barely any action, worldbuilding, or even character development.
Reading stories from the late seventies/early eighties requires a layered approach: how do I respond to and understand the book in the present—while at the same time holding an awareness that these stories come from a specific historical moment? For example, the gender politics of “Woman and Woman” and its treatment of trans-ness or sexual consent read as a product of their era; recall work by writers like Joanna Russ or James Tiptree, Jr. in the Anglophone publishing sphere for comparison. On that note, I’d argue it’s a curatorial misstep on the editors’ part that Terminal Boredom doesn’t include an introduction—or even notes on the original publication dates, in the edition I read.
The women of these stories are also all outsiders, to some extent or another. Suzuki frequently centers the experience of being a person for whom connection, desire, and strong emotion don’t come readily."
Ratings and quotes from individual stories within the collection:
Women and women - 3⭐
I'm so happy I finally get to read Suzuki's works in English! Her work and ideas were clearly trailblazing for the time, some stories I think have aged better than others, all are valuable to read. It's important to note that this is a collection of Suzuki’s work ~40 years after being released and 35 years after she died by suicide in 1986. I think a short introduction at the beginning would be beneficial here to contextualise the stories, additionally notes on the translators and their translations could be insightful.
The theme of Suzuki’s collection is the commentary and critique of the arbitruness performance of gender roles in society, sexuality, womanhood/identity and how invasive the government and technology is. Suzuki reminds me of Tiptree Jr. in this respect, however Suzuki more directly questions the gender binary, her writing style is much more dialogue-focused and has many pop culture film and music references. Suzuki's scifi/speculative elements do not truly affect the stories, but are rather settings to study and observe the characters.
Only the tititular story grabbed my attention. Mostly I found that the stories' ennui and narrative tone very similar, making the transition between stories barely distinguishable. However 'Terminal Bordem' spoke to me. The descriptions of boredom are SPOT ON. The small glimpse of the world the characters live in was grimly relatable. The last words
Excerpt from a review: Izumi Suzuki, Terminal Boredom (2021) by Ola G:
"I must say the stories’ mood affected me a little: the pervasive ennui, unhappiness, despair hidden beneath a very thin surface of the bustle of everyday life are depicted in a thoroughly realistic way....Suzuki’s stories are focused predominantly on creating a certain mood and exploring mostly psychological ideas of alienation, addiction, exhaustion; there is barely any action, worldbuilding, or even character development.
Reading stories from the late seventies/early eighties requires a layered approach: how do I respond to and understand the book in the present—while at the same time holding an awareness that these stories come from a specific historical moment? For example, the gender politics of “Woman and Woman” and its treatment of trans-ness or sexual consent read as a product of their era; recall work by writers like Joanna Russ or James Tiptree, Jr. in the Anglophone publishing sphere for comparison. On that note, I’d argue it’s a curatorial misstep on the editors’ part that Terminal Boredom doesn’t include an introduction—or even notes on the original publication dates, in the edition I read.
The women of these stories are also all outsiders, to some extent or another. Suzuki frequently centers the experience of being a person for whom connection, desire, and strong emotion don’t come readily."
Ratings and quotes from individual stories within the collection:
Women and women - 3⭐
"But it’s precisely because they don’t know about the dreadful stuff that ignorant people are able to be so confident."
"Not entirely sure whether it was for or against males and masculinity or not. Never quite broke the binary."
You may dream - 3⭐
"It scares me how everyone’s so cool about it, but I guess that’s the world we live in. Everyone’s so numb they can’t even take life seriously anymore —’"
"Like most people these days, I don’t overthink things. I’ll go along with whatever. No firm beliefs, no hang-ups. Just a lack of self-confidence tangled up in fatalistic resignation. Whatever the situation, nothing ever reaches me on an emotional level. Nothing’s important. Because I won’t let it be. I operate on mood alone. No regrets, no looking back."
"I can act all kinds of ways, but in the end it’s always an act."
Night picnic - 3⭐
"Eyes open to the night, they pondered time and the liberty of other living things"
"Once upon a time, we lived in peace. We may not have manufactured or consumed, but our existences were rich."
The old seaside club - 3⭐
"I had absolutely no friends before this year. It was a serious problem – and not one that could be easily explained away by shyness or introversion. I did have an idea of why people didn’t like me, but I just wasn’t prepared to admit it. I consoled myself by deciding that I hated other people and had no desire to love anyone"
You know, lately,’ I begin, slowly, ‘I’m finding it hard to identify what happiness and pleasure are.’
He looks up.
‘Well … Does it matter? If something feels good, that’s pleasure.’ He gives a weak laugh. ‘Nothing more to it.’
Things gets easier once you acknowledge the situation.’
‘That’s right. Even if you don’t solve anything. It’s the same with my own illness, too.
"It's not a good habit, to want to solve everything."
"Reboots are about letting go, and accepting things."
Smoke gets in your eyes - 3⭐
"The difference between cold and cruel is that to be cruel, you need to have feelings but to be cold, you don’t, right?."
Forgotten - 3.5⭐
"Can’t you see it’s got nothing whatsoever to do with love for one’s country? If anything, it’s a form of territorial egotism." (On empire and nationalism)
"My home planet is no match for Earth in terms of scientific and technological development, but at least most people there consider how they want to live their lives. Our history is unfathomably long, and yet there have been only five wars recorded – including a couple of really small-scale ones. And the last of those wrapped up over two millennia ago."
Terminal bordem - 3.75⭐
"Everyone lives in a happy-go-lucky depression – they only take life half-seriously, you might say."
"Even in this day and age, we still revere truth. But at the same time, we devote ourselves to the task of erasing the distinction between truth and fiction."
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, and Colonisation