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A review by crazygoangirl
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Finally read this very popular book and for once the hype was completely justified! I wish I had read it earlier but am glad that I waited for this beautiful Vintage paperback featuring cover art by award winning illustrator Yuko Shimizu. The baseball end papers too are wonderfully prescient 😊
This book by highly acclaimed Japanese author Yoko Ogawa, has all the feels that snuggling into a well-worn, beloved comforter brings. It’s a warm hug in book form and I give a lot of the credit to the translation by Stephen Snyder who does a super job of retaining the Japanese ethos and pathos of the original. It makes a world of difference to the reading experience in the best possible way!
Ogawa weaves a poignant tale of love, support and friendship involving the three main characters - the Professor, his Housekeeper and her son Root, who is the only one in the trio anointed with a name, even though it’s a nick-name given to him by the Professor. I wonder whether she left the Professor and the Housekeeper anonymous by choice? So that they could be representative of others like them in the world at large…point to ponder.
The relationship between the Professor and his housekeeper is beautifully constructed and nuanced. I love that he’s willing to make the effort to remember her and her son, while she is ready to support him from day one, bringing with her, her refreshing combination of empathy and practicality. Their friendship challenges the boundaries of memory and patience and forces us as readers to ponder our own. What would we choose to remember if we had to live with memory loss, what would be forget? Is it even a choice? Although the Professor’s memory loss isn’t due to Dementia, the condition being so prevalent today means we must learn to deal with it in our own foreseeable future. It gives me pause.
The narrative and Snyder’s prose drew me in from the beginning and I was utterly invested in the characters right from the start. They made me laugh and cry and think and hope as they went through life with grace and dignity. They also helped reinforce how important the ‘little’ things are - a baseball game, a visit to the barber, a birthday party - all things we ‘normal’ people take for granted, can be a challenge for those on the Autism spectrum, which I imagine the Professor was. I wonder if there is a movie based on this book? If there is one made by the Japanese, I would love to watch it. I can see the three characters in my mind’s eye so clearly!
All in all a gem of a read tackling serious issues of disability, found family, compromise, empathy, responsibility, respect and love in an engaging, approachable way! This goes on the list of my ‘All Time Favourites’ and will be retread often ☺️ Highly recommended especially for lovers of Japanese fiction, translated fiction and found family slice-of-life stories. Read and enjoy!
This book by highly acclaimed Japanese author Yoko Ogawa, has all the feels that snuggling into a well-worn, beloved comforter brings. It’s a warm hug in book form and I give a lot of the credit to the translation by Stephen Snyder who does a super job of retaining the Japanese ethos and pathos of the original. It makes a world of difference to the reading experience in the best possible way!
Ogawa weaves a poignant tale of love, support and friendship involving the three main characters - the Professor, his Housekeeper and her son Root, who is the only one in the trio anointed with a name, even though it’s a nick-name given to him by the Professor. I wonder whether she left the Professor and the Housekeeper anonymous by choice? So that they could be representative of others like them in the world at large…point to ponder.
The relationship between the Professor and his housekeeper is beautifully constructed and nuanced. I love that he’s willing to make the effort to remember her and her son, while she is ready to support him from day one, bringing with her, her refreshing combination of empathy and practicality. Their friendship challenges the boundaries of memory and patience and forces us as readers to ponder our own. What would we choose to remember if we had to live with memory loss, what would be forget? Is it even a choice? Although the Professor’s memory loss isn’t due to Dementia, the condition being so prevalent today means we must learn to deal with it in our own foreseeable future. It gives me pause.
The narrative and Snyder’s prose drew me in from the beginning and I was utterly invested in the characters right from the start. They made me laugh and cry and think and hope as they went through life with grace and dignity. They also helped reinforce how important the ‘little’ things are - a baseball game, a visit to the barber, a birthday party - all things we ‘normal’ people take for granted, can be a challenge for those on the Autism spectrum, which I imagine the Professor was. I wonder if there is a movie based on this book? If there is one made by the Japanese, I would love to watch it. I can see the three characters in my mind’s eye so clearly!
All in all a gem of a read tackling serious issues of disability, found family, compromise, empathy, responsibility, respect and love in an engaging, approachable way! This goes on the list of my ‘All Time Favourites’ and will be retread often ☺️ Highly recommended especially for lovers of Japanese fiction, translated fiction and found family slice-of-life stories. Read and enjoy!