A tale of youth and warped masculinity, this is the suspenseful, lyrical and page-turning Japanese classic. A band of thirteen-year-old boys reject the stupidity of the adult world. They decide it is illusory, hypocritical and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call 'objectivity'. When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship's officer, he and his friends idealise the man at first, but it is not long before they conclude that he is, in fact, soft and romantic. They regard this ...
Read More
A tale of youth and warped masculinity, this is the suspenseful, lyrical and page-turning Japanese classic. A band of thirteen-year-old boys reject the stupidity of the adult world. They decide it is illusory, hypocritical and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal callousness they call 'objectivity'. When the mother of one of them begins an affair with a ship's officer, he and his friends idealise the man at first, but it is not long before they conclude that he is, in fact, soft and romantic. They regard this disillusionment as an act of betrayal on his part - and the retribution is deliberate and horrifying. 'Mishima's greatest novel, and one of the greatest of the past century' The Times TRANSLATED BY JOHN NATHAN
Read Less
I didn't really understand the whole psychology behind the story; not the gang's motive, nor the author's desire to depict the sailor as someone "noble" or "above it all". It just didn't come through in the reading. Some of the language must have been lost in translation. Parts of the story were well writtin, and I could almost see what the author was trying to relate, but overall, it was just an O.K. read.
bevans605
Jul 22, 2008
Not for everyone
This is one of the strangest books that I have yet read. Mishima has a great ability to make his readers cringe, and scenes in this book will make you do so. The sense of emotional detachment touted by the children is certainly difficult to handle, yet this book was thought provoking. A good book overall, but in no means for all audiences.
billwms
Apr 26, 2007
Not recommended
I was very disappointed in this book. I can not find anything that I can say positive other than it used a lot of words to fill a few pages.
