Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Strange Weather in Tokyo

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

12 reviews

not_another_ana's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I had been alone. I rode the bus alone, I walked around the city alone, I did my shopping alone, and I drank alone. And even when I was with Sensei now, I didn't feel any different from when I did these things on my own.

Tsukiko is living a very normal and boring life. At 38 she works in an office, has no friends, and lives alone. One day, she crosses paths with her former high school teacher "Sensei" at a bar, and the two start an easy relationship where they share drinks, food, and share a simple camaraderie that develops into a romance as the seasons change.

This wasn't something I would ever pick on my own, it was a book club pick and I was willing to at least have an open mind but nope, I did not like this at all. The main pillar of this book is the age gap relationship. At first I was trying to be non judgemental since they were both grown adults, even thought he had been her HIGH SCHOOL teacher, but more and more parts of the romance didn't sit right with me and it just ruined the book completely.

I was AGHAST when it was revealed that Sensei's son was 50 years old, whatever goodwill I had towards the romance immediately evaporated. Add to that the power dynamics that had Tsukiko acting not even like a teenager but somehow younger and Sensei's condescending and patronizing attitude towards her mixed with some light misogyny and you had me making this face 🤨 OH AND ONE MORE THING I HATED ALL THE HEADPATS, WAS SHE A DOG???

Besides the age gap, there were other aspects of the plot that bothered me, one of them was the drinking. Every chapter they are drinking alcohol, and not just having a beer they are constantly getting wasted and it's presented as normal.

I can't help but wonder how them never being sober affected their decision making and the progression of their relationship.

Then there's the lack of communication, all their interactions were quite superficial with seemingly implied deep that never manifested in their behavior. Baffling book.

TL;DR: Tsukiko you don't need old man dick, you need a Zoloft prescription and a hobby.

Content Warnings

gillthequill's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

2.5 Stars. A Reddit post recommended this book for me. I really enjoyed the first stretch of this book. I thought it was going to be a nice look through a series of vignettes of an intergenerational friendship. I enjoyed the loving descriptions of eating and drinking, the focus on environmental details and descriptions, and the moments between the two characters. But as the story went on (really from the chapter The Cherry Blossom Festival), I felt like the novel was losing me. Was it the sudden halting and uncertain romance? Was it the acknowledgement that whatever these two have, it will not last? Was it the sense of... smallness I felt towards the protagonist, childish and aimlessly drifting through her own life? I'm not sure. Either way, it was a well written book... just to me, fell flat towards the end. I don't know what I was expecting (digging deeper into the alcoholism between the two characters, maybe a more overt discussion of their loneliness, maybe even an expansion of the Beach chapter, dreamlike and symbolic to make the implied explicit, I don't know) but I'd recommend borrowing this one instead of buying if you have the chance.

Content Warnings