あるフィルムの背景

The end of あるフィルムの背景 was so abrupt… 絶対反対 was very short, and I just started うまい話.

I thought I would have time to finish the short story that gives its name to the collection today… I’ll finish it tomorrow.

Another great story about how the idea of murder can make its way into ordinary people’s mind. I loved it.

This one was very sad, pointing at a society that judges women on their appearance alone, and the extreme self-depreciation it triggers in our protagonist.

I really loved 私に触らないで! I loved stories about ordinary people whom life seems settled and confortable who suddenly start to give in to temptation. How ideas who never crossed their mind before turn into obsession, and how ultimately the idea of crime becomes acceptable. I find it fascinating, and this short story was very good. The end also excellent.

老後 was another story showing how little control women have over their own lives during the Showa period.

The third short story, 孤独なカラス, was again not easy to digest, it also contains animal abuse. It shows the tragedy that can result when children who clearly exhibit signs of psychological problems and unusual behaviour are left alone and neglected.

I finished 蝮の家, the second short story, it was such a delightful read! One house, two points of view, three actors, and a lot of loathing, contempt, greed, calculations and over-confidence, and as the title suggests, venom. I feel like I’ve read a similar story, but I can’t remember from which author. I found the end very foreseeable, but it was such a great short story still, I enjoyed reading it a lot.

The first short story was not an easy read, it’s about rape and how isolated the victim could be at a time where women were easily blamed for what happened. From the ruthless police officer who interrogates her to her own father blaming her, Natsue is surrounded by people pointing at her, and the aftermath of the rape are as damaging than the act itself.

The short story not only exposes how society completely dismisses Natsue as a person to ensure a bright future to the two perpetrators, but it also mainly centred on Natsue herself, how she’s forced to go on with her life without any help or support. The story is not about vengeance, but really about trauma.