قصة الكتاب :
Kōdansha, 2013. 163 pp. ¥1,400. ISBN 978-4-06-218207-2.
Ono Masatsugu
Born in Ōita Prefecture in 1970. Earned a doctorate at the University
of Paris VIII. Won the 2002 Mishima Yukio Prize for “Nigiyaka
na wan ni seowareta fune” [The Boat Carried by the Bustling Bay].
His other works include Mori no hazure de [At the Forest’s Edge]
and Maikurobasu
[Microbus]; he has also translated Marie NDiaye’s
Rosie Carpe into Japanese. Currently associate professor of French
literature at Meiji Gakuin University.

Ono Masatsugu has set many of his stories in a setting reminiscent of coastal Ōita
Prefecture, where the author grew up. His characters’ quiet, down-to-earth lives
are described in a detailed prose that includes ambitious ideas and elements of
magical realism. With this novel, named after a fictional cape in Kyūshū, Ono has
added a new dimension to this world and created a masterpiece. The central
character is Takeru, a fourth-year elementary school student who has moved from
the city to a small coastal village to live under the care of a distant aunt. When he
arrives in this alien environment, Takeru is a deeply traumatized young boy. Neglected
by their mother, Takeru and his mentally retarded brother have struggled
to find enough food to eat. The kindness of strangers and the beauty of the natural
environment gradually help him to heal and embrace life. We are never told
what has happened to the older brother. As if to fill in for this absence, the ghost
of a long-dead youth appears to Takeru from time to time, offering words of
encouragement. Writing from a child’s perspective, Ono achieves a new level of
freshness and clarity in his writing. Few readers will remain unmoved by his
sympathetic portrayal of his vulnerable young protagonist. (NK)