"I love beautiful things, beautiful people, the magnetism of someone you can't take your eyes off of."
Title: Fault Lines
Author: Emily Itami
Rating:
I know that this is my second book review of the year. I promise I will write a film review soon when I find one worthy of writing a review for. While I am waiting for that film to come around, I thought I would write a quick review of Fault Lines by Emily Itami.
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hard-working husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It's everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether it would be more fun to throw herself off a high-rise balcony than to spend another evening hanging up laundry and not talking to her husband. Then, one night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, Mizuki rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse fo the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives - and in the end, we can choose only one.
Emily Itami's writing is so mature for a first novel. Itami has a clear voice in every single chapter as Mizuki, every moment and line consistent. It is told in first-person perspective, so everything we are reading is Mizuki's thoughts and outlook on life. This is what made Fault Lines hilarious all the way through. The pop-culture references, the Studio Ghibli movies her children would talk about, the inwardly pessimistic outlook on life, the annoyance she feels towards her husband. These things are what make Mizuki such a fun character to read about and made the book ten times more enjoyable.
If another author wrote a story like this, I don't think I would like it. Mizuki starts by telling us how perfect her life is. Her husband is perfect. Her children are perfect. Yet, she still starts to fall in love with Kiyoshi. She pursues this relationship while still keeping her home life together. At the end of the novel, spoiler alert, she and Kiyoshi do not stay together, They both agree that they cannot do this in secret anymore, and Mizuki must return to her everyday life. The point of having Kiyoshi as a character is not for a love story. He is a catalyst, a side character, to push Mizuki forward, show her how amazing life is, and remind her how beautiful the city she lives in can be. Itami wouldn't be telling the same story if their relationship was front and center. This is a character study of Mizuki, how she thinks, and how she interacts with the people that she loves.
This is the first novel in my recent reading that I have read where the setting was Tokyo, so another amazing feat in her first novel made me feel like I was in Tokyo while reading. The local restaurant references, the cherry blossoms, the Japanese brands of her children’s toys and clothing, constant Studio Ghibli references, and the constant fear of earthquakes hitting the city. (Earthquakes are a big part of the book, both physically and metaphorically, hence the title being so perfect) I loved how Itami’s imagery made me feel like I was there with the characters, especially when I haven’t been to Tokyo before.
I have no bad things to say about this book. It was a quick read and smooth flowing all the way through. The writing is a heartfelt and honest portrayal of a young mothers life dealing with Toyko cultures view of women. My dad bought me this book a while ago, and I am so happy I got around to it—another great book to read at the beginning of a new year.
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