Nella Casa del Leone by Ito Ogawa
A sweet snack and the meaning of life: my review of Ogawa's book
AUTHOR: Ito Ogawa | GENRE: novel, drama | PUBLICATION: 2019 | OVERALL RATING: 3★/5
 |
| cover from Neri Pozza Editore |
The story tells the last days of Shizuku, a 33 year-old-girl who's diagnosed with terminal cancer. After receiving her prognosis, she decides to spend her last days at the "Lion's House", a hospice on an island where she has the chance to meet people, eat delicious food and watch the sea from her room's window. The hospice and its people, help Shizuku with changing her heart and mind, accompanying her in the transition with the afterlife.
I have to be honest, I probably had so many expectations that once I read the book I didn't feel the same emotion the cover and synopsis gave me at the event. Just to clarify, I am not saying the book is not good, I am just saying my expectations were a bit different from how the whole reading experience was at the end.
The book itself is very good. The topic is deep and meaningful, with a lot of passages that allow the reader to reflect on moments and important things, but overall I also have to say that the main problem for me was the style in which it was written. First important thing to say, it is surely a translation from the original Japanese version, which is, as for all the books existing, a disadvantage if you want to catch the essence and intentions of the authors. For me, the first person narrative broke a little the deepness of the whole story. There are books that are absolutely amazing when they're written in first-person but some others might loose their power when they are written this way. The main problem to me was the fact that it sounded mostly like a diary that had a lot of moments and scenes that repeated themselves through the whole thing. It made the story slow and sometimes even boring.
I am a very picky reader, and I mostly focus on the style because I really like when a book drives me into the story, and I feel completely surrounded by the words. So I might say that for me the chosen style is quite important when I am reading something. I like the fluency, the engaging feeling and all that hunger when I am reading something and can't stop because I want to know what's happening next. This book gave me half of these feelings.
The story was personal, deep and absolutely meaningful, it turned a sensitive topic into something that was kinda magical and almost comforting. It made me empathize with Shizuku and I felt sad for her life. The book highlights very well the stages and the process of the illness, the scary moments where you think you're about to leave, and when you see yourself completely changed and powerless because of that. It doesn't matter if you are familiar with the illness or not, the book shows in the most comforting and definitely not disturbing way, what it means to live with it and accept it. It shows the braveness, the pain, the sadness, and also the anger that are included in the whole process. But it also shows the happiness, the love and the comforting feeling of not being alone, and of being surrounded by loved and caring people. Every moment of the book was filled with both love and sadness, it brought up in the best way possible the roller-coaster that people living with this illness have to go through. Each step, each memory, each second of living is a gift for Shizuku and she makes the best out of this.
The Lion's House has a weekly special moment where all the guests are invited to share their memories about a specific snack they ate in their life and that embodies a memory related to it. Every Sunday, they can have this snack but it is chosen by chance. Nobody knows who's been chosen until Sunday. The staff of the House read the letter or note left from the chosen guest and everybody can taste the dessert. It is a heartwarming moment for everybody because it is all about chance: it is not sure you're going to taste your dessert before you leave the living-life. What made me realize how beautiful this moment was, is how through Shizuku the reader can actually understand the importance of every small thing happening in one's life. Even a simple snack can carry dreams, moments, happiness and joy.
I felt the burden of how life can be short and unexpected. I don't want to share negative thoughts but personally I know what it means and I know how hard it can be, even from aside, to see someone fighting against a sickness that can turn your life upside down. I felt this book very comforting, especially because as I said it is not even close from being disturbing or negative. It makes you smile, think and also cry but in the best way possible. Besides what I have mentioned before about the style of the narrative, I felt it was a good reading for its topic.
I won't lie, I probably wouldn't read it again, even after some time, but I think it is a good, warm story that can lead us to what really matters in life. How life can be taken away or change without us expecting it. And it is a lesson for how we choose to spend our days: no regrets and always choose what makes you happy. Stay with the people you love, tell them you love them, be happy yourself and choose to be whoever you like no matter judgments or insecurities.
Life is just one and we must make the best of it.
A quick fun fact about this book: I found out it hasn't been translated in every language yet (including English!). For this specific review I have read the Italian version "Nella Casa del Leone", which is based on the original Japanese version ライオンのおやつ "The Lion's Snack".
Thanks for reading until the end of the post. I am curious to know if you knew this writer or book already, and what are your thoughts about it.
Let me know, and see you next time!
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────
Comments
Post a Comment