Hey, what’s up? 

It’s been a long time since I last wrote a book review—so here’s one for my fellow readers.

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and two of my friends gifted me books. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better present. You know who you are—thank you! This review is about one of the books I just finished reading.

The book is called The Rainbow by Yasunari Kawabata, a renowned Japanese author. This edition was translated into English by Haydn Crowell. With translated works, I always feel the translator plays a huge role in preserving the emotion and nuance of the original language—and I’d say Haydn did a brilliant job. The story moved me.

The novel is set in post-war Japan. (I’m not the best with historical details, so I won’t even pretend to know which war exactly—it’s safe to assume WWII.) The story follows a family: a father and his three daughters, each from different mothers. The plot primarily centres on the eldest daughter. There are strong themes of mental health—suicide attempts, a successful suicide—and many of the characters seem to carry emotional wounds or what we might now interpret as personality disorders. One shocking detail I learned was that during the war, people were given cyanide as a last resort. It’s harrowing to imagine living through such a time. Reading this made me quietly grateful to be in a more peaceful era.

I’d rate this book a solid 9/10. The story is layered and emotionally rich, without being overly dramatic. I especially appreciated that the author didn’t waste pages describing every character in excruciating detail. In some genres—like romance—that kind of visual build-up is necessary, but in this Japanese classic, the subtlety works. Kawabata focuses more on atmosphere and inner lives, and it pays off.

If I hadn’t been so busy, I probably could’ve finished it in a single sitting. As it was, it took me about a week. But every page was worth it.

If you’re new to Japanese classics or classic literature in general, The Rainbow is a fantastic place to start.

That’s all for this review—short and sweet! If you’ve got any recommendations, feel free to drop them in the comments. Thanks for reading and as usual, some quotes from the book below!

… but don’t you think there might still be a bridge between my dead brother and your living sister?

… It is only since I have been employing all my efforts to heal myself that I have come to know the excesses of my love.