From Publishers Weekly
Oe sets out here to document the life and contribution to the family of his son, Hikari, born in 1963 with a major malformation of his brain. Successfully operated on but left with residual brain damage, Hikari, who needs constant supervision, became a talented composer and irreplaceable focal point of his father's creativity. Despite its positive and loving message, this is a sad book, recounting the struggles of daily life with a brain-damaged child, the parents' frustrations and the acute feelings of failure and inadequacy that accompany them. Even as it attempts its honorable task, it has all the earmarks of a work knitted together from random and occasional pieces dealing with an important and moving subject: it frequently loses focus and drifts off down side tracks (discussion of differences among Japanese characters; forgetting money on an overseas trip). To make matters worse, the translation is awkward and stilted in a way that makes the reader grope for the voice of a writer whose brilliant fiction and stories won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Students of Oe, familiar with his other works, may find significant insights here, but this offering will not likely be the book to win him fresh admirers. 50,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
From Library Journal
Oe, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for literature, is best known to American readers for A Personal Matter (1970), The Silent City (Kodansha, 1994), and An Echo of Heaven (LJ 4/1/96). In his latest nonfiction work, Oe tells of his experiences for the last 33 years raising his brain-damaged son, Hikari, whom doctors had predicted would never be more than a vegetable. Despite Hikari's autism and frequent seizures, Oe and his wife gave him a nurturing environment that encouraged Hikari to become a contributing member of the family and to compose the music for two successful CDs. Oe writes with a self-effacing humility and humor that makes light of the considerable difficulties encountered in raising a handicapped child; he focuses instead on the joys and triumphs. His evident pride in Hikari's accomplishments shines throughout but especially when he discusses Hikari's musical interest and ability. Through glimpses into the family's life since Hikari's birth, we see a portrait emerging of how a severely handicapped person can transform the lives of those who care for him. This book affirms belief in the power of the family.?Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
