The Silent Cry: A Novel

I have a feeling that this translation is not the best in the world (though as far as I know it’s the only). Oe gets quite a bit of praise for the poetics of his language, but I didn’t really think it was all that remarkable, which, in the case of translations, tends to make me think less of the translator. In his defense, I wouldn’t want to try to translate Japanese to English, I find it remarkable that anything at all manages to come through. And it definitely does.

Some of the sublty of language may be lost but in spite of that The Silent Cry is a remarkable book. It’s dark. Know that before you pick it up. Very dark in fact, and very raw emotionally, but it manages to have a certain beauty to it as well. And some of the most disturbing violence I’ve ever read. Made me glad I don’t have siblings

Perhaps the most amazing thing is the way the book is divided, each chapter is like it’s own nugget, its own story and you almost have to pause at the end of each one, put the book down and digest it for a bit. Not a fast read by any means, but worth the effort.

If you like Dostoevsky or perhaps even Tolstoy, you’ll probably love Oe.