The Girl I Left Behind

I'm still in the process of reading this book, but I picked it out of a small collection of contemporary world novels at the library due to the fact that I was assigned to read over the summer. I started to read it, and didn't think much of this story, but as I continued when I got home with it, I couldn't put it down! I can relate so much to this book in so many ways. I know it might seem strange, but I love it when I become best friends with the books I read. Thumbs up to this one!

It was written by Shusaku Endo. So, of course, I was almost fated to read it. Once again, the plot didn't sound like my usual choice in novels, (a refrain all too common in my reviews), but Endo always seems to be able to sucker punch me. And this novel is no exception. The basic plot shadows Yoshioka Tstomu, a poverty stricken student with an overlt developed libido. Yoshioka encounters Morita Mitsu, a somewhat naive obsessive who cannot tolerate other people's suffering without getting involved. The resultant divergence of paths is nothing compared to the enduring impact that the encounter had on both people. Both of the main characters are distinct not only in their ethical and moral values, but also in their responses to the encounter between them. While Yoshioka continually tries to justify himself and his actions in using Morita, Mitsu heads off on a far different path. The book is a great tale that delves into human thought and psychology, and Endo's confessed immaturity of style really only comes through in a couple of places. For those familiar with Endo's later works, these points will be noticeable, but newcomers to Endo will probably not find them too noticeable. Once again, Endo has delivered a gritty story flooded with real-life sufferings of two people and their own walks of life. I loved the book immensely and was hooked to the very last word. I was actually depressed that it ended, to be perfectly frank. Great book for all Endo fans and people wanting to be Endo fans. Of course, as a fan, I am biased.

I stumbled across this novel in the library and picked it up merely because I am an Endo fan. I experienced the book on two levels. On one, the novel relates the trauma of unreturned love. Most people can relate to that theme, and it tended to draw me through the story. The parallel with Jesus' life is not meant to be exact. Mitsu represents the suffering of humanity, as she suffers in her one way. Every episode of Mitsu's life is tragic. For some people, the tragedy might be oevrdone, but I was left sleepless by it. I would recommend The Girl I Left Behind to anyone who enjoys Shusaku Endo's novels.

My continued fondness of Endo's writing has brought me to this book. It is a wonderful example of Endo's early writing, set in Japan with well developed characters and interesting plot. This is particularly true when compared to his more recent book, Deep River, which was disappointing, badly researched and an unsuccessful move away from his best genre - Japan. Set in post-war Japan, the story is about the interwoven lives of Yoshioka and Mitsu. As a university student, Yoshioka deflowers Mitsu and then shuns her, only to have Mitsu crop up repeatedly in his life. She is a country girl unable to get over her fondness for Yoshioka, tainting the rest of her life. However, she never looses her tragic flaw of over-caring towards other people. Endo, a Christian, tries to interweave the fate of Jesus with that of Mitsu. Possibly his way of telling the Christian story in a Japanese setting. Although I'm not sure how many readers would actually draw this parallel, it is an interesting theme in this book and recurring theme he uses in his other books as well. In the afterword, Endo explains how some western women may misunderstand the submissiveness of the female characters in his book, I find that statement superfluous and somehow trying to be politically correct in an afterthought. For me it is rather more interesting to think of what Yoshioka felt and what his actions may have been after having learned of Mitsu's fate. Is Endo trying to send a message to Japanese men? Or Japanese salarymen in particular? I, in particular, enjoyed Endo's modern description of the life of a salaryman. Yoshioka comments during his wedding: "Our entire lives as salarymen are conducted like episodes on a conveyor belt...companies these days don't recognize the differences between individuals" (p.178). Taking into consideration that this book was written some thirty years ago, it is amazing to think how little Japanese society has changed to date. Endo also criticizes his writing technique in his afterword and I have to add that the comedy-like tone at the beginning of the book is inappropriate and immature, when contrasted to the story and the tone of the remainder of the book. I would like to end by quoting a remark that Yoshioka makes at the end of the book: "If Mitsu has taught me anything at all, it was that every single person with whom we cross paths during our journey through life leaves an indelible mark on us." (p.192).