THINGS REMEMBERED AND THINGS FORGOTTEN

‘Things Remembered and Things Forgotten’ is an illuminating collection of short stories taking the reader into different experiences of contemporary Japanese life, peeling back the layers of the past and a forgotten time. Written by award winning Japanese author Kyoko Nakajima this is a delightful wild card choice, especially for those seeking a taste of all things Japanese with a sprinkling of the supernatural.

There are ten short stories in the collection, each providing a different slice of Japanese life connected by an air of ghostliness that permeates within each story. The first story sets the tone for the book as the reader is introduced to a middle aged couple returning to an old neighbourhood in which the husband reconnects with his estranged brother. The brothers find themselves haunted by their childhood memories of war-time and foreign occupation. Tainted by these ghostly memories of the past, whilst living in the present, we recognise this as a literary motif that preoccupies the writer throughout the collection.

There is a quirkiness in Nakajima’s writing style and we are expected to accept the unexpected, such as in her story about a widow discovering his recently deceased partner in ‘When My Wife Was a Shiitake’. This brings the reader closer to what feels quintessentially Japanese. In ‘The Life Story of a Sewing Machine’ (an award-winning short story) we discover the 'Singer' machine has lost its heart, opening chinks into bitter sweet memories, not just of people but as the collection’s title suggests ‘things remembered and things forgotten’. Each story hints at a dream-like encounter or a memory behind an object and its owners and the reader is happy to believe in the characters, buildings and places whether they are real, in the moment or indeed ‘spirits’ of another place or time.

Everyone in book club were moved by different stories and the ideas presented in the collection and it was easy to find one that resonated with our own ‘ghostly’ experiences. We all agreed that objects can illicit feelings and trigger memories of another life or world. The twists in the stories were also perfectly timed and arranged. If this is this Japan's answer to Road Dahl we look forward to more from Nakajima.

If you enjoyed 'The Keeper of Lost Things' by Ruth Hogan or 'Small Pleasures' by Clare Chambers, both recommended in the Den's library, this should be your next book club choice.