A lyrical tale about the end of an era and the neighbours you don't really know
Spring Garden is a fascinating novella that articulates the isolation of contemporary city life though the idea of the evolving soil beneath your feet. In the hyper-real urban sprawl of Tokyo Tomoka Shibasaki presents a microcosm community of residents in a mid-century apartment block who are awaiting the building's demolition.
The residents know each other by sight but only begin to get to know one another as the threat of the wrecking ball becomes real. In Shibasaki's Tokyo there is a paradox; the closer people live to one another the more they inhabit private and separate bubbles.
Two of the residents, divorcee Taro and manga artist Nishi, form a new friendship as they are amongst the last few residents in the block. As they both lament the end of the era they struggle to come to terms with the speed of change in the city; the endless digging and rebuilding which has characterised post-war Japan. "Before that this area had been fields and woods, and the leaves and fruits and berries that fell every year, as well as the little animals would also have formed layers over time, sinking down ever deeper under the ground."
Through the pages of a old photography book the pair become obsessed with a house and garden nearby that illustrates the sense of loss they both feel about their own building. Taro in particular is a recognisable character; the bored salary man who is literally going through the motions until an obscure interest piques his attention.
Tomoko Shibasaki writes a thought provoking narrative in Spring Garden which Polly Barton translates into seamless English with aplomb. The novel won the Akutagawa prize in 2014 which marked Shibasaki as new writer to watch. Once again Pushkin Press have brought more great Japanese fiction to English bookstores.
Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki and translated by Polly Barton published by Pushkin Press, 160 pages.
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Japanese cover artwork
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