A Quick Note During Lunch

So, I have neither died nor given up on writing, it has just been a rather busy three weeks and my house still lacks a reliable internet connection. However, within two weeks at least one of those issues will be resolved so I can once again wind down my evenings by penning some of my random musings and telling stories of things that at least interested me when they happened.

Number 9 Dream

I finished this somewhat existentialist, somewhat stream of consciousness, somewhat violent action romp, somewhat mystery, somewhat romance, somewhat coming of age novel last night on the subway going to meet up with two good friends from New York. I definitely enjoyed this novel, the rich imagery and deep personal insights, clever stories within the story and intricately structured dream worlds, though I was a bit nonplussed with the non-ending if you will. Of course, it was befitting the theme and did leave me thinking quite a bit, I suppose I am just in the mood for resolution right now. Still, I could not put this book down this week and highly recommend it especially as subway reading. The novel is crafted in these small, occasionally slightly disjoint sections, meaning it is perfect for people who sit down to read in short bursts.

Another aspect of this novel is that despite being set in a bustling Tokyo and a damp, rural Kyushu, the author is not Japanese. I found much in common with the way the main character perceived the world around him and his experiences within that world, but wonder if this qualifies as branching away from my Eurocentric literary perspective. It seemed to capture some aspects of the Japanese literature and culture I have had a bit of interaction with to this point, but I am somewhat fascinated by an outsider taking an insider's view of another culture. I would like to know both the outsider's perspective on the experience as well as an insider's response. Sadly, I have neither, but did enjoy the read.

Update.

Well, I am here in New York at an internet cafe (OK ... a Starbucks but I am not proud of it), trying to readjust to life back on the grid, write some lectures for my class starting September 10th, get my head back into doing calculations, edits and writing for research, figure out how to be married again, dealing with the sudden lack of time and abundance of obligations I feel, learn how to use a cell phone again and generally figuring out how to re-enter my real life that seems to be made for a person similar to me but not quite the same anymore. Right now, I have no internet connection at home, but eventually will be posting more regularly I hope about this transition and all the struggles and joys that come with it.