I have a thing for books set in Japan. Even though I have never been to Japan, they feel familiar to me — a home I can visit through fiction. A familiarity hiding in the books set there — no matter how different the writing style may be — that makes me feel attached. I love the surreal, languid style in Murakami’s The Wind up bird Chronicle, the soft urgency in Banana Yoshimoto’s writing (The Kitchen is wonderful), the bloody, cosy mysteries of Seishi Yokomizo, and the darker thrillers of Keigo Higashino. Having loved Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, I was eager to peep into the life of Miwako Sumida — her perfect world, no less.
Review of The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida
The titular character does not get a POV in the strict sense — she writes letters though — and we get glimpses into her through her interaction with her friends. I was reminded of Janice Pariat’s Nine Chambered Heart which constructs a character through the eyes of those she interacts with, ultimately making us question ‘how well do we know a person?’
It isn’t often that you read a book and do not want it to end. And this year, it was The Perfect world of Miwako Sumida for me. I would stretch the 280-something pages into many nights and spend my mornings looking forward to picking up the book again. Through the eyes of Ryusei (a student at Waseda university), Chie (Miwako’s friend) and Fumi (Ryusei’s older sister), Goenawan invites us into a perfect world cracking up with imperfections, secrets and tragedies. The story is set in Japan and Goenawan — an Indonesian born Singaporean writer — writes a convincing story.
Read : The Red Circle Minis feature modern, original stories from Japan
Clarissa Goenawan writes a familiar story — Murakami-ish, vivid
Rainbirds — Goenawan’s debut novel — felt distinctly Murakami-esque. Her second novel, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, which took five years to write, rests comfortably in the familiar setting of her first book. There are cats that get lost, strange men, journal entries, internal anxiety eating a man alive, surreal peculiarities and slow routines of daily life. Those who love Murakami would be at home with Ryusei and Miwako. However if you are expecting another Murakami novel, you would be disappointed. There are answers to almost all questions — something Murakami shies away from — and while I wondered whether this is a good thing or a bad thing in a novel as this, I was also aware that I adored this book and constantly thought the characters in my waking hours. So I think the formula in The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida worked?
When I read the blurb for this book, I had my initial reservations. It sounded too similar to Rainbirds — suicide, grief, secrets. But I was turnt up by the way the story progressed. Each character spoke to me and I wished I knew the answers to tell them, and relieve them of their mental agony. Goenawan uses the familiar Murakami style of improbable relationships or agreeable situations between unlikely characters. Ryusei is enamoured by Miwako the first time he sees her on a triple date with his two friends (and two of hers). She is blunt, careless, serious, impenetrable and indifferent. Yet, he is attracted to her. They walk to a bookstore — the Ikeda bookstore, a second hand book store owned by a man named Ikea. Ryusei offers Miwako a job to assist his sister, Fumi, at her studio. Miwako accepts! After Miwako hangs herself, Ryusei and her friend Chie —the unlikeliest companions — go on a journey to where she died. The confident, strong Fumi allows a man to stay in her apartment even after finding out that he has lied about his identity. The unpredictable always happens. Cats disappear, ghosts visit, zines betray family secrets.
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida isn’t without its faults. The letters from Miwako to Rysuei felt jarring to the otherwise continuous narrative. I wondered if they could’ve been cut down in number or rather the information could be conveyed to the reader in another way. There were a number of occasions where something that was developed is lost in narration. The bookstore doesn’t find much of a mention after it is established as something that Ryusei and Miwako enjoy. You could also argue that the impact of death in the story hinders further mentions. But such abrupt exclusions made the novel less believable.
Goenawan explores strong themes with ease
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida steps on heavy topics of sexual abuse and blackmailing. Through Fumi it sketches the picture of a trans person and the scars they carry even though they extrude a confident persona. Fumi isn’t reduced to a token character or written bad to confirm to stereotypes, but is laid bare as a human being aiming to live a fulfilling life. The novel fills you with questions but even after it becomes predictable mid-way, it makes you unable to put it down. Goenwan gives us answers to the questions she prods into the minds of the reader. But at the end of the book I found myself asking, “Did Miwako have to die?”. I don’t know.
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida invaded my waking hours. About grief, ghosts, cats, strange men and young love. Click To Tweet
Final Verdict
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida will surely win your heart be it the characters or the progression. Pick it up if you are looking to consume a slow wielding, heart warming novel that leaves you a little sad, but satisfied.
Trigger Warning : The novel includes scenes of sexual abuse, rape and suicide.
Title : The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida
Author : Clarissa Goenawan
Publisher : Soho Press
Pages : 288
Rating : 5/5
Disclaimer : Much thanks to the author for an ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.
Lovely review Resh!