The Laws of Evening

Rating:
Summary: Hope she writes a novel
Review: Excellent group of short stories about life after WWII in Japan. It grasps the pain, suffering, and despair of the people of Japan. Some were all out for the war and still after the war but many were ashamed of be led astray by their leadership. If you love short stories then this is a very good collection. The way she descibes the scenary with vividness is extraordinary.

Rating:
Summary: The unusual accomplishment
Review: It was such a delight to come across this collection of short stories by Waters. One remarkable thing about this author and her works that I discovered was that she has got this keen sense of 'balance'; I wonder how many readers recognized that her effortless and insightful writing was actually doing the rarest of rare justice to bridge East and West. Her stories represented Japan and people there without destorting them into 'understandable silliness, uncanniness and unintelligiblity for America' which we often find in Western media with tons of racial prejudice. But the phenomenon only reveals the extreme low level of American comprehension of other cultures. Waters' srories presented an incredibly valuable voice that we should be just grateful to be able to access finally.

The keys of success that Waters' works brought about were the authors' very neutral standing between two different cultures and languages; her handle and persepective did come from where she situated herself, free from 'white supremacy' and quite level to Asia, that kept her works from undermining new concepts and cultures of Japan eveb when she introduced in English. She never succumed to favoring Westerners just by serving their ancient exotism and narcissism. Since these are all I could observed in most English language writers including tons of lackluster Asian American writers, I was very pleased to find this author after long await and wanted to drop a line to inscribe the celebration for her unusually valueable accomplishment.

The only complain I have got was the cover design. The pink silhouette of a woman of kimono had nothing to do with the book's contents. I was ashamed to see this for it reminds me of regular and potential American audiences' ignorance; are we crazy enough to expect them (japanese people) to keep on issuing the same old stereotypical signifier like kimono, geisha samurai, forever? That is why Japanese people despise American as ignorant moron of three years old. This is not only pathetic but problematic. I demand that this cover should be changed when it comes out as a paperback version.

Rating:
Summary: Short Stories as Engaging as Novels
Review: Other reviewers understandably and accurately comment on the way the author informs the reader on cultural and historical issues, but I believe this most remarkable masterpiece works because of the depth of its sensitivity to private human experience and its rare literary style. Not a word should be added, not a word removed.
Most of the stories speak of women who have confronted loss, but this is in no way a "woman's book." I have purchased a half dozen copies to share with friends here and overseas, and several of those have subsequently purchased more copies to send to their friends. All have loved it, both men and women. My only complaint about the work is that it ended too soon.
(While I myself generally prefer novels, in contrast to another reviewer I am not certain this author should be encouraged to write novels: she has developed too well the capacity to carve small fine gems.)
You will be glad to have read this rarely engaging and uncommonly touching short book.