On Parole

Wow. Just finished it. What a powerful book. Perfectly paced and reaches a seering crescendo at the end. This is the third book of Yoshimura’s I’ve read and they are all amazing.

Like all the Yoshimura books I have read, this is brilliant. This guy is Tolstoy.

This provocative novel from prolific Japanese author Yoshimura is only the second of his works to appear in English. The story follows a middle-aged Shiro Kikutani, who after 16 years in prison for an initially unspecified crime, is paroled and released into a Tokyo which has changed almost beyond his comprehension. For the first 100 pages or so, the reader is treated to an almost anthropological examination of his transition from the simple, regimented life in jail to a new chaotic life in the scary outside world with its myriad of options and outrageous (to him) prices. With the aid of two very humane parole "officers", he slowly starts to build a normal life with his own apartment and a job at an egg processing plant. One element that will be interesting to the American reader is the level to which being an ex-con is a stigma in Japanese society-Kikutani lives in fear that someone will discover his past and thus makes no friends. Similarly, he must stay away from his brother and his former hometown because of the shame of his crime. Another interesting element is the role of his two parole officers, who act as civilian counselors or mentors rather than the standard representative of American law enforcement. Yet, while they are clearly benevolent, they are almost Orwellian in their knowledge of his affairs, which makes Kikutani question the true nature of his new freedom.Meanwhile, Kikutani finds that he is not in the least bit remorseful for his crime-which is alluded to, but not detailed until page 110 or so. Thus the central theme of the novel is brought forth: whether redemption can occur without true remorse and forgiveness. Yoshimura muddies Kikutani's case by casting him as a respected member of society (a teacher), who commits a crime that is understandable if not conscionable, but in an ambiguous approach. Kikutani attempts to revisit places from his past in his quest to understand himself and how he became a murderer, and what it all means, but cannot find solace or aid, leading to a tragic and fatalistic ending. The book's tone is not unlike Yoshimura's other two translated novels, Shipwrecks and One Man's Justice, check those out as well.