Thoughts on the two children based on this week's reading:
Yuu worries me. The fact that he hasn’t grown at all, and that he was hiding alone in the attic in total darkness, might hint at some sort of abuse like @Phryne suggests. There are children who chose to call their parents by their first name, so I wouldn’t read much in this alone, but his being certain he is an alien, and totally matter-of-fact about leaving this planet for good at some point (not to mention that he thinks his mother is better off without him), shows a very alienated, lonely child. I hope he’s going to be alright, and I worry that he’s most probably not.
On the other hand, our Natsuki is very intriguing indeed. She seems strong and independent, yet she too is very alienated from her family. Other than the rice serving scene, the significance of which I’m not very sure of (I mean, it wouldn’t mean much on its own, she herself admitted she was serving clumsily), we haven’t really seen any strange behaviour from her family towards her, but she seems to actually encourage the three of them to be together without her, without any hint so far that she resents them for it. I guess we’ll find out more soon enough. But it can’t be normal for a 10 year old to randomly decide she’s not part of her family and that they’re better off without her. She just reacts to whatever her family situation is in a seemingly more active and self-assured way than Yuu’s passive spaceship waiting.
I’m also interested in this Teruyoshi uncle. He gets mentioned a lot, and he seems to give some special attention to Yuu, even though he has three boys of his own.
All in all, I have an uneasy feeling, and I’m very eager to read on.
As for the silkworms, what a lovely scene Natsuki paints in her mind, with the beautiful white moths fluttering about in the house. Of course they would never be allowed to emerge from their cocoon, because that would destroy the single filament that it’s made of. I actually visited a silk making museum this summer (not in Japan, although Japanese tools were also on display). Very interesting, and very unsettling at the same time.
I’m loving the summery feel of the book. Summers in the countryside spent running about with people you never meet during the rest of the year feels very nostalgic somehow. I can almost hear the cicadas. And that huge house of the grandparents, with nooks and crannies to explore, an attic full of old books and toys… An unopened well full of mystery (I assume), fireworks, strange traditions and rituals. It all appeals to the child in me very much.
I found みそっかす a very interesting word. Miso dregs, but also a child who gets left out of games, or a good-for-nothing.
She doesn’t yet in this week’s portion, does she? Doesn’t this week stop directly before the 迎え火?
I find I go through periods where I’m fine with being in the middle of a bunch of things and periods where I want to churn through them one by one to pare down, and I’m in the latter at the moment so I read the first third of the book through chapter two yesterday (
