Natsuki Ikezawa's short story collection is one of the best I've read, and my favorite book by a Japanese writer. The translation is excellent, and all the beauty of the language appears to come out clearly. Although it's not really mentioned, Ikezawa is writing science fiction or fantasy in most of his stories. But the most important part of this book is the way he conjures up the lives of ordinary people. He makes you see the beauty of being human.

I read this book in Japanese.The word that Mr.Ikezawa uses is very beautiful.Once you began reading this book I can say for sure that you can't stop.

This is a wonderful book which deserves to be more widely read. An epic yet subtle comedy packed full of memorable characters.

The House Of Nire charts the rise and fall of a Japanese family who run a mental institution on the outskirts of Tokyo. In the early part of the book the family are full of pretention and their own importance to comical effect but as the novel progresses they are gradually met with hardship and tragedy.

In terms of size and scope, together with its slightly off-kilter viewpoint, this reminds me of John Irving. The way in which characters early in the book still have an impact on those remaining at the end is very Irving.

The often bleak tone of the book when the family are at their lowest and the rich characterisation was almost Dickensian.

Also, the tragi-comedy set in a lumbering insitution was reminiscent of Gormenghast. Infact both books begin with a bizarre chef working in a steamy kitchen.

Within the book there are some exemplary pieces of writing. The story of a Japanese soldier on board an aircraft carrier on the way to attack Pearl Harbour is one of the finest pieces of war fiction I have ever read and it was fascinating to see a different perspective on that part of the war.

The story of a Japanese doctor in Weimar Germany was also fascinating as we see the early stages of the rise of Hitler from the Japanese viewpoint.

Often laugh out loud funny, often truly tragic, this is a marvelous novel of epic proportions and is very much an undiscovered classic.

I strongly urge you to try this out.