Scattered All Over the Earth is a perfect title for this novel. Its characters converge on Scandinavia from around the world (Japan, Greenland, India); each chapter has a different narrator; elements of Japanese culture insinuate themselves into European culture (sushi, anime, umami); our band of heroes hops around Europe (Trier, Oslo, Arles); the plot spirals out of control.
The first half of the novel is filled with engaging thoughts about cultural identity, which makes up for the lack of story and for the missed opportunity to give each narrator a distinctive narrative voice.
- There is a TV panel discussion with people who grew up in countries/cultures that no longer exist
- Knut thinks that sushi is a Finnish dish
- Traditional Greenland culture involves fishing, but Nanook's parents work for an American call center
- Haruki teaches folk tales she remembers from her childhood, but has to translate them to use concepts that Danish kids will recognize
- Akash hosts an annual get-together for Marathi-speaking students in Germany
- The cultural center in Susanoo's home prefecture promotes its status as the Nuclear Power Plant Ginza
I spent the early chapters gnawing on questions about how our cultures shape our worldviews and what the consequences are of the gradual change and diffusion of that culture. Once all of the major characters are introduced, however, the pace of insights wanes, exposing the low stakes of the plot.
Tawada reportedly intends Scattered All Over the Earth as the first book in a trilogy. I'm not sure whether I'll follow up with the next two books.
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