Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley

Four Seasons in Japan

 by Nick Bradley 

Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley was published on 13th June in paperback by Penguin. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

A despondent American translator living in Tokyo finds a lost book on the subway and embarks on a year-long journey translating it into English...

Flo is sick of Tokyo. She is stuck in a rut, her translation work has dried up, and she's in a relationship

that's run its course. That's until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a drunken passenger on

the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page, Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel, a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life...

It is a story about Ayako, a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi, where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson, Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy, both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other.

As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan, through the ups and downs of the pair's burgeoning relationship, she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And, as her two protagonists reveal themselves to have more in common with her life than first meets the eye, the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.

My Review

A beautifully written book of relationships, dreams and determination which  give the reader an insight into the importance of relationships and how they affect , guide and develop our lives .

This is one of those intriguing stories that will stay with you for a long time, not just in the telling of the story through the eyes of Kyo, Ayako and Flo, but also in the way it will make you look differently at how you live your own life, and depending on who you have in your life, support others in their dreams and ambitions. There are messages in this story for us all to learn from and towards the end of the book the paragraph that will stay with me is from Ayako

“ But the most important thing she wanted to tell her grandson was that his life was his own,to do with as he saw fit. That she would support him, she would love him, she would be proud of him, no matter what choices he made.

She would be his safety rope.

She would help him with the climb.”

This quote is so poignant , and as I am sat here writing this review, whilst watching two adult Bluetits feed their young in a nearby nest box, it sums up the whole moral behind the story. 

We all make mistakes in whatever role we are in , it is how we are supported and nurtured by those around us that help us learn from these mistakes and move us forwards on what ever the path we choose to take.

The ending of the book took me a little by surprise as I was expecting something different, which for obvious reasons I won't disclose here , however, it is cleverly done.

I feel so privileged to have read  Four Seasons in  Japan and I am now going to treat myself to a copy of The Cat  and the City, which was Nick’s debut novel, whilst also eagerly awaiting any future novels.

About the Author

NICK BRADLEY holds a PhD from UEA focussing on the figure of the cat in Japanese literature. He lived in Japan for a decade, but currently teaches on the Creative Writing master's programme at the University of Cambridge. His debut novel, The Cat and The City, was published in 2020 to widespread critical acclaim.