Deep River (Endo Shusaku)
Content Warnings: general & mild
Review
Personally: 8/10
Generally: 8/10
This was a really good book to read slowly over the course of multiple evenings. It poses questions without suggesting definitive answers, something shown through the multiple characters.
I found some more compelling than the others, but I think it was meant that any resonance is dependent on the reader.
I especially liked Mitsuko and Isobe, because I found them the most personally relevant. Even if they see themselves as bad people, I don't cast the same judgement because I understand those feelings can come from many places.
Nearly everything that occurs feels real, yet falls in line to reinforce the narrator's viewpoints. The narration can trend towards being preachy, but because the world it references is so gritty and imperfect, it didn't come off in that way.
I would recommend if you are interested in spirituality or religion. Endo really succeeds in providing insight there.
For a gripping novel that aims to invest the reader in its characters forcefully, maybe it's not what you are looking for.