Monday, August 24, 2009

Kokoro, Garp, and Regeneration

In the last couple of weeks I've finished three more books from my list. Though they are very different in plot, context and style, they share one common theme: Guilt.

Kokoro by Natsume Soseki is considered Japan's first modern novel. It is a story reflecting the conflict in Japan between traditional values and the newly-adopted Western institutions. Full review.

The World According to Garp by John Irving is the wild story of a writer struggling against the influence of his tragic personal life on his writing... and much more. Full review.

Regeneration by Pat Barker is the first book in a trilogy depicting the treatment of cases of combat-induced mental illness in Britain in World War I. Most of the characters are historical figures, and the depictions of therapy are taken from actual published case studies. Full review.