Given my lack of experience, if my books were taken away from me, I would be utterly devastated. That’s how much I depend on what’s written in books. I’ll read one book and be completely wild about it — I’ll trust it, I’ll assimilate it, I’ll sympathize with it, I’ll try to make it a part of my life. Then, I’ll read another book and, instantly, I’ll switch over to that one. The sly ability to steal someone else’s experience and recreate it as if it were my own is the only real talent I possess. (from Schoolgirl, pages 25-26)
Schoolgirl is a novella by Japanese author Osamu Dazai originally published in 1939, essential following the thoughts of a young girl over the course of a day. Readers are given few details about the girl, not even her name. We know that she is grieving the sudden death of her father and her changed relationship with her mother. She has an older sister, whom she wishes would coddle her, but at the same time, the girl wants to be thought of as older and mature. Like most teenagers, she’s a walking contradiction.
It’s amazing how well a young male writer understood the inner thoughts of a teenage girl, their emotional ups and downs, their quick movement from one subject to another. It might have something to do with his own turmoil; Dazai attempted suicide several times and succeeded in 1948, just before his 39th birthday. Schoolgirl shows how difficult it is for girls walking the fine line between child and adult, and it could have just as easily been published today.
However, I must admit that I had a difficult time with Schoolgirl. It reads like you’re inside the girl’s head, listening to her thoughts ramble on and on…and on. She’ll talk about one thing, then quickly talk about something else. She talks about things that come up over the course of her day, during the ride to school, posing for her art teacher during class, and preparing dinner for her mother and some guests. I was ready to throw in the towel around page 30, but since the novella is only 94 pages long, I kept reading until the end.
The biggest problem I had with Schoolgirl was the lack of plot. I don’t mind characters going on internal tangents, so long as something is happening. But nothing happens; readers simply go along for the ride, hearing her thoughts and observations as she completes the day’s mundane tasks.
Yet, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the book at all. The girl is very thoughtful and observant, and Dazai’s writing at times is very profound.
“I want to love everyone,” I thought, almost tearfully. If you stare at the sky, it changes little by little. Gradually it turns bluish. Then, with nothing more than a sigh, I felt the urge to be naked. I had never seen anything as beautiful as the translucent leaves and grass. Gently, I reached out to touch the grass.
I want to live beautifully. (page 52)
Schoolgirl probably isn’t for you if plot, description, and a cast of well developed characters are important to you. But if you’re in the mood for a quiet character study with beautiful writing and thought-provoking passages, then you should give this novella a try.
Disclosure: I received Schoolgirl from One Peace Books for review. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Wendy sent me this one…I’ll have to give it a shot later on when I’m in the mood for this type of book.
I’m behind on my comments and you’re already reviewed it! Glad you enjoyed it.
How sad that the author committed suicide.
The author’s story if very depressing and tragic. I’m not surprised there’s such a heaviness to the thoughts of the girl in this story.
This book sounds different but I would buy it for that captivating cover alone!
I like the cover, too!
Hmm, I don’t know. It sounds totally different from what I usually read.
It wasn’t my usual fare, but I’m glad I read it, even if it didn’t wow me.
I think I may like this just because I would go into it knowing that it’s just her thoughts and that they may be scattered!
I probably wouldn’t have read it had I known there was no plot, but I think it would have been easier for me to read had I known it was more like a stream-of-consciousness thing.
It sounds like the author got it right … but the question is: do I really want to know what is going on in the mind of young schoolgirl?
Nothing too scandalous, at least in this book.
I’ve got to have plot, so this probably isn’t for me.
Yeah, you probably wouldn’t enjoy this book then. If it had been longer, I definitely would have stopped reading it. For me, good writing goes a long way, but absent plot, it can only go so far.
I do want a plot, even if he did very well writing about the mind of a young girl..still plot please
My thoughts exactly! I’m just glad it was short enough for me to finish it and that I was able to appreciate the writing.
Sounds idifferent. And how interesting that the author is a guy and captured a teenaged girls mind that well.
I think the fact that the author was troubled himself really helped him get the story right.
I think I’ll stay away from this one. I prefer more plot usually!
Me, too. At least I was able to appreciate the story, though.
I dont mind lack of plot so I might like this one although Im not sure I want to go inside a teenage girls head as it was bad enough when I was one.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure I wanted to revisit the teen years, which is why I don’t read too much YA.
I’m not sure if this one is for me, but I am curious about it. I’ll keep this in mind when i’m looking for something different.
It’s definitely something different.
I wonder at the sometimes tortured existence of such a creative spirit as the author’s. Anyone who can get inside a person’s thoughts and exhibit them so well in writing must have been a great talent. Thank you for this review; I will have my eye out for this one.
From what I’ve read, Dazai’s works remain very popular in Japan.
This sounds like a challenging, but worthwhile read. It is nice to hear that a novel written nearly seventy five years ago still holds up.
It really was a universal story in that sense. If there had been some plot, it would have been wonderful, I’m sure, given the author’s talent.