Review by Tina deBellegarde
Sayaka Murata’s Life Ceremony, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, is a wildly imaginative and chilling short story collection about loners and outcasts. Once again, Murata writes about non-conformity and once again she does it in her unique subversive style. She presents us with a world turned on its head, where what we accept today, is outlandish tomorrow.
These stories present an alternate reality. From stories about recycling human remains, to funerals where the celebrants are expected to pair off and procreate, this book forces us to question our norms.
Murata is one of several emerging Japanese authors who are challenging gender roles, marriage, motherhood and sexuality, as well as the complicity of women in adhering to these constraints. Murata does it deftly with dark humor and absurd scenarios. She confronts the outsider narrative in the same straightforward and unflinching manner that Mieko Kawakami does in Heaven.
The subject of conformity brings to mind Japan’s submission to the Academy Awards this year. Chie Hayakawa’s movie Plan 75 is about senior citizens who are encouraged and incentivized to be euthanized. Hayakawa, Murata, Kawakami and the others call our attention to the alarming consequences of conformity.
Murata’s stories aren’t all even or equally good, but they are all straightforward. There is no need to guess what Murata thinks about society. As the stranger says to Maho at the end of the titular story:
“…normal is a type of madness isn’t it? I think it’s just that the only madness society allows is called normal.”
For true Murata fans, this collection is a must, but where Convenience Store Woman handled the themes with a light touch, Life Ceremony and Earthlings have a much bolder, in some cases repulsive, approach. Readers of Convenience Store Woman should be warned, as I also mentioned in my review of Murata’s Earthlings, that this book is not for everyone. It is thought-provoking, unique and unpredictable, but it is also disturbing at times. Murata is evolving into an author with a clear message and will stop at nothing to get it across.
The Granta edition of Life Ceremony includes “A Clean Marriage,” previously published in Granta issue 127 on April 24, 2014. The absence of this story in the Grove Press edition is a great loss since it is a precursor to recurring themes in Murata’s novels.
Ginny Tapley Takemori delivers another beautiful crisp translation. Isn’t the sign of a great translation one that is transparent and allows the author’s prose to come through while respecting the complexities and subtleties of the two languages? Takemori does a superb job of allowing Murata’s elegant lean prose to shine through.
Life Ceremony is an addictive read. It is disruptive, haunting and thought-provoking. Murata deals in extremes and it is here where her point comes across most clearly. Through her absurd scenarios, it is impossible not to recognize that accepted morals are random constructs and may need to be questioned regularly.
These stories entertained me and made me think. They were also unsettling. But what’s a little discomfort in exchange for an important lesson?