Memoirs of a Geisha Review

“The world was hers for the reading.” 
- B. Smith

50 Books to read before you die.  1/50

As part of my 2013 new years resolutions (most of which are have been long forgotten) I promised myself I would read more classic literature, so a good place to start would be the 50 books to read before you die series. Most of the books sounded familiar and a lot were on my own personal 'I would love to read that someday' list so I decided to give it a go.

The first book - Memoirs of Geisha.
Like a lot of people I was intrigued by the majestic and oh so secret world of a Geisha I was acutely aware of the controversy surrounding the book. The author Arthur Golden thanked Mineko Iwasaki (the Geisha upon whom the book is loosely based) for her help in creating the story, after promising to keep her identity a secret. She was understandably enraged by this and sued him for a healthy sum. She later went on to write a book called Geisha of Gion which apparently straightens out Golden's misconceptions. Knowing this only made me want to read the book more, lets face it who doesn't love a good old scandal.

The novel is written from the first person perspective of a child called Chiyo Chan. She is sold to a Geisha house where she is to train and become a successful Geisha. Ofcourse she is presented with many trials and tribulations along the way, but it is the sureness with which Golden writes that I find most enthralling. Chiyo has a fascination with much older men, and this is depicted as being a natural emotion. The phrase age is nothing but a number has never been truer then within the context of this book. Being part of the western idealism of what is acceptable many of us would feel very uncomfortable with such a plot, but the way Golden deals with this sensitive issue works well. Once you've accepted the idea that this was normal in  mid 20th Century Japan one can come to appreciate Chiyo's quest to find and love the man of her dreams. Underneath the complicated exterior the story is essentially one about love, and coming of age set within a dramatic theatre of world war conflicts.

Golden's style of writing has received ample criticism, accused of being too flowery. I can appreciate that there is at times an overkill of metaphors and similes which are a little too in your face trying to be oriental. For example -

 

"I felt as a dam must feel when it's holding back an entire river."

"I felt as sore as a rock must feel when the waterfall has pounded on it all day long."

"My poor scalp felt the way clay must feel after the potter has scored it with a sharp stick."

"Like the crisp skin of a grilled fish."

I must admit this isn't really a very 'natural' way of thinking but you can't say it doesn't lead you to picture this alternative universe that Golden is trying to create. Perhaps the superficiality of the story is intentional, and that the book, in a way is supposed to resembles a geisha. Beautiful and eager to please, yet too distant to really learn much from and ultimately little more than a beautiful, well-crafted object to be appreciated. If that's the case, Arthur Golden is remarkably clever. If it's not the case, I still think he does enough for the reader to feel invested in the plot and characters.

The first half of the book is far better crafted then the latter half. With the dawn of the second world war Golden falls into the trap of an American author writing from the perspective of the occupied state. At times the glamorous depiction of the American soldiers is rather snort worthy. Sayuri (Chiyo) ends up happy but not on the soil that she was born and raised, instead all her dreams come true on American soil. Which considering the hatred felt towards the Americans by the Japanese seems rather far fetched.  I'm hoping Golden portrayed this because Mineko felt this way, in which case it is understandable.

All in all if your looking for a captivating story which has the ability to transport you to a mystical world then I would highly recommend this book. As long as you read it with an open mind and regard it as a fictional story I don't see any reason not to enjoy it.

Peak - The development of Chiyo as a character and her relationship with Mameha (her mentor).

Pit - Golden's rather crass depiction of the role of Americans in post war Japan.

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” 
― H.D Thoreau