Title: Everything East of the Sumida River
Author: Kaneyoshi Shikaku & Heiko Shihenkei
Genre: Contemporary / Japanese Culture
ISBN: 978-1-62798-233-7
Length: Novel (344 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2.5~3 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: Japanese businessman Takamatsu Masamune takes great pride in the empire he built from nothing. His shady past and connections to the underworld prove he has no problems getting his hands dirty, but his fondness for beautiful things gets him into trouble.
Captivating Naoya Tashimo performs as a traditional dancer in sordid underground clubs. While he loves to dance, other men viewing him as an erotic object has left him numb. Caught in a summer storm, Naoya seeks shelter inside a local import shop where company owner Takamatsu and his PA, Koji, are attending to some business. Immediately smitten, Takamatsu woos Naoya and wants to give him the world.
When they learn each other’s secrets, it tests the tenuous trust they’ve built. Takamatsu wants to own Naoya for himself. Having dealt with greedy, possessive men, Naoya turns his back on all that Takamatsu offers. In exchange, to truly have what he wants, can Takamatsu give up everything he built?
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4474
Review: This novel had a very weird way of captivating my attention, although it failed to reach my expectations. I loved the poetic language this is written. The way you understand immediately, even without the Japanese names, that it’s Japanese culture; the melancholic verging to tragic story of the characters that are thinly wrapped in a mysterious veil.
The main character here is Takamatsu, aka the businessman, aka, the entrepreneur, aka the Iberian Lynx, aka the older man. There is a reason I’m mentioning all the above; they identify Masamune on each and every turn and give you a hint of what the passage/paragraph is about. We meet him as a shop owner, but quickly understand that there is much, much more behind the business suit. There are layers upon layers upon layers to this character, facades that are hidden behind a cool mask, a dark past that makes your heart beat faster in anticipation of unraveling and exploring it. He allures you, drags you into his lair, and mesmerizes you like a siren calling to your death… But in the end, this character fails to deliver. For me it was a bit disappointing, I kept expecting for something… more.
I didn’t much understand his obsession with Denka. Yes, Denka has his own allure and magic, but to be willing to gift a total stranger his entire empire…? That made no sense to me. I shoved it under the Japanese drama rug, yet it still bothered me throughout the read. I was also let down by the fact that when the story ended, many secrets still remained in the shadows leaving me deeply unsatisfied. And speaking of satisfaction, I hit the red levels of my patience when all that sexual build up, the sadistic nuances Masamune had, his kinky side that was shimmering and burning under the line through the entire book, led to… nothing. That is something that deeply wounded the pervert and kinkster in me, leaving a bitter taste there when I closed the book.
Then there was Tashimo Naoya, aka Denka, aka Neko-chan, aka the white crane, aka the dancer.
If there was a character with the most screwed up life in this book, it was him. His Mother I have no words of what she forced him to do. His Father; I didn’t get it. I have my suspicions (they were never confirmed), but if he was who I thought he was, I have no words, zero, nil, nothing. I’m speechless. Denka is gorgeous in an androgynous way, he is a geisha (yes, you read right) and loves traditional dancing, but that’s it. He suffers through a state of being his Mother has put him in. He loves his dance, but hates what comes along with it. He longs for freedom, yet finds himself a man who wants to own him whole. Behind his seemingly nothingness there are secrets, and apparently, Denka is worth a lot. He has no idea though as who he is and what he’s worth are a mystery to him as well, and this is the reason that got me frustrated with his parents. I just don’t get it.
In the end, his relationship with his danna was weird. It had potential, so much potential, but it was all lost in an abundance of details and plot twists and mystery and intrigue… Ah, what a waste and what a pity. Such a bittersweet taste after all the anticipation.
And to top it all, there was Koji, aka the PA. What a tragic figure that one was. The very unrequited-love persona who always hides his feelings behind the mask of professionalism. The person who is inside everything yet never can touch the one thing he truly wants. And what a pervert if I may say so, what with all his stalking and taking pictures…
However, despite the fact that I was deeply disappointed in the end, and despite the fact that this is by no means an easy read (too many Japanese words) I still couldn’t put this book down. Literally! I had to take small break while reading this to clear my head and give my brain a chance to absorb meanings and events, but I felt a compulsion to come back, pick it up, and resume reading. As I said, the language and writing style had that Japanese allure, the words flowing like water, and the similes and metaphors taking you into a dreamlike state, traveling you into a place you long to visit and perhaps never leave. I just couldn’t have enough if this particular style and let myself get wooed into the dramatic romance of this story.
If you are the least bit like me, you’ll enjoy this read as well, but be prepared about the shortcomings so you don’t get over excited. It is a book well worth reading just for the cultural journey it takes you on, if not for the story itself.