Monday 28 June 2021

Book Review: After the Banquet by Mishima Yukio (Modern Classics)

Title: After the Banquet
Author: Mishima Yukio
Publisher: Vintage
Publication Date: 1999 (1960)
Pages:
288
Format: Paperback
Genre: Modern Classic
Source: Gift

For years Kazu has run her fashionable restaurant with a combination of charm and shrewdness. But when the she falls in love with one of her clients, an aristocratic retired politician, she renounces her business in order to become his wife. But it is not so easy to renounce her independent spirit, and eventually Kazu must choose between her marriage and the demands of her irrepressible vitality. After the Banquet is a magnificent portrait of political and domestic warfare.

 

After the Banquet is another stunning work from Mishima Yukio. I've loved everything I've read of his so far, and this piece is no exception. Kazu is a delightful character whose vibrancy captivated me right from start, and I enjoyed following her journey with all its ups and downs over the course of the book. The political struggle juxtaposed with her marital dilemmas was equally compelling, making this a real page tuner. It's an easy five stars from me.

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