My New Friend, "THE WOMAN IN THE PURPLE SKIRT," by Natsuko Imamura, translated from the Japanese by Lucy North

 

Me with my new friend, The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura, translated from the Japanese by Lucy North

Hello. My name is Bobby Keniston, and books are my only friends. Before you start feeling bad for me about this, keep in mind that there are more books in the world than any of us could need in a lifetime, so... that makes me popular? Right? Right???

Or maybe I'm as invisible as I sometimes fear. Which leads me to today's new friend, The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura, translated from the Japanese by Lucy North. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is all about feeling invisible, and turning that invisibility into obsession toward one who is far more visible than you--- like a woman in the neighborhood who wears a purple skirt and seems to fascinate everyone she meets. She certainly fascinates our narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Like most people, I like to learn about other parts of the world. I realized I hadn't nearly enough books from all over the globe. I have been particularly interested in reading more Japanese literature. So went on YouTube and found a BookTuber with a channel called Books and Bao, who had a wonderful video recommending  "30 Must-Read Japanese Books in Translation," which you can watch yourself by CLICKING HERE.  The Woman in the Purple Skirt was on the list, and, much to my delight, was carried by hometown library, the Thompson Free. 

Libraries are a great place to find new friends, wouldn't you agree?

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Okay, so this is where things get a little difficult. The joy in reading this book is from the Imamura's brilliant creation of our narrator. This is not a plot-heavy book, but the things that do happen in the last third or so, are really big, and I would never dream of spoiling them. I can describe my new friend a little bit, but don't be surprised if I don't do it justice, because it might seem simple. But I assure you that it is anything but simple. 

The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan (which is how she likes to think of herself, though she does have a name we learn later on) watches the Woman in the Purple Skirt (who also has a name). Watches her go to the bakery and pick up a pastry, watches her go to the park and sit on HER BENCH, watches her eat the pastry. Watches her read the want ads in the paper. Watches her go home. Watches her go from job to job. Watches as the kids in the park, who seem just as fascinated by the Woman in the Purple Skirt as our narrator is, play games to decide who has to run up and tap her. 

Our narrator does all this watching, and is invisible. No one seems to ever see The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. 

The major thrust of the book comes when our narrator, through a few little tricks, gets the Woman in the Purple Skirt to apply for  job cleaning a hotel, the same hotel where our narrator works. The Woman in the Purple Skirt gets the job, becomes very popular, all while our narrator watches, unable even now to introduce herself. 

This is about as comfortable as I am giving away plot points. Too much of the joy comes in discovering what happens next. But I can say that this is a stark portrait of obsession and loneliness. 

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I love the language. The simple, understated nature of how our narrator tells the story. What one realizes after awhile is that what makes the book so readable yet unsettling as well, is the ability Imamura has to make the narrator both relatable but completely unrelatable, too. We follow her as she follows The Woman in the Purple Skirt. And quickly learn that our narrator sees nothing at all unusual about her obsession. Nothing at all unusual about her stalking behavior. After all, how bad can it be if she, herself, is invisible to everyone?

Imamura's writing is addictive, and this is a short novel that could most likely be read in one sitting. Big credit to Lucy North's translation, as well, for capturing the spirit here. 

FAVORITE SCENES

It's hard to choose, but here are few:

There is a moment after the kids in the park have been playing with The Woman in the Purple Skirt, and they all share an apple. Once they are gone, our narrator goes to the bench, where an orange has been left behind, and bites into it viciously, through the peel, and continues to bite and bite. 

There is another moment, which made me laugh out loud, when our narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, steals a pair of sunglasses. I will not describe the scenario any further. But it was terrific. 

FINAL TAKEAWAY

I had a blast reading this book, and it has stuck in my mind, too. One can't help but think of the chorus of "Eleanor Rigby", or a movie like One Hour Photo, other media that explores loneliness. But The Woman in the Purple Skirt feels special, perhaps because of Imamura's light, skillful touch. 

It definitely got in my head. 

Thanks for checking out my thoughts on my new friend, The Woman in the Purple Skirt. I definitely recommend you all making friends with her, too. 

See you next time, as soon as I make a new friend.