Luica’s Blog

A collection of Michael Gardiner’s short stories which takes us into the heart of 21st Century Japanese culture. Beautifully written and accurately observed, each of the 19 stories gives us brief insights into the Japanese belief in education (or should I say obsession in prestigious universities?), the duties and roles of men and women, and relationships between people in the digital age.

Linked by a common theme of receiving the best education, none of the heroes or heroines are satisfied with their life. While some would give up dignity, freedom and pretty much everything to get through university, the graduates were doubtful of how far a decent degree can take them – in terms of developing a successful career or building a happy family.

One of the most extreme stories is the ‘Model‘ who lived under 24-hour surveillance so that she could pay her way through one of the most prestigious universities. The graduate in ‘Escalator‘ still worried about the uncertainty of his future, and the tramp in ‘Diamond‘ was once a respectable graduate with a desirable job but ended up living on the street and being abandoned by his family.

I was especially touched by the loneliness and dejection in ‘Exchange‘ and ‘Birthday‘ where isolation was extremely painful and yet wasn’t over dramatised.

I have been living in the East End from the day I arrived in London and I have always preferred it to the less characteristic West. In Dalston, we had a spacious, cool house which was converted from an old factory, but the surroundings were a bit scary and we were never keen to go out after dark. I was always tempted by some of the best kebab shops in London, nevertheless.

It was not uncommon to hear stories about people being stabbed to death at the number 38 bus stop during the day and some guy opening fire at the local McDonald’s. We felt much safer when we moved to a gated community in Bow, where we swapped the exciting area and exotic restaurants for a communal garden, swimming pool and gym.

Both of these places are mentioned in Tarquin Hall’s Salaam Brick Lane, which I was totally engaged by. It took me less than a week to finish this amazing description of East Enders’ lives; I could hardly put the book down and when I came to the end, I really wished I had read it slowly.

I was fascinated by most of the stories and was particularly interested in reading the East End references including the famous (or infamous) Kray twins. As I used to hang out around Brick Lane, it was nostalgic to read about the curry houses, the Jewish beigel (bagel) bakeries, Spitalfields and the Columbia Road Flower Market.

I may go back this weekend.