The Sound of the Mountain

Recommended by Mona Simpson, and 1 others. See all reviews

Ranked #56 in Japanese

An alternate cover of this ISBN can be found here.

Ogata Shingo is growing old, and his memory is failing him. At night he hears only the sound of death in the distant rumble from the mountain. The relationships which have previously defined his life - with his son, his wife, and his attractive daughter-in-law - are dissolving, and Shingo is caught between love and destruction. Lyrical and precise, The Sound of the Mountain explores in immaculately crafted prose the changing...
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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Sound of the Mountain from the world's leading experts.

Mona Simpson This is a book where the father does live with the family. I just love Kawabata. To me this is a beautiful book about middle age and old age. The thing I like so much about it is that each member of the family is going through a particular change or journey or revelation at the same time, and yet they’re not aware of each others’ struggles. They’re only glimpsingly aware and yet they live together in this home. It’s a beautiful evocation of how the family contains these separate missions. (Source)


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