An I-Novel by Minae Mizumura

Author:Minae Mizumura
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC019000, Fiction/Literary, LCO004030, Literary Collections/Asian/Japanese
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2021-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

Awareness came slowly, in bits and pieces. Experiences piled up, telling me that I was as Asian as any Chinese or Korean, but for years I didn’t get the message. Or perhaps I did not wish to understand those experiences, preferring to remain in the dark. Time worked patiently on me until finally I was dragged into the light. The same must have been true for Nanae.

One memorable event during this time was the episode of Nanae’s blind date—an episode that always reminded me of the supreme beauty of spring in that town where we grew up. One day the falling snow would have a different quality. Snowflakes from a clear blue sky would glisten in the sunlight, floating in midair like tiny, transparent shards of glass, and vanish. That would be the last snow of the season. The sunlight would turn cheerful, a harbinger of spring. Then grass sleeping beneath the snow in our yard would put out new shoots as soft as cat’s fur, and tiny leaf buds would appear on the trees. Soon flowers everywhere were in bloom, and by the time squirrels scampered from branch to branch, all around would be swathed in a frothy green so deep it was overpowering. The harshness of winter made us eager for spring, and when spring finally arrived it seemed a taste of heaven. After moving away, every spring I would return to feast on the season’s beauty, even though the memory of anguished school days kept me from fully appreciating it. Only when I no longer had reason to go back to the town was the full glory of spring there revealed to me; only then did I also see that a little drama like Nanae’s blind date was marked more than anything by the excitement and surprise that are the prerogative of innocence and youth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.