Weasels in the Attic | Book Review

Author: Hiroko Oyamada
Translated by: David Boyd
Setting: Japan | Rural Japan
Pages: 71 – Paperback
Geemiz Rating: 2/5

The storytelling feels like I am watching a Japanese movie with a sepia tone, and when it ended, I just said, “ Oh! So that’s it?” But, don’t get me wrong, my emotions were stirred at the last part during the interaction between the old lady and the husband because I can relate to the couple.

“We live our lives in the groups we have – in our cities, In our countries, even though we didn’t chose them. Know what I mean? We like to tell ourselves it’s love, that we are choosing our partners. But in reality, we’re just playing in the card’s we’ve been dealt.” – Urabe

What I like about this short novel is its plainness and mundaneness. Nothing too climactic, just an ordinary story of men’s friendship interactions, family dynamics – husband vs. wife, and husband vs. in-laws, and living a rural life.

Japanese Lit book - Weasels in the Attic

But plain doesn’t mean we cannot get anything.

Do not envy other people’s lives because we do not know their struggles. Just like in the book, working from home and living in a rural life is the wish of many but little did we know the problems of living in the province. In this story, the weasels in the attic.
The value of communication between couples. Being each other’s confidant so that one would not seek out a third party.
The value of having friends whom we can rely on even though we do not see them that often.

Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada

Quotes from Weasels in the Attic
Most of the time, when I read, I write quotes that I like or that strike me. Here are some and a little reaction to them.

“But who knows what people working at home get up to in the middle of the afternoon”

*** Personally, the middle of the afternoon is my favorite part of the day. It is my time when I get to read books, write book reviews, write more blogs, write my journal, do personal errands, clean the house, and connect with family and friends online.

“Listen, when you think about buying a house, give it some real thought”

*** This is so very adulting conversation and it is the primary thing I would tell family and friends who are considering buying a house. This is one of the biggest decisions any couple must make. Research is very important and if you know others (multiple) who have gone through the process, then it is better to ask for advice from them.

“Women are happier to spend the night with friends than men are” – narrator

*** Surely, we do. But we do not sleep. We talk the night away and I miss doing this.

“I know they are pretty but they are living things” – Saiki

*** This tells so many things. It is not just applicable to fish, as what they are talking about in the story, but to all pets, plants, and even babies.

Good Japanese translation book - Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada