The Thirst: A Glimpse inside the Culture of Japan by Daniel Newwyn

The Blurb: 

“Great capacity for complex writing skills in storytelling and description.” — Mark Peart, Department Member, Ph.D. University of Sydney

"It was Osaka, the city where it was easy to lie half-dead on the street and difficult to smile at strangers. It was the city of rowdy young girls in their anime costumes and of public shaming for not matching your shoes to your bag. It was the city of hanging lanterns drenched in the smell of Dotonbori's sake and all-night partygoers. It was the city of shut-ins of thirty years claiming human connection was overrated, of long hours and no extra pay, of Kamagasaki’s cheap internet cafes and flophouses with no permanent address where the homeless people squat in. And it was the city of a dust-specked book in an antique shop while the owner tried to finish it without the pages falling out."

Kyousuke was craving. He had been working for fifteen years without leave; working was his second nature. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a happy marriage, a happy family, a happy life. He had forgotten how to live. But there was one thing he would never forget.

Alcohol.

To get away from everything, the man fell back to his daily routine: getting dead drunk. As he did, the memory of his past came to haunt him. Would he ever find a way out?

'The Thirst' is literary fiction done right, a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction. A very short, but guaranteed satisfying read.

Disclaimer: The short story is set in modern Japan, specifically Osaka. The readers should approach the book with this knowledge in mind.

The story: 

The story starts with the middle-aged man Kyousuke, a workaholic and who has suddenly gotten a vacation after working for 15 years without any leaves. 

What will you do if your wife doesn’t love you anymore? Or you don’t see your kid for five days of the week and when you see he cares less? 

So this is a story about Kyousuke and his midlife crisis. And does the only thing he thinks is right, that is to drink, drink, drink, and drink. Until he talks to a man younger than him, who says words beyond amazement. 

So will his life come back on track? Will he at least try, or has he already given up?

My Take :

This is the second book I am reading of the author Daniel Newwyn and it’s just amazing to see how a short story can also be inspirational. 

This story is short to read and can be read in one go. It’s truly gripping and engaging.

The character is well defined and the emotions are very well expressed. While reading one can easily feel what the character is going through which is amazing to read.

The highlight of the book is the writing style, which makes it seem like a reality, and the book is also written and lucid language which is gripping from the very start.

Overall a short but interesting read. So click here and read now The Thirst: A Glimpse inside the Culture of Japan by Daniel Newwyn.