Scattered all over the earth (LEAD)

Subtle complex. Leaves a trail of interesting tidbits. Bits of the prose are so good, want to read several times and snipclip for later.

The book is weird and interesting but also kind of boring until the last chapter or so which I thought was pretty funny and really enjoyed. It’s funny because I’m my impression of the book I think huh, there wasn’t much action there, but also there was a lot of movement around and different people meeting up. It doesn’t seem like a book that will stick with me, but only time can tell.

I keep listening to it because it continually makes my jaw drop or eyebrows fly up. If this is widely acclaimed in Japan, it must be losing A LOT in translation! The dialog is bizarre, analogies are puzzling, situations arise that seem quite unlikely, and the plot, if there is one, is simply juvenile. I was playing with a new writing pen, so I started scribbling down one weird phrase after another: one that I picked up on was from someone talking to his mother on the phone, "I pressed my hand down on the top of my head to lower my voice," and a minute later, "I pressed my head down harder to make my voice lower." I will say that the narrator's voice is fairly soothing - which, to me, is sometimes more important than content. I will probably not want to read the book, but may listen to it again, just for the weirdness factor ... it at least amuses. I will also keep a pen and paper handy to jot down the occasional moment of the "I don't believe I just heard that" variety.

The book is sleepy and has little plot. It is compared to Canterbury Tales, but honestly you'd be better off reading Canterbury Tales instead because they are not on the same level. Scattered All Over the Earth has a poetic rhythm to its language but the story is random and unrealistic. The setting is confusing AF. It is not so far into the future because a survivor from the division of East and West Germany is featured in Hiruko's interview, but it is far enough that sexual instinct has somehow died out in Japan via evolution??? It was not a horrible read but imo the author tried too hard to sound wise and philosophical by making the characters analyze themselves and their actions in an unnatural way.