Botchan
Natsume Soseki
Kodansha International, March 2007, $12.00
ISBN: 4770030487

In Japan, Botchan grew up knowing his father thought he was a worthless wastrel; his mother, who died when he was young, expected him to be a failure; his effeminate older brother only hated him. He expected to be disinherited, so nothing stood in his way to dare to defy the restrictive demands of the social order, except perhaps the housekeeper Kiyo who loves him like the way a mother does by cherishing their offspring.

However, shocking all the nay-sayers, Botchan actually graduates from the university, although his dad was dead before he could see this unlikely miracle occur. He accepts a job teaching math somewhere in remote Shikoku; a monster geographical change for an urban dweller like him. Botchan quickly assumes these rubes are beneath his intelligence, especially because of his big city lifestyle where he learned true survival skills. He treats students, peers, superiors, parents, and other locals as inferior beings, giving each a derogatory nickname and making it doubtful that the cause of this class warfare will survive a year of rustification.

This Japanese version will remind readers of The Catcher in the Rye (perhaps a better way to look at this is The Catcher in the Rye is an Americanized version of Botchan, as the Japanese classic was written over four decades earlier than Salinger's novel). This insightful classic provides a deep look at Japanese society circa 1906. The storyline is a one sitting fast read, as the lead character mocks everyone, causing universal disdain. Readers will enjoy this superb amusing translation, that provides a powerful glimpse at Japanese customs through the actions of and reactions towards an arrogant antagonist.