First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

The Key is a novel told in the form of parallel diaries kept by a husband and wife which describe the last four months of their marriage. The husband (a professor in his fifties) frenziedly drives himself to even more intense sexual pleasures with the wife with whom he has lived for almost thirty years. He resorts to various stimulants: brandy and a handsome young man for her. In the day they record the previous night’s experiences. Each suspects that the other is secretly reading their respective diaries, and wonders at the same time if the other does not actually intend that his daily confession be read. It is a masterful example of a theme which dominates all of Tanizaki’s writing: the relationship of sexual desire to the will to live.

Happy Friday everyone! Well, it is already Saturday. Just like that, the first complete work week of the year has concluded. I am well aware that many of us still have some holiday hangovers. Nevertheless, I hope everyone is beating the slump. Personally, it was quite a transition, from very busy to holiday season back to very busy in just a matter of weeks. Still, I appreciate the quick reprieve, allowing me to rest and reflect. The rest of January and perhaps the entire first quarter of the year will be quite hectic so I can use every bit of rest. Anyway, I hope everyone ended the work week on a high note. I hope you were able to accomplish all your tasks for the week. It is time to slow down, unwind, and dive into the weekend. More importantly, I hope you are all doing well in body, mind, and spirit.

Capping the week is a First Impression Friday update albeit it is a day late. This weekly meme has been consistently carried over year-on-year and this will still be carried over in 2025. It has become part of my book blogging ritual. I am grateful for it because it allows me to take a break from my reading and reflect on the chapters and pages that I have finished. It has eventually evolved into a springboard upon which I built my book reviews. It also allowed me to compare how a book initially made me feel with how it ultimately made me feel. Reading-wise, the first two months of the year are dedicated to the works of East Asian literature. Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature recognition is a driver for me to open the year with the works of East Asian writers; an older work of hers is going to be released in English later this month.

Another germane reason for opening the year with East Asian writers was my failure to host a Japanese literature month in 2024, the first time in a while that I failed to do so. This leads me to a very familiar name in the ambit of Japanese literature. It was through must-read lists that I first came across highly-acclaimed writer Jun’ichirō Tanizaki; the prestigious Tanizaki Prize was named after him. He is a prominent figure in Japanese literary discussions and circles. This naturally piqued my interest; he was even nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. I have since read four of his works, starting with Some Prefer Nettles back in 2019. He is also one of the reasons why Japanese literature has become one of my favorite literary territories. I can call it one of my playgrounds. The Key is the fifth novel by Tanizaki I read.

Originally published in 1956 in Japanese as 鍵 (Kagi), the novel takes the form of a diary; this kind of reminded me of another Tanizaki novel, The Diary of a Mad Old Man. In a way, the book shares several tangents. The first diary was written by a fifty-five-year-old man who remained anonymous. He was a university professor and was married to Ikuko who was at least a decade his junior. Ikuko’s diary was the second diary the novel follows. The couple has a daughter named Toshiko. Like any diary, the professor’s diary contains his deepest and most sinister thoughts. His major concern in the present, however, concerned his wife. He confesses the sexual difficulties he was having with his wife. He complained about Ikuko’s insatiable appetite, her conservative attitude, and her rejection of his sexual preferences.

On Ikuko’s part, she wrote about her husband’s inability to satisfy her. Her husband attributed this to the dichotomy in their ages. I guess I was not surprised by the sexual nature of the couple’s problem; this, I surmise, is a classic Tanizaki literary landscape. As the story moves forward, the couple is slowly becoming paranoid, believing that each is reading the other’s diary. They feign ignorance and even claim nonchalance. However, they also keep reiterating in their respective diaries that while they are aware of each other’s diaries, they have never read them. It was quite interesting how Tanizaki is digging into their psyche. Ikuko repeatedly mentioned being raised in a conservative household which limited her actions. In a span of a hundred pages, she mentioned it about four or five times. I guess this is to underline the social structures within Japanese homes.

Their personal issues were exacerbated by the arrival of Kimura, a teacher who they had chosen as a prospective husband for their daughter. However, Toshiko showed little interest in him. Despite this, Kimura has become a prominent presence in their household. He joins the couple in their drinking sessions which have become a habit; Toshiko does not drink. The professor was also starting to suspect that there was a growing attraction between his wife and Kimura. Again, he attributes this to their glaring age gap. Ikuko’s alcoholism started to manifest, further complicating their marriage. To reiterate, this is a classic Tanizaki landscape. It was both funny and sad because there was a stark lack of communication between husband and wife. Instead of talking to each other and settling their personal concerns, they would rather write about it. This complicates their relationship. I guess this is also driven by tradition and society.

Will the couple be able to address their concerns or will the chasm between them grow even wider? There is too much ado with the influences of society on marital life. In a way, the novel is deeply psychological in nature rather than erotic which is what one can immediately discern from the onset. The couple’s psychological profiles drive the story. This one is going to be a quick read and I just might be able to finish it within the day. Oh. This is also the 1,250th novel I read. How about you fellow reader? What book or books have you read over the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy whatever you are reading right now. Happy weekend!