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:

At forty-nine, Atsuo Yukimori is a humble auto mechanic living an almost penitentially quiet life in Tokyo, where his coworkers know something of his military record but nothing of his postwar past as a petty criminal. Out of curiosity he accompanies his nephew to a demonstration at a nearby university and is gradually drawn into a friendship, then a romance, with Wakako Ikehata, the brilliant but mentally unstable daughter of a university professor. As some of the student radical groups turn to violence and terrorism, Atsuo and Wakako find themselves framed for the lethal bombing of a Tokyo train What follows is a delicate balance of Kafkaesque procedural, revealing the corrupt intricacies of the police and judicial system of Japan, and an exploration of the “marshland” of the title through extraordinarily beautiful pastoral scenes.

The wealth of Kaga’s work in fiction remains to be discovered by the Anglophone world. Marshland is a revelation of modern Japanese history and culture, a major novel (though only the second to be translated into English) from a master well-known in his own country.

Happy Friday everyone! We made it through yet another work week. Thankfully, this work week was shorter than usual because January 29 is a national holiday here in the Philippines in observance of the Chinese New Year. 新年快樂 ~ 传统的恭喜发财! I hope everyone will have a prosperous Year of the Snake. Speaking of, today is the last day of the first month of the year. I hope that January has been kind to everyone. Uncharacteristically, January this year is moving quicker than January of previous years, if you know what I mean. Regardless, I am grateful that despite being swamped at work these past few weeks, I managed to complete my task. I am just happy I could make it through. 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; this means more sleep for me. More importantly, I hope you are all doing well in body, mind, and spirit.

To cap another work week is a fresh First Impression Friday update. Today’s update is going to be published on the day it is supposed to be published. This is the first time in a while that I am posting a First Impression Friday update on a Friday. This weekly meme has become an integral part of my book blogging ritual. At first, it was a space to reflect on the book I was reading. Eventually, it developed into a springboard upon which I built my book reviews. It allowed me to compare how a book initially made me feel with how it ultimately made me feel. To open the 2025 reading year, I resolved to dedicate the first two months – or maybe even the entire first quarter – to the works of East Asian writers. Several factors made me decide on this, the foremost of which was my inability to host a Japanese Literature Month in 2024; a Japanese literature month has been a staple since 2020. Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature recognition is another driver for this decision. Third, an older work of Han was released in English this month.

Speaking of Japanese literature, my current read is Otohiko Kaga’s Marshland. The novel was originally published in 1985 as 湿原 (Shitsugen) but was only made available to Anglophone readers in 2024. I guess it is part of the growing interest in translated works – including works of Japanese literature – that have seized the world. I just came across the book during one of my excursions to the local bookstore. The book immediately caught my fancy because of its thickness; at nearly a thousand pages, hefty is an understatement. There is something about thick books that simply reel me in. This curiosity is the reason why the book is included as part of my 2025 Top 25 Reading List; it is the second book from the list I read/I am reading.

Set in 1960s Japan, the central figure of Marshland is Atsuo Yukimori. Forty-nine years old when we first met him, Atsuo was a former soldier and convict who was now working as an auto mechanic. His experiences made him a humble and law-abiding man who tried to avoid getting involved with mischief as much as possible. Despite his troubled past, he finally found peace although it meant living alone in the urban bedlam that is Tokyo. The renewed harmony of his life, however, was disrupted by his growing involvement with Wakako Ikéhata, a university student in her mid-twenties. After crossing paths at the local skating rink where they both took lessons, they forged an unusual friendship that deepened. For starters, Wakako was the daughter of a university professor. She was beautiful and brilliant but was mentally unstable.

Their budding friendship, however, was merely a subplot in this hefty text. Their story was juxtaposed with the tumultuous Japanese society of the 1960s. Things were bound to get complicated. As Atsuo travels between Tokyo and his hometown of Nemuro, Hokkaido, memories float to the surface details of his colorful past. Slowly, Kaga was closing in on the crux of the story. In the late 1960s, Tokyo and other parts of Japan were rocked by student riots. The social upheaval that swept Japan led to the rise of activism which, in turn, trickled into universities, sowing discord. The first third of the novel vividly captured this, with Kaga slowly building the tension; the novel was a slow burn. Wakako, despite her mental frailties, found herself in the middle of these protests, along with some members of the Q-Sect, a radical student organization.

When a Shinkansen bombing incident on February 11, 1969, resulted in two casualties, the authorities were quick to pin the accusation to Atsuo. The incident earned the outrage of the country. This meant that a culprit, any culprit, needed to be found immediately. Unfortunately, Atsuo, with his criminal record, fits the bill perfectly. Wakako and several members of the Q Sect were also indicted on the charges. The story then transforms into a police procedural with time of the essence; Atsuo was meted with the death sentence while the other suspects were meted with sentences ranging from five years to life. The case was primarily built on Atsuo’s confession. However, the truth is more sinister than fiction. The confession was derived under extreme duress. Under the guise of volunteerism, Atsuo was taken to the police station where he was starved, humiliated, denied access to the toilet, and tortured in every conceivable way other than outright beating.

When Atsuo’s family in Nemuro learns about the situation, they hire a more capable lawyer to help Atsuo. It was imperative to establish his and the others’ alibis; Atsuo was initially opposed to the idea of an appeal. The young lawyer they hire firmly believes in Atsuo’s innocence. He was resolute in his drive to get to the bottom of the case. His efforts uncovered material pieces of evidence of Atsuo’s and Wakako’s alibis; it was one of the novel’s riveting sequences. But just when the story was gaining momentum and the truth was about to be uncovered, the young lawyer hit a stumbling block. The brilliance of the prosecutors in the cross-examinations left them dumbfounded. Will the case be overturned? I am currently in the section where Atsuo’s past was being unpeeled. His past also aligns with the contemporary history of Japan, adding a layer to the story.

Despite its slow pace, Marshland is an absorbing story that has me at the edge of my seat. I have still about three hundred pages to complete but I can’t wait to see how everything pans out. I am also curious about where the book’s title was derived. And yes, I noted several erroneous grammars that the publishers missed. I thought I was the only one who noticed but it seems that the other readers did. Not that it impaired the overall experience but still. 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!