Do you believe that luck plays an important role in our lives? Or are you convinced that it's all a matter of individual merit and effort? I'm not talking about individual events. Rather our whole lives. The novel Tokyo Ueno Station is the story of a man who simply had no luck in life. And, as it turns out, no luck in death either.
The novel is told through the eyes of Kazu, a homeless man who has died. His ghost lingers in Ueno Park, just outside the station. He recalls his life in Japan, marked by the tumultuous events of the middle of the 20th century. The aftermath of the war, the resurgence and the subsequent "lost decades" of economic stagnation. All this while Kazu's life milestones are in line with those of the emperor. Only to die homeless in the park "given to the people" by the Emperor himself.
When I started reading the book, I thought it was "banal". But as I progressed, the simple, quiet and understated narrative only highlighted Kazu's life story. From the casual episodes of a worker's struggle to provide for his family, to the shocking sadness of the loss of his son.
Tokyo Ueno Station is one of those books that may not be for everyone. But it is beautiful and powerful.