Name: Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye
ISBN: 9780393352290

Marie Mutsuki Mockett

How does one cope with overwhelming grief?

A Journey

Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye

Nico J

Really wish I could give this a 3.5 because that would capture it perfectly. There was definitely an unraveling of the main thread throughout here, and the time period in which the author was discussing was opaque, unclear. The parts describing Japanese character and tradition were interesting, but there was an odd swing in a lack of understanding to bonding over the Japanese-ness she did possess. Maybe the entire point was that she felt in limbo, lost. The prose is lush, rich, descriptive, and, as someone who has spent time in Japan, familiar. The complicated relationships with grief, death, life, traditional, and multiple layers of spirituality are fascinating to explore. It explained that grief and suffering are a part of life, and a bit of a journey. The only aspects that gave me pause were the ways that the Japanese explained away mental illness, or rather, chose to cope with it in ways that needed more explanation other than "tradition."

Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye A Journey

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