Schoolgirl

I love the way that this book explains mental anguish and the feeling of being lost in your own environment

This excerpt comes from near the end of the book. It's my favorite passage of Schoolgirl.

Some of us, in our daily depressions and rages, were apt to stray, to become corrupted, irreparably so, and then our lives would be forever in disorder. There were even some who would resolve to kill themselves. And when that happened, everyone would say, Oh, if only she had lived a little longer she would have known, if she were a little more grown up she would have figured it out. How saddened they would all be. But if those people were to think about it from our perspective, and see how we had tried to endure despite how terribly painful it all was, and how we had even tried to listen carefully, as hard as we could, to what the world might have to say, they would see that, in the end, the same bland lessons were always being repeated over and over, you know, well, merely to appease us. And they would see how we always experienced the same embarrassment of being ignored. It's not as though we only care about the present. If you were to point to a faraway mountain and say, If you can make it there, it's a pretty good view, I'd see that there's not an ounce of untruth to what you tell us. But when you say, Well, bear with it just a little longer, if you can make it to the top of that mountain, you'll have done it, you are ignoring the fact that we are suffering from a terrible stomachache-right now. Surely one of you is mistaken to let us go on this way. You're the one who is to blame.

relatable

Oh chill, I guess I've never had an original experience.

Me gustó mucho, la literatura japonesa tiene algo tan especial, que te hace sentir nostalgia, tristeza y esperanza al mismo tiempo. El monólogo me encantó porque me identifiqué un montón con la forma de pensar de la protagonista, lo que vive, lo que siente, como desvaria a veces, demasiado cercano.

“You wait and wait for happiness, and when finally you can't bear it any longer, you rush out of the house, only to hear later that a marvelous happiness arrived the following day at the home you had abandoned, and now it was too late. Sometimes happiness arrives one night too late.”

rough 4 stars*
this was an intresting book! my first time reading a book from this author, and i quite liked it. defenetly looking forward to reading more of his books!! this was somewhat a relatable book, i bookmarked quite a few pages and quotes.
here's some of them:
"Mornings seem forced to me. So much sadness rises up, Ican't bear it. I hate it, I really do. I'm an awful sight in the morning. My legs feelso exhausted that, already, I don't want to do a thing. I wonder if it's because Idon't sleep well. It's a lie when they say you feel healthy in the morning.""I didn't know whether it was better to maintain a fierce distinction between yourself andyour acquaintances in society in order to deal with and respond properly tothings in a pleasant manner, or rather never to hide yourself, to remain true toyourself always, even if they say bad things about you.""Now, even when I make an outfit for myself, I wonder what other peoplewill think. The truth is that I secretly love what seems to be my ownindividuality, and I hope I always will, but fully embodying it is another matter.I always want everyone to think I am a good girl. Whenever I am around a lot ofpeople, it is amazing how obsequious I can be. I fib and chatter away, sayingthings I don't want to or mean in any way. I feel like it is to my advantage to dothings I don't want to or mean in any way. I feel like it is to my advantage to doso. I hate it. I hope for a revolution in ethics and morals. Then, myobsequiousness and this need to plod through life according to others'expectations would simply dissolve."

fine, but awfully so

I'm Cinderella without her prince. Do you know where to find me in Tokyo? You won't see me again.

might as well put my name on the cover because everything she thought i was like “same” :D

“Given my lack of experience, if my books were taken away from me, I would be utterly devastated. That's how much I depend on what's written in books. I'll read one book and be completely wild about it–I'll trust it, I'll assimilate it, I'll sympathize with it, I'll try to make it a part of my life. Then, I'll read another book and, instantly, I'll switch over to that one. The sly ability to steal someone else's experience and recreate it as if it were my own is the only real talent I possess.”


she's just like me fr