Simmoril’s Domain

Yakuza Moon floated onto my radar after I read a interview the author, Shoko Tendo, had done. I’ve always been interested in Japanese culture, especially the seedier underside of it, and so this seemed like just the book for me.

Yakuza Moon is the blunt, direct, no-holds-barred account of Shoko Tendo’s life growing up as the daughter of a Yakuza gangster. She describes how her home life, as well as her own impetuousness, helped push her into the live-fast, die-hard life of drugs and crime. Shoko takes us on a whirlwind ride to rock-bottom, and the slow, painful climb back up.

As her first book, I think Yakuza Moon is a great start out of the blocks for Shoko Tendo. I like the way that her story isn’t ‘cookie-cutter’ or spoon-fed like it would be, if say this was a made-for-TV movie. She doesn’t demonize her father, or blame him for how her life turned out. I also like how the book doesn’t end on one of those cheesy high-notes, with her Prince Charming coming to rescue her. Rather, she leaves it on a somber note, emphasizing that real life is real life, and even though the book may be over, her story is only beginning.

While I was reading Yakuza Moon, I was a little disturbed the direct, rapid-fire style of the book, as it’s very different from other bios I’ve read with similar themes. At firest, I thought it was due to the translation (it was originally written in Japanese). However, after discussing it with some people, it seems much more likely that it really is Shoko’s style of writing, and after giving it some thought, I think this style suits the book very well.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 4th, 2007 at 10:35 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.