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A wonderful review. Very thorough and thoughtful. I found the part at the start about Japan being a more complex culture interesting as I had never considered the idea that some cultures were more complex than others.

It also sounds like a very good book, one I’m keen to check out.

Thanks :)

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Thank you, Michael. As I'm not an anthropologist, I don't know if the complexity vs simplicity thing holds up, but as you say, it's interesting.

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Definitely interesting :)

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I’ve never been to Japan and haven’t sought out books about the country and its culture, but your review means that it is now on my reading list. You ask for other novels set in different cultures. If truth be told, I’ve neglected fiction books generally but I’m trying to remedy this. Stimulated by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2022 Reith lecture about Freedom of Speech, and her TED talk about the danger of a single story, I read some of her books, including Half of a Yellow Sun which is set against the background of the Biafran conflict. Thanks for your other recommendations.

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Thank you Nicola! I thought 'Half of a Yellow Sun' was a really good book. She's a great speaker too, isn't she?

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That moment in New York, also Queens when I saw this nice white senior placing the whole pack of brown sugar on the top of her Starbucks cup lid... after that it went all straight documentary style as narrations until now, with the sacrifice for the speed of producing 😶😐🤬

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