Watcher from the Shore

Ayako Sono

ISBN 10: 0870119389 / ISBN 13: 9780870119385

Published by Kodansha USA Inc, 1989

376 pages. Maroon lettering on the spine and front cover. Minor soiling to the fore edge. Inscribed and signed by the author on the free endpaper. Dust jacket is protected in Brodart and is lightly scuffed along the edges. A very good copy of this author's first translated book. Seller Inventory # 001316

Synopsis:

The story of a physician and his daily confrontation with abortion, illuminating the moral questions involved, and revealing aspects of Japanese medical and home life.

Reviews: Sono is very much published in her native Japan, but this is the first of her novels to be translated into English. Typically, there is minimal plot. Having located his clinic by choice in a rural shore area, a gynecologist describes and recounts his reactions to his practice: births, legal abortions, unwed mothers, and deformed babies all bring forth his comments and his discussions with his Christian cousin and her Catholic priest. The novel is more a vehicle for consideration of the doctor's intervention into human life than a fictional narrative. The original Japanese title, "The Soiled Hand of God," is more apt but probably less acceptable in English. Interesting but not likely to be widely popular.
- Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Duluth
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Watcher from the Shore
Publisher: Kodansha USA Inc
Publication Date: 1989
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good +
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: First Edition.