Book Reviews with Elvira!
This book has been waiting for me to read it for many, many months now, and I picked it up while waiting for my next volume of Journal d'une Sorcière to arrive. It was written by Jihei about twenty years ago, when he was living in France with Lyla Pearson, a member of the Ravissants. He told me that he started working on it long before he left Japan, but ever felt like he was using the right words. He wrote it in both Japanese and English, and published the two books at the same time. He still feels as if there is something missing from the works, but he told me that it is likely the spirit of his teacher that is missing, something that the book will never have.
見えない黄昏 / The Invisible Twilight
The only book which Jihei has ever written or published, The Invisible Twilight is a chronicle of the life of his master, Goto Taisei, a Japanese vampire who disappeared in 1854 and is presumed dead. It is almost like a very long poem. Even when writing, Jihei is a painter, and these tales (some of which Jihei says are slightly fictionalized, if not outright false) are beautiful works of art. I actually may have reread this book several times before writing this, ha ha!
Invisible Twilight is split into three sections based on the nature of the stories it contains. The first section is, of course, stories about his childhood and early life as a vampire. The second contains stories which Jihei himself experienced, stories about his relationship with his master, who he calls Goto-sensei even now, a little over half a century after his disappearance. The third section is stories about things Goto did in his later life, between the 12th century or so, up to his disappearance. Some of the stories are funny, others are serious, and a few are very sad.
My rating for this book is in no way biased at 10 out of 10 teeth. I very much enjoyed reading (and re-reading!) it, and speaking with Jihei about some of the decisions he made while writing it. He showed me some watercolors he later decided not to include in the book. Maybe I can convince him to share them with you all in a letter some time. He does like to share these stories, no matter how poorly he thinks he tells them. Clement and I, of course, think otherwise, but Jihei is adamant that he must stick to his painting, though rebukes Clement when he says he must stick to his writing. He thinks that Clement is an excellent painter (and maybe he can be convinced to share some of his art, too).
I've gotten a little distracted with this review, ha ha. I have been quite distractable lately, due to Clement and Jihei acting oddly. There's something they're not telling me, but maybe that is a good thing. I think it has to do with the Vanderwolvens. I do not care to hear anything from them.
What books have you all been reading? Do you have any recommendations for me? I will get back to reviewing my Chausson books now that I have volumes four through ten!
