Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa

Posted on | July 8, 2010 | 18 Comments

When I asked in my recent acquisitions post which book you suspected I had already read, nobody guessed Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa. One of the shortest books on the stack and also by the same writer of one of my favourite reads of the year so far, it was a natural choice for me; I was struck by subtle beauty of The Housekeeper and the Professor and was eager to read more by the author and her translator, Stephen Snyder. Interestingly, Hotel Iris was published in Japan in 1996, seven years before The Housekeeper and the Professor; it is tellingly the earlier novel. Hotel Iris lacks the emotional resonance of its successor (in Japanese) but it is a hauntingly evocative study of a unconventional relationship.

As in The Housekeeper and the Professor, all of the characters are nameless excluding the seventeen-year-old narrator, Mari; Mari’s mother, the translator, his nephew and the maid at Hotel Iris make up the remainder of the small cast of characters and are identified by their professions and relationships. Mari is quiet and impressionable; she works the front desk of the family hotel and is at the whim of her mother’s dominant personality. On the opening page, a prostitute and a middle-aged man are ejected from the Hotel Iris following a heated and public altercation (mostly on the side of the prostitute who is shocked at her customer’s sexual proclivities). Mari is instantly attracted to the commanding voice of the man, before she sees him, and so begins her obsession with him; she then meets the much-older man in the coastal Japanese resort, he introduces himself as a translator, and they enter into a disturbing relationship. The translator is rumoured to have murdered his wife and has a reputation of depravity; Mari and he quickly adopt adopt role play of dominant and submissive. Mari enjoys the pain and ecstasy of her subjugation and her illicit meetings with the translator are often violent and intense.

It was the first order he gave me, and I trembled at the thought that his voice was now speaking only to me. I shook my head, not to refuse but to hide the trembling. “Take everything off,” he said. Desire and impatience stirred under his calm expression. He had been as timid as usual all day – until we reached the island, where his rule over me began.

Ogawa’s writing is spare but she successfully sets up a tense narrative that looks ahead with foreboding. The translator’s mute nephew comes to visit his uncle and he and Mari share a sensual attraction towards each other and the novella heightens in intensity to its abrupt climax.

The subject matter is dark and makes uneasy reading but Ogawa takes the disturbing and writes it into something subtle and yet also tragic. Hotel Iris is an interesting and eerily compelling examination of a BDSM relationship that also looks at the power dynamics in everyday relationships; Mari’s mother bullies her and Mari in turn holds power over the maid whilst the nephew holds the power of guilt over his uncle; all possess different levels of moral ambiguity.

Comments

18 Responses to “Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa”

Amy
July 8th, 2010 @ 7:11 pm

Sounds like a disturbing but interesting read. The dynamics of power in relationships sounds fascinating.
Fiona
July 8th, 2010 @ 7:44 pm

I only found out about this a few weeks ago and have wanted to get it ever since – only the library doesn’t have it and I’ve banned myself from books. So of course, I’m hearing about it everywhere. I bet if I didn’t want to read it quite so desperately I wouldn’t see it mentioned anywhere!

And you make it sound really good… my determination not to break the bookshelf is weakening!
Claire (The Captive Reader)
July 8th, 2010 @ 11:28 pm

I placed a hold on this at my library after reading a review of it last month and, as of today, the library copy is officially available and I am first in line! It definitely sounds disturbing and I’m not sure how I’ll react to that, by I’m interested enough to try.
Bellezza
July 9th, 2010 @ 1:00 am

I’m dying to read this; I’ve heard mixed reviews, especially from those who loved The Housekeeper and The Professor as I did. Still, what piece of Japanese literature could be bad? Hard to imagine!
Becky from Page Turners
July 9th, 2010 @ 2:49 am

I hear such wonderful things about this author, I am glad that I read your review. It has made me more certain that I want to read his works
Verity
July 9th, 2010 @ 9:52 am

I’ve not come across this book yet – it certainly sounds like an intriguing read. (How come one of your other new books had a bent spine then?!)
Simon (Savidge Reads)
July 9th, 2010 @ 11:21 am

Ooooh this one sounds like a really intriguing read. I am also really pleased, in a strange way, that this Ogawa book is so completely and utterly different from The Housekeeper and The Professor. That always has promise in an author for me personally.
diane
July 9th, 2010 @ 11:39 am

I recently read and reviewed this book as well, and liked it a lot. I also enjoyed her last book.
Nadia
July 9th, 2010 @ 12:58 pm

I had no idea that this book came before Housekeeper, but now that I do I can definitely understand the differences – thanks for that info. As far as the book goes, I actually found myself enjoying it, though it was a disturbing read at time. I just feel like Ogawa can write so well, that whatever subject she chooses to write about she will always captivate her reader. She’s just that talented. By the by, I loved your cover of the book, mine was not as nice. Great post!
Novel Insights
July 9th, 2010 @ 5:19 pm

Definitely sounds like an interesting read – very dark. I’ve never heard of this author so thanks for bringing to my attention.
anothercookiecrumbles
July 9th, 2010 @ 6:58 pm

This might be a tad too disturbing for me…

Maybe I should start with The Housekeeper and the Professor?
selena
July 10th, 2010 @ 12:58 am

Bah! Can’t believe I guessed incorrectly! I’m excited to give this one a go as well – I read The Housekeeper and the Professor this year and also loved it!
jane
July 11th, 2010 @ 8:03 pm

Ooh, sounds great! Had never heard of this author before either so thanks for the tip-off. The dynamics of a relationship is one of the richest subject matters if done well – shame it’s so often done badly. This sounds like a treat.
Sarah
July 12th, 2010 @ 1:29 am

Great review. I ran into The Housekeeper and the Professor a few days ago and added it to my TBR. I”ll have to add this one, too.
Iris
July 13th, 2010 @ 12:03 pm

This sounds disturbing and I am not sure how I’ll react to reading this. I’m afraid I would hgave a hard time dealing with the subject matter, but it sounds interesting enough to give it a try.
Rebecca Reid
July 16th, 2010 @ 2:03 pm

I really liked Housekeeper and the Professor but this does NOT sound like my kind of book.
JoV
July 17th, 2010 @ 10:40 pm

I have read the Diving Pool and know what Ogawa is capable of when she turns to her darker side. I’m certainly a mix of anticipation and dread about being spooked with such difficult matter, since I have Hotel Iris on my TBR now.

Great review. I enjoyed it.
East Asian Authors « Diversify Your Reading
July 25th, 2010 @ 1:25 pm

[...] Ogawa, Yoko (Japanese, Wikipedia) The Housekeeper and the Professor: Reviewed at Paperback Reader, Rebecca Reads, A Striped Armchair Hotel Iris: Reviewed at Paperback Reader [...]