JWH Author's Voice Vol. 11 interview with Shusuke Michio [Part 2]courtesy of Dokushojin Q: Now I would like to ask about some specific stories. It’s possible to read each story as an individual story, and it’s also possible to read all six stories together as a single worldview. Each one has its own unique atmosphere; some have a ghost story feel to them, while others seem like a fantasy novel, and others have more of a serious literary tone. If I had to try and categorize them, I would say that “Hakozume no Moji (Letters in a Box),” “Kemono (Beast),” and “Suzumushi (Bell Cricket)” can be read as short stories with a strong tinge of a mystery. When I am writing I am not conscious of anything like that, so I really believe that the interpretation of my stories is up to the readers themselves. Yet I am wondering exactly what a story with a strong tinge of mystery actually means. It’s not a mystery because a policeman or criminal appears in the story, but rather I think people interpret it that way due to the timing at which the truth of the story is revealed. I think it all has to do with the timing, when to hit your reader with a certain theme or emotion. You can deliberately write it right from the beginning, or you can wait until you get as close as you possibly can to the reader, and then draw your sword and attack. I believe that this style really forces the reader to bear the fatal blow, and thus many of my stories incorporate this style. I think it’s this style of drawing the sword, cutting the cards at a specific timing, that gives the story a mystery feel. Q: In “Kemono (Beast)”, the main character, a young boy, randomly comes to know about a message from a criminal who committed a bizarre murder forty years earlier. What was the real meaning behind that message? The story traces back through history to finally arrive at the truth, and leads the reader to a truly surprising ending. The reason I wanted to write “Kemono (Beast)” was specifically because I wanted to write that ending. If I couldn’t have written that ending well, it would have been a completely meaningless story. Q: In the setting of the first story of the collection, “Suzumushi (Bell Cricket)”, the main character is looking back on a perfect crime from the past. There are some rather erotic scenes depicted in this piece. If the story requires it, then of course there will be some sex scenes. I would not write such scenes if they weren’t necessary. Some of my other stories have even more racy scenes. But in “Suzumushi (Bell Cricket)”, the main character cannot see his partner, and that is probably what appeals to readers as erotic. I laid down a rough sketch with simple lines, but it is the reader that then grabs the brush and fills in the details. Depending on the imagination of the reader, the scene can unfold in any number of ways. Q:When you are writing a novel, do you have a feeling that you should not “over-write”? If I can express something with one line, then I will write it with one line, and if I can illustrate something with a single word, then I will write only that word. I think that writing things in abbreviation is what makes a novel. For example, if I wanted to describe my room to a friend living overseas, it’s not necessary to send him my room itself, right? I can just write him a letter. Or if I am asked what kind of person someone is, there is no need to video tape that person from sunup to sundown to describe him to someone else. If there is a single word that accurately expresses a character, then that one word is enough. There is nothing better than being able to explain something with a single phrase. Words have that kind of power, and exploiting this power of words to the fullest extent is what makes a novel a novel. Q:Let’s change perspectives and discuss “Yoigitsune.” In this story, the main character, who committed a crime during his high school years, returns to his hometown for the first time in twenty years and his thoughts run back to the crime. Now about the events of that night…this may have something in common with the other stories, but the setting and the setup, and even the tools, give the strong impression of a world colored deeply by Japanese culture. I wasn’t particularly heading in that kind of direction, but regarding my likes and dislikes, I can say that I truly love Japan. Both the good and the bad, I really like Japan, and so when I am creating a setting, uniquely Japanese locales very easily come to my mind. Q:We touched on “Akui no Kao (Face of Evil)” earlier, and in that story, an elementary school-aged child is the narrator, and the different moods of a young boy are illustrated with great detail. This story collection really showcases your talent for eloquent psychological characterization. There are many novels being published recently which are like movies. Like where a garish crime is committed, someone is arrested, and then someone goes to try and help him. That kind of world should really be left to the movies. Novels exist to do what absolutely cannot be done in a movie, and that’s psychological characterization. I believe that if you aren’t planning on incorporating psychological characterization, then you don’t really need to write a novel. Q:Lastly, I would like to ask one thing about “Fuyu no Oni (Winter Demon)”. This story is written in diary format, and the dates go backwards day by day. In a certain sense, you can read this story as serious literature, and it seems like the reader gets to enjoy another side of you. Along with “Kemono (Beast),” “Fuyu no Oni (Winter Demon)” is the most popular with female readers. Men prefer “Yoigitsune” or “Hakozume no Moji (Letters in a Box).” And many writers seem to be partial to “Akui no Kao (Face of Evil)” or “Suzumushi (Bell Cricket).” Q:For example, regarding the genre of a story like “Fuyu no Oni (Winter Demon),” what kind of influences did you receive when writing this story? Regarding the Japanese world and the bitterness unique to Japanese people, or the manner of emotional expression and the way of thinking about the concept of sacrifice, I really enjoy the novels of Teruhiko Kuze and Sokyu Genyu, so there may be some influences from these writers. Q:Along with psychological characterization, I think that another feature of your works is the contrivances and tricks, the fun in the stories. What do you think about that feature? To tell the truth, I think it’s fine if the story doesn’t have a trick. In my way of thinking, a trick is like an “added bonus.” But these days such an added bonus is necessary; for example, how people will buy Kellogg’s Cornflake just because it contains a little prize. There’s a sense that such an added bonus is necessary in order to communicate something with a novel. That’s why I really don’t like novels with an exaggerated added bonus, and I don’t want to write them. Another thing is that depending on the piece, even if you have a theme or idea that you want to communicate, sometimes it is difficult to communicate it as is. Even if you write it straight forward and deliberately, the reader might not get it. In a story like that, I use a trick to communicate my idea, kind of like using a melody to communicate song lyrics. That’s how I feel about tricks. About the story, when I read other people’s novels, I don’t attach much importance to the story. I really value a well-written passage, or experiencing a strong emotion. That’s why there are many novels where you can remember a certain line exactly, but can’t remember the story at all, and that is the kind of thing I want to write. But rather than just stop there, if you have some spare energy, I think it’s best to improve the piece at least a little, and in order to do that, I sometimes incorporate a trick as an added bonus. And if a twist in the story proves to be interesting, I will incorporate that too. Q:Lastly, can you please tell us something about your new works? In May, “Ryujin no Ame (Rain of the Dragon)” was released from Shinchosha, and then this November Kadokawa Shoten will publish my full-length feature called “Kyutai no Hebi (Snake of the Sphere).” “Ryujin no Ame (Rain of the Dragon)” is a mystery novel, and when I was writing this piece, I wanted to create a mystery novel in which the quality does not diminish at all even upon knowing the truth. There has been some futile arguments that the identity of the perpetrator is revealed halfway through or that you can figure out the truth before the end, but I wanted to write one full-length feature where the quality does not suffer even if the truth is revealed, and that is “Ryujin no Ame (Rain of the Dragon).” “Kyutai no Hebi (Snake of the Sphere)” came out of my new drive to attempt something that was completely different than a mystery novel, so I hope you are looking forward to it. »»»To read Part 1 »»» To read other interviews | |
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