The Commoner

One of my goals this year is to read more Japanese literature. While John Burnham Schwartz is not a Japanese author, his novel, The Commoner, addresses the isolation and despair of women in the Japanese monarchy.

In The Commoner, Schwartz tells the story of Haruko, the first nonaristocratic woman to marry the Crown Prince of Japan. The consequences of this decision become apparent later, when Haruko persuades another young woman of common birth to marry her son.

I thought The Commoner flowed easily. I would sit down to read a chapter and would end up reading for an hour or more. As with Arthur Golden and Memoirs of a Geisha, I was impressed at how well Schwartz disappeared behind his female protagonist.

My difficulty with The Commoner was that I felt I didn't get to know the characters well enough. Schwartz described the loneliness and sometimes cruelty of daily life in the Imperial Palace, but I wish he would have spent more time there. A few more interactions between Haruko and Oshima, the chief lady-in-waiting, would have painted a clearer picture for me of how drastically Haruko's life had changed since leaving her loving family for the formality of the court.

I did, however, feel the sadness of Haruko's separation from her father. He does not appear much in the novel, but the simple description of the way he was found in the road after his stroke with his hands open as though "he were trying to catch the things being thrown at him," and the way he came to greet Haruko as though he were "stumbling out of a temple" - these details made me feel her father's fragility, his longing and grief.

Overall, I thought The Commoner was a lovely novel. I don't think it's one that will leave a lasting impression on me, but it has re-ignited my eagerness to learn more about Japan.

Author Website: John Burnham Schwartz