Silk is a novella about obsession, longing, and love. It’s the 1860’s and Herve Joncour, a married French merchant of silkworms, goes to Japan several times for eggs. While there, he meets a young concubine who is not Japanese but cannot communicate in anything except Japanese. Joncour becomes obsessed; meanwhile, his wife back home waits patiently for him during every trip he takes. Will either of them get what they long for?
Sigh. This was a well-written novella; but again, it was just too graphic in parts for my tastes. I have a difficult time believing that one of the female characters would write a letter such as the one found in this book, but who knows. On a positive note, this is my first book completed for the 1% Well-Read Challenge, so I guess that means I’m 0.1% well-read.
1996, 91 pp.
Rating: 
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You gotta love novellas. I love reading two books in one day. I’m almost finished with The Castle by Franz Kafka, but yesterday I just didn’t feel like reading that one, so I picked up Silk by Alessandro Baricco and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I actually didn’t really care for either one, but I do have a sense of accomplishment in crossing those two books off my list. Going to short books always helps me get back to the one I was avoiding. Does that work for anyone else?
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