The
book is set in the bygone days of Tokyo in the 1970s, and while some of the
specifics make it seem dated the central theme is timeless. The story of a father
struggling to hold on while career, family, and fate all conspire to drag him
down. A father whose loving daughter overnight turns into someone he hardly
even knows.Endo weaves a masterfully tangled web of personal relations in "Chichioya" and provides a moving glimpse into the mind of a representative of the generation of Japanese trapped between the dissolution of the values of pre-war Japan and the efforts of their children to form new societal norms according to their own lights. That salaryman hanging on the subway strap next to you won't seem nearly so anonymous after you've read this one.