When I saw the movie a long, long time ago (didn't everyone who loved Kris Kristofferson?), I didn't know this was a book. I came across it recently in a used book shop. Trust me the book is just as disturbing as the film. ( )

I have long been a fan of the Sea of Fertility tetralogy but my reaction to this particular work is different: No. Just no. Simple and simplistic to a fault. The writing is unexceptional, the situation(s) unexceptional, and indeed the whole thing just struck me as unremarkable in every way. Even the protagonist, who is far better drawn than the secondary characters, stuck me as not very well filled out. Aspects of his thoughts and feelings were detailed even as a sympathetic or full understanding and motivations were absent. The mother and stepfather are so sketchily drawn as to be almost laughable. The story seemed overly plotted with the denouement inevitable from the first line. Because I am such a fan of the Sea of Fertility, I will pick up and try other works, but this left me enormously disappointed. ( )

Maru

Grande manejo das angústias existências de um adolescente, ainda sob o abismo da irresponsabilidade, equilibrando-se, e do adulto que não deixa de fantasiar, mas é interpretado como não fantasiando a realidade. Infelizmente, ao meu ver, por mais incrível que seja, o livro soa como pela metade. Por mais que eu entenda o final, acreditaria se enredar e desenvolver pra além da sugestão de uma glória fantasiada ( e por isso deixada não escrita). ( )

A boy, a mother, a boyfriend, and a peephole. What could possibly go wrong?

"The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" is Yukio Mishima's twisted coming-of-age novel about a disturbed boy who idolizes his mother's boyfriend until he decides to give up being a sailor to become the boy's father. Mishima tackles a lot of themes in this novel and it's a little unsettling reading the novel, but his writing is that good you can't stop.

A lot of this book remind me of Lord of the Flies. Especially the part with the gang of disturbed kids. Unlike Lord of the Flies however, this book has a semi-erotic part. Mishima goes into great detail telling us how the sailor is attractive and athletic to the point you question if the boy is somewhat sexually attracted to the sailor. But the turning point of the boys life is when he finds a peephole to the mother's bed room and watches them have sex. The mother finds out and then a plot like Lord of the Flies happens.

As disturbing as this book might sound, don't let that stop you from reading what I think is really good writing. I've said this before, but I think Mishima is underrated. Not many people I know know about him and I kind of wish more people read him. His writing is so beautiful and poetic it makes me wish I could write like that. Like a lot of my favorite authors he too digs deep inside the human mind and unlocks feelings that, like this book, make you cringe a little bit.

Again, I love how much psychology is involved with this story. You have the boy which I pretty much covered, but you also have the mother and the sailor. The mother I should mentioned is widowed at the beginning of this story. She is lonely and she need someone to love her physically. The sailor seems at times like the stereotypical sailor, but he is sensitive. He too is lonely and is looking of someone to settle in with so he can have a non-sea life. The boy however is just happy with a mother and doesn't really want a father figure. A father figure to him means an authoritative figure. With a father around he can't hang out with his bad influencing friends.

I'm aware there is a movie based on this book because apparently my mom was talking about it one day and I was like hey that is a Mishima book. Do I want to watch a movie based on this book though? The movie I know is set in England not Japan, which to me would ruin the whole thing and I probably wouldn't like the movie as much just for that reason, although from what my mom says the movie does follow the plot well it seems, I could be wrong since I've never seen the movie. It's on my to-watch list though.

I hope I didn't spoil too much of the book for other who what to read Mishima. Maybe I got others to read more Mishima or maybe I scared some people away. Either way I think Mishima and this book are fantastic. He is the type of writer I just fall in love with and this is the type of book I love to talk about for years to come.

UPDATE: Just came here to say I still think this is one of the most disturbing books I've ever read, but I can't stop think about it. I might have to reread it again in the summer because it's short. I should mention if you want a less disturbing book by Mishima try Spring Snow. I wouldn't recommend Patriotism, which I read first in college and loved, only because that too is a very violent story. So, it depends what you are looking for I guess, but I recommend Mishima. ( )