Bicycle Days

Bicycle Days
By John Burnham Schwartz (253 pages)
Published by Summit Books
Bookish Rating: 3.5

Schwartz does a lot of things right in this coming-of-age story of a young American college grad working a stint in Japan. Initially published in 1989 as Japan--and the rest of the world, I suppose--was starting to capitalize on high-tech, the novel is definitely dated--but in a sort of historical way (when is the last time you heard the phrase "word-processing terminal"?).

Schwartz effectively evokes the out-of-placeness of Alec, Tokyo city life, and Japanese culture. However, the novel seems overwritten. Schwartz simply tries too hard. Alec has all sorts of flashbacks to his parents arguing and their eventual divorce, which I guess he decides to emotionally work through while in Japan. Why? I don't know. I'm not sure Schwartz does either. I guess he needed some sort of Deep Mental Conflict or something. I dunno.

Alec wants to view himself as deeply pensive and troubled, which eventually climaxes in a seaside town when he's feeling particularly deep one morning and goes into an inexplicable funk. I didn't buy it.

Other things just didn't fit. For example, Alec goes to visit the grandparents of the girl he's screwing in a remote village. He stays there for a few days, having more Deep Thoughts. Again, readers are left clueless as to why he went there. It just seemed weird.

Finally, the women, who are Japanese, are portrayed in what I think tends to be a typical way for American men: docile geisha girls. Schwartz tries to sidestep what is essentially a sexist and racist portrayal by making one girl smart, kind, and--to prove how progressive he is, I guess--an old lady in her early 30s. And she is, of course, exotically beautiful, with a "swan neck, and, despite charming deference during the day, she's wild in bed at night. Of course.

Lust interest #2 is essentially a hooker, whom Alec meets in a set-up catering to businessmen.

Overall, the book is good enough. Though significantly flawed, it's not bad, and it has some good things going for it. I admit that while reading it, I craved hot sake and sushi, neither of which are particularly recommended for pregnant women such as myself. As a temporary escapist trip to the Japan of 20+ years ago, the novel is fine but not really recommended.