The Reading Life: The Doctor's Wife by Sawako Ariyoshi

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THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010

The Doctor's Wife by Sawako Ariyoshi

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The Doctor's Wife by Sawako Ariyoshi (1966, trans. byWakako Hironaka and Ann Kostant, 174 pages)

The Doctor's Wife is the best known novel of SawakoAriyoshi (Japan, 1931 to 1984). She is among the highestregarded female authors to emerge in Japan after WWII. She graduated from college in 1952. Her area ofconcentration was the preforming arts with a special interestin Kubuki theater. After graduation she went to work for apublishing house and began to contribute articles to literary journals. In 1959 she received a Rockefeller Grantto study preforming arts for a year at Sarah Lawrence College in the USA. By 1968 she was able to devoteher full efforts to writing novels, short stories and essays. She never married or had children and diedpeacefully in her sleep in 1984.

The Doctor's Wife centers on the life long conflict of the mother and the wife of Doctor Hanaoska Seishu (1760to 1835) who was the first modern doctor to preform breast surgery using anesthetics. In this era ofJapanese life the leading male figure in a household was dominant over all others. Ariyoshi does a very goodjob in detailing for us the conflicts of the wife and mother-in-law of the household. She portrays well their verylong lasting feelings of mutual dislike and near hatred.

I found the depiction of medical practice in Japan in the early 19th century fascinating. We get to see exactlyhow the business end of medical practice worked then and we see the procedures also. The medical focus ofthe novel is on breast cancer. At this time there was no way to operate on a woman with breast cancer withoutkilling her. Dr. Seishu had been experimenting for a long time on animals in order to find a way to preformpain free surgery. He made use of various mixtures of herbs and modern chemicals and had succeeded on

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animals numerous times. He needed to try his procedures on a human subject. The nature of the characterof the mother in law and the wife come out wonderfully when we see them both demanding to be the first humantest subject. Ariyoshi takes us deeply into the dynamics of the household relationships. The events thatfollow are really quite exciting and I will relay no more of the plot of this wonderful book.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was seeing how medical practice worked in Japan in the early 19thcentury. A doctor's office was for sure a family business. The relationships between the two women was verywell done and we get a feel for the marriage also, though this might be underdeveloped.

I recommend The Doctor's Wife very highly. There is a very subtle intelligence in this book. I will soon readand post on another of her novels The River Ki.

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9 comments:

BookQuoter said...

This sounds like a book I might enjoy. Thanks for the review.

July 22, 2010 at 9:09 AM

JoAnn said...

This sounds excellent... on to my list it goes! Thanks for the review.

July 22, 2010 at 7:56 PM

mel u said...

BookQuoter-thanks very much

Joann-you are very welcome and thank you

July 23, 2010 at 5:07 AM

JoAnn said...

Mel, Just had to tell you about a strange coincidence today. The woman ahead of me at the library desk waspicking up The Doctor's Wife! She said her sister (currently living in Japan) had raved about it. I put my nameon the hold list immediately. It must have been a sign...

July 23, 2010 at 5:19 AM

mel u said...

Joann-that was quite a coincidence-I hope you are able to read it soon

July 23, 2010 at 5:21 AM

whisperinggums said...

Nice blog, Mel... I too have read and reviewed this one. I've also read her River Ki and Twilight years, but beforemy blogging life. They are both wonderful books too - probably better than The doctor's wife in some waysbecause they are not quite so shackled by the history.

July 25, 2010 at 9:12 AM

mel u said...

whisperinggums-I have a copy of her River Ki and will read it soon, I hope

July 26, 2010 at 9:59 AM

Kinna said...

Thanks for the review. I've read River Ki and really loved it. Glad to see you back.

August 18, 2010 at 5:33 PM

parrish lantern said...

Thank you, another signpost for me to follow in my journey through this nations literature.

April 17, 2011 at 3:32 PM

Publishers and authors-if you want me to post on one ofyour books, please contact me

I am now publishing short works of fiction, includingflash fiction. If you are interested in this please contactme.

Your comments on my posts are very much appreciated.

I am proud to announce I am an Advisory Director of TheLakeview International Journal of Literature and theArts

[email protected]

Mel u

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