Spy caper set in Swinging 1960s London
Novel set in Kyōto
3rd June 2024
One Hour of Fervour by Muriel Barbery, novel set in Kyōto.
Translated by Alison Anderson
This novel sets the scene for the events that take place in A Single Rose, which is the story of Rose who finds herself in Kyōto to attend the reading of her father’s Will. She has been deprived of knowing him throughout her lifetime due to the wishes of her mother, Maud. Rose “.. is a prickly woman who has been deprived of the love and care of her father, and her sense of loss pervades her very being..” You can read our review here.
In this novel we discover much about the life of her estranged father, Hair, how her conception came about and how he adjusted to knowledge of the pregnancy and the child who developed from their union.
It is very lyrically and thoughtfully written, describing a man who has accumulated quite some wealth during his lifetime, mainly within the art sector. He socialises and moves about Kyōto with a grace that belies the mental and emotional changes he is experiencing.
Creepily, he engages a private investigator to spy on the mother and child back in France and receives updates and photos of his offspring, and of her Mother and Grandmother. It is all depicted as rather normal. The mother’s choice to bring up her child on her own is integral to the story but only really mentioned in passing.
The style is really eye catching and sometimes it is easy to forget that this is written by someone with Western roots, by someone who has in fact spent considerable time in the city. It feels quite studied, that every word serves a purpose and in that respect doesn’t replicate the lightness of touch in A Single Rose, it can feel a little lugubrious. I really like A Single Rose, because Rose felt like a robust character, holding the story together. This prequel is at times ethereal, poignant and yet sometimes a little unanchored, although I enjoyed the overall feel of the novel and the sense of place is incredibly well rendered – the reader is at Haru’s side throughout.
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