Review: The Frolic of the Beasts

A very cold novel about a relationship triangle between Koji (a young clerk), Ippei (Koji’s employer) and Yuko (Ippei’s wife). Ippei is a serial culprit of infidelity, of which Koji is quite privy to and resentful of. Before even meeting Yuko, Koji falls for her. Yuko and Koji eventually confront Ippei, but Yuko doesn’t seek to cast herself down to being jealous and instead holds composure at witnessing Ippei’s infidelity directly. However, Koji erupts in an act of violence after seeing the way Ippei treats Yuko. The events leave Ippei permanently physically disabled. As this attack occurs, I thought about what was going on in Koji’s mind, ultimately it felt like an attack based on resenting Ippei, loving Yuko, and anger towards Ippei. The perfect cocktail leading to Koji believing he was performing some form of justice for Yuko.

First of all, there was a miserable, despairing woman. Then there was a self-indulgent, heartless husband. And last, a hot-blooded, sympathetic young man. And with that the scenario was complete.”

Koji goes to jail for his crime, but strangely enough is greeted by Yuko on his return and under her guardianship. So now the brain damaged Ippei, Koji and Yuko share one roof in a quiet village. Yuko holds things together out of a sense of obligation, rather than grief or guilt. She’s cruel to Ippei, taking advantage of his condition to be intimate with Koji in front of Ippei, who can do nothing to stop it. I definitely saw the mirror parallels between pre-Koji attack on Ippei and post-attack. For instance, pre-attack Ippei was able to go behind Yuko’s back and do whatever he wanted. Post-attack he’s subject to the same cruelty he dealt Yuko, he’s unable to prevent her from performing her act of cruelty towards him.

At some point Yuko even says she’s jealous of Koji for having a ‘crime to his name’. I couldn’t quite understand why she would want a crime to her own name, but it almost felt like she wanted to do something rather than be the composed and passive person she has always been.

The final image of the novel and story leave you with a sense of wonder. More like, wonder what was it all for? Can you really free yourself through cruelty and violence? Instead those acts kept landing each of them in their own prisons.

I wouldn’t hand this book to someone to read, but it was interesting nonetheless.