Originally Posted by
rustykettel
Finally got around to starting hoyateach's book which has been sitting in my kindle library for, well, a while. Third chapter in, wow! Love the little details in there.
Originally Posted by
5khours
Just finished it. Very enjoyable and a great story (read it in two sittings.) If you’re interested, a few comments.
1. Started too slow and ended too fast.
2. The prose could be enlivened and tightened up a bit.
3. It kind of missed the banking ethos of that era, but that probably made it a better story.
4. It didn’t really feel like the Tokyo I knew at the time. Could be a generational thing, but I feel like it lacked the intense sensual elements that were everywhere present in Tokyo. (Nailed it though on your Moti Butter Chicken description.)
Finally, thanks! A wonderful gift, which I really enjoyed.
Wow - thank you both so much! I'm only now seeing this or I would've responded sooner.
In response to your post,
5khours, pacing has always been my weakest point and I know I spent a fair bit of time scene-setting. Probably too much.
As for the banking, I had to make most of it up, hence the research. Found some old recruitment videos from Goldman, etc., from the 1980s which gave some fascinating insights into the office layouts and tech use at the time. What a difference from today.
I lived in Tokyo as a teenager in the early 90s and still go back when I can to visit my folks. I suppose I was too wrapped up in my teenage drama to pay much attention to the little things immersive details back then. I really wanted to add details like the incessant wailing of cicadas at parks in the summer or the rich green moss that grows in the narrow old street-side ditches but those weren't right for the season.
Oh, well.
But I'm glad you enjoyed it for what it was. I hope others do, too. My thanks again.