CBR Bingo- Asia/Oceana- BINGO!
Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection of Japanese folk tales retold with a feminist point of view. The tales all have ghosts in them, but they are mostly cute or beautiful ghosts, and not scary ghosts. The only one I thought was a bit tense was The Peony Lanterns, a story about two traveling saleswomen where things start escalating and then seppuku or ritual suicide is suggested, but not really. If you’ve ever tried to get rid of a stubborn sales person it might cause a bit of anxiety.
I really liked the story Smartening Up, about expectations for women to be smooth and hairless and the power of a woman’s hair. There’s a mention of a kabuki story. The aunt is an enjoyable character who loves her niece and happens to be a ghost, and when she visits the niece she does not seem surprised or scared to see her. The tone is light.
I really enjoyed how the retelling of these folk tales had a touch of whimsy throughout, even though sometimes the subject matter could be somber. Misogyny is reacted to with anger and the women who are treated poorly are treated with kindness. I do know a bit about some Japanese folk tales like the kitsune, shapeshifting foxes that can turn into both humans and monsters, but this book has made me want to do some research into Japanese folk tales and learn more. This did not diminish my appreciation for this book, but perhaps my appreciation for the feminist turn of these stories would have been greater. I listened to this as an audio book and really enjoyed the narrator.
