Honeybees and Distant Thunder

Book review

Wabi Sabi Life is a carefully curated serving of the imperfectly beautiful and unconventional from a Western Buddhist with a love of Japanese culture and aesthetics. If you love it, consider supporting me by becoming a paid subscriber for only £1 a week. Access more in-depth content, audio meditations, and the whole archive. Live a Wabi Sabi Life.

Its that time of the year when honeybees abound in my garden and recently the weather has been so humid that we’ve had the occasional thunderstorm. It’s also the time of year when I have more time to read in the garden and on holiday and one of my favourite summer reads has been Honeybees and Distant Thunder by bestselling Japanese author Riku Onda.

This book came out in Japan in 2016 and won the Naoki Prize and the Japan Booksellers’ Award. It has only recently been translated into English by Philip Gabriel (who often translates Murakami) and it now available in the West.

This is a novel about love, courage and rivalry centred around three main characters taking part in the Yoshigae International Piano competition. The title takes its name from one of the characters the elusive and eccentric Jin Kazama, the son of a beekeeper a genius and unknown outsider.

Performing alongside Jin is the ambitious Masaru, keen to reform contemporary music, and Akashi, a father steeped in full-time work and unsure of his place amongst child prodigies and geniuses.

And then there is Aya, the girl who hears galloping horses in rainfall and music. She is a fallen prodigy facing the concert piano for the first time since she lost her mother, who was the inspiration behind her musical talent.  

Each character is wonderfully drawn and reading it we invest in each of their futures wanting them all to win. It’s thrilling and manages to put into words the indescribable power and quality of music to enchant and mesmerise, to move and connect us.