Salt air ride

Author: Da Dao Zhu Gui et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This book collects three winning love stories from Japan's "Kawabata Prize":
- The 2004 winning work Snake Tongue by Kanbara Tomoko depicts the "shocking" romance between a girl obsessed with body modification who ultimately cuts her tongue in half and two unconventional young men.
- The 2003 winning work Salt Air Ride by Da Dao Zhu Gui tells the story of a part-time working-class woman who, after being abandoned by a theater star, throws herself into the arms of a wealthy elderly man in his sixties.
- Farewell, Our Lives by Shibata Sho is a "classic of Kawabata Prize fiction," deeply documenting the painful experiences of a passionate youth who, after disillusionment, indulges in a love and lust that rapidly ages his body and mind, moving generations of Japanese readers. The book reflects Japan's new and highest achievements from one perspective.
Salt Air Ride portrays a 34-year-old part-time working-class woman named Mei, who is abandoned by a theater star and, in despair, throws herself into the arms of a wealthy elderly man in his sixties, Ninety-Nine. Initially, Mei lives with the old man to repay his financial support, but inwardly, she wishes for his death. However, on the morning of their official cohabitation, she develops a genuine love for this outwardly gentle yet inwardly persistent old man.
The novel intricately and delicately portrays the hollow and melancholic psychological states in a detached society, exploring themes of life, death, and sexuality. Amidst the sorrow of emptiness, it carries a touch of humor, earning high praise in the Kawabata Prize selection. It is hailed as "the most novelistic work to date," "a masterful piece with depth," and "a force unlike any other."