At one point, Memoirs of a Geisha obtained a DiVinci Code type status in the American mindset. Everywhere you went, you saw people's noses buried behind the cover. Your co-worker was reading it; your mom just finished it, your friend's girlfriend kept talking about how she wanted to read it. Then the Rob Marshall movie came and went, remembered most for its splashy visuals and yawn-inducing story. I thought after the movie past and I never read the book, I never would, but it turns out it is one of Rick's favorite books and at his behest, I finally read it.
I always had a passing interest in the subject, but it seemed like it would be heavy and plodding: I expected to be confronted with self sacrificing women being constantly repressed, raped, and abused. I expected long, tortuously passages describing gorgeous scenery in Japan contrasted with a sadness and reservedness that the Japanese are so known for. However, Memoirs of a Geisha turned out to be mainly a beautiful soap opera set in Japan, complete with lustful encounters, catty exchanges, backstabbing, and opulent locales.
The novel is definitely a book you can tear through and the writing is nice and easy. The story follows a Japanese peasant girl born into a sickly family in a dreary fishing village who eventually becomes one of the most prominent geisha in all of Japan. The novel's greatest strength is in emersing you into geisha culture of Gion, the most famous geisha district in all of Japan. I found learning about the symbiotic workings of the okiyas (living compounds of the geishas), teahouses, geisha schools, and customers fascinating. While the society reminded me of the old school Hollywood Studio System in which the studios basically owned the stars, geisha culture is really a unique and foreign system that does not neatly translate into anything us Americans are familiar with.
Descriptions of how the girls are picked, trained, the rituals they go through, and the day to day life of the entertaining they do is fantastic. You feel like you are the lucky recipient of century old secrets, which in a way you are. What I found most entertaining is the way the geisha's compete with each other to become the most well known, highest paid entertainers in the land.
Sayuki, the main protagonist, is likable enough, but complains relentlessly and pines away for this one guy through the entirety of the book. The most interesting conflict is between Sayuki and her older okiya-mate Hatsumomo, who is widely renouned as the most beautiful geisha in all Japan, but who is cruel and hateful towards Sayuki who eventually grows to become her rival. However, at some point Hatumomo makes her exit, and I found my interest wanning and the story seemed to drag a bit and lose it narrative steam.
In conclusion, MoaG is a good, light read, and you will definitely learn a lot about Japan and geisha culture. There is ample drama and sensationalism to keep you satisfied for a good while, but the book finishes on a whimper.
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