Booknotes : The Woman in the Purple Skirt

Weird but Reflective, Jealousy, Loneliness, Workplace Struggles

🛒 The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

Book Details (From Goodreads)

• The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

• Published in 1st June 2019

• 224 pages

• Asian, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Thriller

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

Atmosphere

Cosy, Cerebral, Weird, obsession to destruction, reflective and left you to wonder!

Quite similar to Convenience Store Woman and There’s No Such Things As An Easy Job

A gist of thoughts

This book started with a story of unnamed town in Japan, there’s a normal scene of a woman in the yellow cardigan (WIYC) who seems to spend most of her time watching a woman in the purple skirt (WIPS). It felt weird and draw curiosity of why is it so important for WIYC to observe everything about WIPS and what WIPS does in her living. What we will know about WIPS is from the lens of WIYC. WIPS seems to have a life that WIYC feels like it is unlikely a normal person would do; WIYC notices that WIPS seems not to have a proper job but always finds joy eating cream bun in a local park every afternoon. WIYC seems to have desire to make friends with WIPS and sometimes intervene in her WIPS’s life just to get her attention. It gets interesting from here, everything else will left me giving you the spoiler! Although it is a fast read, but it provides you breadcrumbs that’s easily missed if you don’t slowly reflect on what you just read from the page before turning to the next one. This is a cosy, weird but at the same time left you wondering. This book is about obsession to the point of destruction.

Favourite quotes, words & others

The image I found and added to the blog serves as an illustrative representation purpose only to help convey the essence of what I read.

bus stop in Japan, where WIPS go to work

Cream bun that WIPS and WIYC eats at the park

Muchiga - Japanese summer drinks (Barley tea)

Japanese lady in purple skirt

Cleaner tidying up hotel room

Blue sky on a summer in Japan

• This manager had a distinctly laissez-faire attitude when it came to giving direction to the service companies working for the hotel. His policy was basically to stay out of it. This was why he turned up only once a month for the morning meetings, and also why, even now, he didn’t know the names of any of the staff. - Office environment and management style that’s gives a hint of the work culture

• The truth was, she was perfectly audible. “My last name is Hino. My full name is Mayuko Hino!” she had said, quite distinctly. And then: “And I have another name too. The Woman in the Purple Skirt!” That part was very audible, at least to the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. - Main character introduced herself on first day at work

• “Itte irasshaimase! See you again soon!”

• “Now. The one thing you have to understand about this job,” Supervisor Tsukada said as she handed her a pen, “is that it’s rather mindless. Basically, you’re doing the same thing over and over again. Anyone can do it, once they get used to it. It’s actually quite simple.” - mundane routine of a blue collar workers

• “Yes, she did,” Supervisor Hamamoto said. “She did,” Supervisor Tachibana confirmed. “A group of us went drinking a couple days ago, you see,” Supervisor Tsukada explained. “Well, why not, we thought, seeing as only about a third of the rooms were occupied. Work was over by three. The four of us left work and went straight to that cheap kushikatsu bar by the station, for drinks and skewered meats.” “The four of you?” “Yes. Supervisors Nakata, Nonomura, and Hori were all off that day.” “But what about Supervisor Gondo?” asked one of the older staff, her voice very soft, perhaps hoping I wouldn’t hear. “Didn’t she go?” “Oh, come on. You know she’s a teetotaler!” Supervisor Tsukada replied. “It’s not fair to include people like that! It only makes them feel bad.” “Yes, and anyway, Supervisor Gondo was off that day, too,” Supervisor Tachibana added. “Was she? That’s odd. I thought I saw her.” “Really? You’re imagining things, I think, Supervisor Hamamoto. Supervisor Shinjo was grumbling about having to do an inventory of all the supplies since Supervisor Gondo wasn’t around.” - colleagues talking behind other colleagues’ back. In this case was about Gondo who seem to be invisible and unimportant to the group

• As I eavesdropped on this conversation, I found myself feeling irritated. Not once had the Woman in the Purple Skirt mentioned that she’d had her nose tweaked. Perhaps she thought the person who had touched her bottom had also pinched her nose? Well, it wasn’t him. It was me. - Desperation of the WIYC, of wanting to be noticed by the WIPS

• Now that she had completed her training, the Woman in the Purple Skirt was fast losing all trace of having once been a newbie. The moment you emerge as a regular member of the staff, the distinctions among employees with different lengths of service seem to fall away. - How quickly people lost its excitement after something/someone is now longer considered ‘new’ in the environment

• Seventy degrees and sixty percent humidity—a perfect day, blue skies, not a sign of a cloud since daybreak. - Beautiful day on both WIPS and WIYC off day

• Remind me, where are you from? Where does your family live?” “Director.” “I can’t do it. I told you.” “I know you stole Reina Igarashi’s panties. But I won’t tell anyone.” “Wh-what?” “I promise. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.” “. . .” After quite a long silence, the director muttered, “Well, I’ll think about it.” His voice was very subdued. “Thank you! I appreciate your kindness!” - Sexual harassesment

• I ended up being one of the lucky four, and Supervisor Tsukada, who hadn’t been selected, somehow managed to come along anyway. - very important detail towards the end

My reflections

This book compelled me to revisit its pages, jumping back and forth between the final chapters and some middle sections right after my initial read.

With my reading journal and Kindle app in hand, I settled at my desk, sifting through pages and Kindle highlights. I needed to process the unfolding of events. What about the Woman In Purple Skirt (WIPS) and the Woman in Yellow Cardigan (WIYC)? What nuances had I overlooked?

Flipping through the Kindle pages resembled assembling puzzle pieces, attempting to create a coherent picture.

The narrative orbits around a woman in a yellow cardigan, spending her days closely observing another woman in a purple skirt. WIYC meticulously knows every detail of WIPS's life – from her bus schedule to her profession, the state of her hair, and her emotional and physical demeanor, right down to her brisk, ice-skater-like walk.

Attentiveness to these details becomes crucial while reading this book. It already hints at the situation and the state of mind of WIYC, which I initially missed. Here, I share some of my handwritten notes (apologies for the mess) depicting how characters intertwine, strange and unexplainable scenes, leaving me with unanswered questions!

Setting aside character development for a moment, let's delve into some vital themes that, in my interpretation, encapsulate the essence Natsuko strives to convey:

1. Working conditions in the service industry: Spotlighting the significance of services for hotel customers, workplace hierarchies, and the importance of warm greetings to ensure customers feel embraced.

2. Workplace situations: Beyond hierarchy, the narrative exposes harassment, exploitation of workplace benefits, and gossip among colleagues.

3. Woman relationships: A deep dive into how women perceive and judge each other, occasionally leading to jealousy.

4. Jealousy of others' success: Society preaches the importance of women supporting each other, yet when a woman achieves success, the same society often tears her down. Exploring how jealousy can signify a desire for improvement but may not be channeled constructively.

5. Being uncomfortable in one's skin: Resulting in a desire to be someone else, often oblivious to the better life within reach. The desire for a better appearance leads to comparisons, assumptions, and feeding on jealousy towards others' success, ultimately passing judgment to bring them down.

6. Body shaming: Critical judgments manifesting as body shaming and criticism of others' physical appearance.

7. Sexual harassment: Illustrating instances in the workplace where men exploit women's emotional states as an excuse for deceitful actions.

8. Loneliness: A pervasive theme, underscoring the yearning to be seen and find companionship.

9. Appreciation and confidence: Serving as a reminder to appreciate our bodies, lives, and abilities, fostering the confidence to voice our opinions.

10. Being noticed: The transformative experience of craving attention, acceptance, and validation from society.

11. Inherited behavior: The perpetuation of undesirable behavior from those one criticizes the most.

12. Mental health: Dark emotions leading to deep contemplation, potentially resulting in a loss of reality.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Stars. It’s Harry Potter’s Magic for me! I can’t put it down and the scenes are quite outstanding (although simple and not much of descriptions of the surrounding and the town they live in); it is a memorable book that left thrilled and still wondering for the answers. It seems plotless but it is meant for you to read and ponder the message deeply. It’s magical experience and considered as cosy read and still cerebral! It’s a great plot but not as Dumbledore’s fantastic as I would give it a 5 stars, hence it’s 4.5 stars for me. Still this book can leave me with lasting impression!!

Here’s how I rate books I read Add tags e.g #Fiction #JanuaryInJapan

Scroll further down for spoiler

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Spoiler alert:

And the Woman in the Purple Skirt would turn to face the camera….But then, briefly, something else would flash up in the camera’s field of view. What the hell is that?
“Oh no! It’s not. Is it?!”
“It’s the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan!”

I don’t usually write spoiler, but this book left me so much of thoughts and took me for a ride in figuring out the characters!

The revelation suggests that the emotions attributed to WIPS, as seen through WIYC's lens, emanate from a single woman longing for a life she deems superior.

In essence, there's only one character in the book – the Woman in the Purple Skirt is indeed the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who also holds the title of bronze medalist ice-skater. That’s my take, and I can't seem to let go of WIPS and how her story concluded.

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