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Mongrel
Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing both her heritage and her growing love for her best friend Fran.
Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Lonely and far from home, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo’s nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in seedy bars. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .
Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope.
Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Lonely and far from home, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo’s nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in seedy bars. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .
Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
February 26, 2024
my heart hurts
February 9, 2024
My favourite book of the year and it's only February.
Words can't accurately express how amazing this book is, and I can't capture how beautiful the language and structure are. An absolutely gorgeous story that everyone should read. I was hooked from the moment I read:
"If she focused on her violin, she wouldn't have to focus on her dead mum."
Words can't accurately express how amazing this book is, and I can't capture how beautiful the language and structure are. An absolutely gorgeous story that everyone should read. I was hooked from the moment I read:
"If she focused on her violin, she wouldn't have to focus on her dead mum."
April 26, 2024
A beautiful book. So many topics covered in this book - would be brilliant as a book club read or studied in class
September 10, 2023
TW: Rape, sexual assault, self harm, racism, homophobia, abuse, alcoholism, parental death.
Oh wow. Wow wow wow. This was a beautiful book from start to finish. As someone who is part Japanese and part British, reading about Mei made me feel like I had been broken and the deepest parts of myself were left exposed on the pages. I felt understood and represented and it made me long for a home and a life I haven’t lived.
The way this story was weaved together felt like a breathe of fresh air. Womanhood and pride of family and heritage held the pieces of this story together. Every word was chosen carefully and not a single word, or sentence felt out of place. I’m awestruck by the talent and enchanting way Footman writes. I don’t have enough words to encapsulate the treasure this book was to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Mongrel #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Oh wow. Wow wow wow. This was a beautiful book from start to finish. As someone who is part Japanese and part British, reading about Mei made me feel like I had been broken and the deepest parts of myself were left exposed on the pages. I felt understood and represented and it made me long for a home and a life I haven’t lived.
The way this story was weaved together felt like a breathe of fresh air. Womanhood and pride of family and heritage held the pieces of this story together. Every word was chosen carefully and not a single word, or sentence felt out of place. I’m awestruck by the talent and enchanting way Footman writes. I don’t have enough words to encapsulate the treasure this book was to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Mongrel #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 30, 2024
“Mongrel" by Hanako Footman is a beautiful debut novel that had captivated me from start to end. With lyrical prose and masterful characterisation, Footman weaves a story that explores themes of heritage, identity, and hope.
From the very start, Footman draws readers into the lives of three seemingly unconnected women whose paths gradually converge in unexpected ways. Mei, grappling with the loss of her Japanese mother, struggles with the suppression of her heritage while living in Surrey, England. She begins to navigate the complexities of her own identity, heritage, and sexuality. Yuki, pursues her dreams of becoming a violinist, embarking on a journey from her Japanese countryside town to London, only to find herself charmed by an older mentor instead. Meanwhile, Haruka tries to find herself while working as a hostess in Tokyo's nightlife scene, grappled with grief, and searching for meaning from her mother's passing.
As these stories intertwine and intersect, Footman explores the threads that bind us together, illuminating the importance and complexities of human connection. The lyrical writing style brings these stories to life, displaying an understanding on female loneliness and desire, and how the three women grapple with finding their own identities.
“Mongrel” has been my favourite read of this year so far, and is a novel that will linger with me for a long time yet. A novel that touches on the relationships of mothers, daughters and sisters, as well as the consequences of racism and misogyny. Though not always an easy read, it’s one worth taking your time and soaking up all the words, as you begin to understand the different experiences faced by the three central women. Highly recommend for readers who are looking for a beautiful and captivating read
March 17, 2024
This is so good! Just finished reading, I will go to a corner savor it and I will be back for a review.
January 25, 2024
A very dark but beautifully written novel.
April 27, 2024
My favourite read of the year so far. Hanako is so fucking clever and eloquent!!!! I’m so moved by her protagonists and so furious at the world!!!! Devastating, powerful… I gasped many times, especially at lines like this:
“After the ceremony, in the soft lighting of the bathroom, pissing out his fourth mimosa, he’ll think of her as he wipes his urine from the toilet seat. He’ll think about how she’d always berate him for leaving the drips un-wiped, and he’ll thank Yuki for making him a better man, a better husband. He’ll throw the wet tissue in the basin and flush it down, along with his gratitude.”
“After the ceremony, in the soft lighting of the bathroom, pissing out his fourth mimosa, he’ll think of her as he wipes his urine from the toilet seat. He’ll think about how she’d always berate him for leaving the drips un-wiped, and he’ll thank Yuki for making him a better man, a better husband. He’ll throw the wet tissue in the basin and flush it down, along with his gratitude.”
February 29, 2024
I hadn't heard of Mongrel when I received an early copy of it from the publisher (thank you Footnote Press), but I'm so glad to have read it and it is one of my favourite books this month. Harper's Bazaar named Mongrel as one of seven debut novels by female authors to read in 2024 and it comes with praise from authors like Lisa Taddeo and Wiz Wharton (there are some parallels between this book and Wiz Wharton's beautiful novel Ghost Girl Banana which I also loved).
Mongrel is the debut novel from British-Japanese writer and actor Hanako Footman and it is the captivating story of three young Japanese women:
Mei loses her Japanese mother at the age of six and growing up in suburban Surrey she longs to fit in, suppressing her Japanese heritage and her love for her best friend Fran.
Yuki leaves her home in the Japanese countryside to pursue her violin studies, but gets caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka works as a hostess in seedy bars in Tokyo, but grieves a mother who hid a secret life from her.
As the story progresses and their lives intertwine, the reader is immersed in a world of loneliness, desire, identity and familial bonds that are tested to their limit. With its hypnotic prose and lush descriptive language, I found Mongrel to be a really engrossing and moving story that got under my skin. I couldn't wait to pick it up in the evenings (even with the tiiiiiny print in the proof I received that tested my middle-aged eyes!) and found myself moved to tears (and hungry for Japanese food) quite a few times. A beautiful read full of hope that I'm tipping for a Women's Prize longlisting. 4.5/5 stars
(CW for rape/sexual assault and self-harm in particular that may be triggering for some readers)
Mongrel is the debut novel from British-Japanese writer and actor Hanako Footman and it is the captivating story of three young Japanese women:
Mei loses her Japanese mother at the age of six and growing up in suburban Surrey she longs to fit in, suppressing her Japanese heritage and her love for her best friend Fran.
Yuki leaves her home in the Japanese countryside to pursue her violin studies, but gets caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka works as a hostess in seedy bars in Tokyo, but grieves a mother who hid a secret life from her.
As the story progresses and their lives intertwine, the reader is immersed in a world of loneliness, desire, identity and familial bonds that are tested to their limit. With its hypnotic prose and lush descriptive language, I found Mongrel to be a really engrossing and moving story that got under my skin. I couldn't wait to pick it up in the evenings (even with the tiiiiiny print in the proof I received that tested my middle-aged eyes!) and found myself moved to tears (and hungry for Japanese food) quite a few times. A beautiful read full of hope that I'm tipping for a Women's Prize longlisting. 4.5/5 stars
(CW for rape/sexual assault and self-harm in particular that may be triggering for some readers)
February 24, 2024
Holy shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 17, 2024
Oh, my heart. This is the kind of writing that I constantly look for in a book, but rarely find. Language so beautiful and meaningful that it becomes a visceral experience. Raw, poetic; beautiful and dark. I can't believe this is a debut. I hope to see more from this author in the future!
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March 31, 2024
Through exceedingly beautiful prose, Mongrel weaves together the stories of three Women. Mei, living in Surrey, who after the death of her mother at aged six, yearns to find herself and a connection to another. Yuki who leaves her rural lifestyle in Japan to pursue her dreams of being a concert violinist in London. There she falls in love with her tutor which alters the course of her life. And finally, Haruka who seemingly lost herself, navigates Tokyo’s busy nightlife as a hostess in the sex district. She is reeling from the anguish of the many secrets her mother hid from her. All women are desperate to find their belonging, wherever that may be.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and handles many difficult themes with tender care and honesty, such as: dual-heritage, racism, loss, marriage and motherhood.
Totally wowed me. It’s been over a month since I finished this one and I struggled putting my thoughts into words.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and handles many difficult themes with tender care and honesty, such as: dual-heritage, racism, loss, marriage and motherhood.
Totally wowed me. It’s been over a month since I finished this one and I struggled putting my thoughts into words.
April 4, 2024
This was very emotionally intense and I enjoyed every bit of it
February 8, 2024
Need this banger to win some litfic awards, peak fiction
March 8, 2024
“Haruka had spent so long searching for home. At the bottom of a bowl. Between the heavy palms of strangers. Under rotting logs. In the smile of a waitress. She had scoured the dips and heights of her mind, trying to remember what it was to feel complete. The simplicity of childhood, where the height of love is found in the cooling bowl of rice placed under your chin by soft brown hands.”
January 29, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Footnote Press for a eArc in exchange for a honest review
tw: death, rapes, sexual assault, cancer, self-harm, homophobia
MONGREL is an impressive debut novel, full of grief and longing. The prose is beautiful, every word is precise and there for a reason. How many times did I have to take a break because the prose was full of raw emotions? It felt like watching a car crash and you can't look away, because like Meiko, Yuki and Haruka, you want to know the truth. I felt so much love for these characters, for everything they went through, this cycle of abuse at the hands of men that were supposed to be there for them: Father, grandfather, friends, lovers....
Meiko is a British-Japanese woman, grieving the death of a mother while feeling like she doesn't belong. I could relate a lot to her, to her insecurities, with her doubts regarding the future but also with the way she fell in love with her best friend, Fran. Then there is Yuki, a Japanese violin who recently moved to London to pursue her career and how her life takes an unexpected turn. I felt so sad for her, for everything she lost and tried to regain. And finally there is Haruka, who also lost her mother and decided to leave for Tokyo where she became a hostess. I was moved by her point of view, it was hard to read her thoughts at first, but then as the story went on, i felt so much sadness and hope for her.
And the way Footman connected their stories is clever. As the reader, you remember details mentioned in the other points of view, and you can start to try piecing the pieces together. At one point I almost gasped because I understood how two characters were connected, all of that because of a hair color mentioned in passing.
in the end, I can tell that MONGREL is one of the best book I've read this year and I can't wait to see what Hanako Footman will write next!
tw: death, rapes, sexual assault, cancer, self-harm, homophobia
MONGREL is an impressive debut novel, full of grief and longing. The prose is beautiful, every word is precise and there for a reason. How many times did I have to take a break because the prose was full of raw emotions? It felt like watching a car crash and you can't look away, because like Meiko, Yuki and Haruka, you want to know the truth. I felt so much love for these characters, for everything they went through, this cycle of abuse at the hands of men that were supposed to be there for them: Father, grandfather, friends, lovers....
Meiko is a British-Japanese woman, grieving the death of a mother while feeling like she doesn't belong. I could relate a lot to her, to her insecurities, with her doubts regarding the future but also with the way she fell in love with her best friend, Fran. Then there is Yuki, a Japanese violin who recently moved to London to pursue her career and how her life takes an unexpected turn. I felt so sad for her, for everything she lost and tried to regain. And finally there is Haruka, who also lost her mother and decided to leave for Tokyo where she became a hostess. I was moved by her point of view, it was hard to read her thoughts at first, but then as the story went on, i felt so much sadness and hope for her.
And the way Footman connected their stories is clever. As the reader, you remember details mentioned in the other points of view, and you can start to try piecing the pieces together. At one point I almost gasped because I understood how two characters were connected, all of that because of a hair color mentioned in passing.
in the end, I can tell that MONGREL is one of the best book I've read this year and I can't wait to see what Hanako Footman will write next!
February 2, 2024
Firstly, I need to thank Footnote Press for sending me a proof of this book when I asked. I knew from the synopsis that I would love Mongrel, but I was not prepared for just how much I would.
The first pages left me breathless. Footman has such a gorgeous writing style that manages to feel so essentially human in its raw beauty. I was eating up every single word. Moments in this novel had me in tears, others filled me with so much hope and love that I had to pause to recollect myself.
The novel's more difficult themes were handled with such care. Yuki, Mei and Haruka's relationships to their Japanese heritage and womanhood were crafted so intricately; individual and intimate even in their similar moments. The way it approached the relationships of mothers, daughters and sisters in particular came very much close to home.
I can securely say this is one of my favourite books I've ever read. I'm simply in awe!
The first pages left me breathless. Footman has such a gorgeous writing style that manages to feel so essentially human in its raw beauty. I was eating up every single word. Moments in this novel had me in tears, others filled me with so much hope and love that I had to pause to recollect myself.
The novel's more difficult themes were handled with such care. Yuki, Mei and Haruka's relationships to their Japanese heritage and womanhood were crafted so intricately; individual and intimate even in their similar moments. The way it approached the relationships of mothers, daughters and sisters in particular came very much close to home.
I can securely say this is one of my favourite books I've ever read. I'm simply in awe!
February 13, 2024
The book tells the story of three women, who appear to be unconnected. Yuki is a talented violinist who arrives from Japan in London at 18, only to fall in love with her music teacher. Mei is a young woman growing up in London, struggling with belonging and self realisation. Haruka is a young woman living in Tokyo, and working as a hostess, earning money by sleeping with men. As the story progresses we understand more about the emotional turmoil at the core of our protagonists' angst, discover what it means to not fit in and how that can eventually erode any semblance of self respect and confidence, and explore how the different storylines come together.
The book is extremely well written. The author's prose is approachable but also tender and elegant. The brush strokes are gentle, but the emotions they elicit are visceral and volcanic. This dissonance, between the gentle writing and the underlying energy of the book, is perhaps its most remarkable quality.
The protagonists are tangible and vivid. Their fears, hopes, and dreams feel real. The depth of their emotional world comes across as holistic and consistent, which is no small feat. It is difficult not to open one's heart to these women, and suffer as they suffer, and love when they love.
The story itself also raises important issues: how racism can affect one's self esteem and self worth, how objectification and fetishisation of women (especially Asian ones) affects their sense of self, the predatory nature of some men (and how hard it is for women to resist), the difficulty in communicating with the people you truly love, and the role of family. These issues are dealt with subtly and tenderly, without preaching or politicising. It's thoughtprovoking and makes you wonder about some things you might not have wondered about.
I recommend this to anyone who ever felt alone, or struggled to understand why and how some people just get lost within themselves. It's a beautiful debut, and I can't wait to read more of the author's work.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The book is extremely well written. The author's prose is approachable but also tender and elegant. The brush strokes are gentle, but the emotions they elicit are visceral and volcanic. This dissonance, between the gentle writing and the underlying energy of the book, is perhaps its most remarkable quality.
The protagonists are tangible and vivid. Their fears, hopes, and dreams feel real. The depth of their emotional world comes across as holistic and consistent, which is no small feat. It is difficult not to open one's heart to these women, and suffer as they suffer, and love when they love.
The story itself also raises important issues: how racism can affect one's self esteem and self worth, how objectification and fetishisation of women (especially Asian ones) affects their sense of self, the predatory nature of some men (and how hard it is for women to resist), the difficulty in communicating with the people you truly love, and the role of family. These issues are dealt with subtly and tenderly, without preaching or politicising. It's thoughtprovoking and makes you wonder about some things you might not have wondered about.
I recommend this to anyone who ever felt alone, or struggled to understand why and how some people just get lost within themselves. It's a beautiful debut, and I can't wait to read more of the author's work.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
May 4, 2024
4.5 rounded up
wooooow this was so stunning, so beautifully written, with three fleshed out, completely separate but inherently interlinked protagonists. my heart ached with each one, i absolutely adored this. will definitely keep an eye out for anything else written by hanako footman!
thank you to the publisher for a readers copy! <3
wooooow this was so stunning, so beautifully written, with three fleshed out, completely separate but inherently interlinked protagonists. my heart ached with each one, i absolutely adored this. will definitely keep an eye out for anything else written by hanako footman!
thank you to the publisher for a readers copy! <3
February 21, 2024
My favourite book I've read in a very long time.
April 19, 2024
This a a debut novel and there are flaws because of this which is only to be expected.
However the book it self has some great themes - motherless children, inadequate fathers, and trying to find where one belongs.
However the book it self has some great themes - motherless children, inadequate fathers, and trying to find where one belongs.
April 30, 2024
4.5.
This was a very quiet, understated, lovely story. One of the strongest debuts I’ve read in quite a while. (And yes I cried a bit)
This was a very quiet, understated, lovely story. One of the strongest debuts I’ve read in quite a while. (And yes I cried a bit)
March 23, 2024
My heart aches
March 26, 2024
Блин мне кажется иногда что мне не хватает знания английского, чтобы во всю восхититься книгой? Куча отзывов, что сердце разрывается от книги, а я такая а где плакать?
Необычно написана и прикольная редактура книги. Мне б��ло скучно немного, как-то очень медленно все шло. Но вообще неплохо
Необычно написана и прикольная редактура книги. Мне б��ло скучно немного, как-то очень медленно все шло. Но вообще неплохо
April 2, 2024
Devoured this book and just after intense surgery so that’s really saying something
March 31, 2024
Insanely beautiful, no notes.
Will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Will be thinking about this book for a long time.
March 2, 2024
This is a story that follows three different women and how their lives change and development. I really liked and heavily related to the character Mei, who is half white and half Asian. Her thoughts and feelings towards her identity are ones that mimic my own experience growing up.
While this book seems to have a very thin plot that only makes an appearance in the latter part, the book is held together by the beautiful writing of Footman. She uses metaphors and turns of phrases to excellently express her characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, only 4 stars as I didn’t connect as much to one of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this book seems to have a very thin plot that only makes an appearance in the latter part, the book is held together by the beautiful writing of Footman. She uses metaphors and turns of phrases to excellently express her characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, only 4 stars as I didn’t connect as much to one of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2024
It’s beautiful it’s wonderful it’s devastating it’s everything; it has to be read.
March 10, 2024
**There are spoilers here**
Mongrel is the book I wish I could have read growing up half Japanese, half British (Hafu) in London. The first half tells two stories simultaneously. One is of Mei, a Hafu girl in Britain being raised by her British father (Alex) and step-mother (Matilda) without any sensitivity towards or desire to acknowledge that her mother was Japanese. The other story is of a very young Japanese student who quickly marries and has a baby with her music teacher with the consequence of being cut off from her family in Japan thanks to the prison of her marriage to an exploitative and callous man. Mei is the product of that marriage. The latter part of the novel then introduces the story of a Japanese sex worker, Haruka, and winds the stories of all three women together towards a climax of catharsis, heartbreak and ultimately of hope.
Hanako Footman's debut novel accomplishes many things. Above all she is a master of understanding multiple forms of female loneliness. Her sensitive portrayal of the loneliness of being mixed race compounded with the pains of being a teenage girl brought tears to my eyes. Footman depicts the intensity and passion of teenage female love and friendship with compassion and understanding. The pain of being a stranger in your own home from the people who should care for you the most. The agony of a young mother stranded far from home with only her baby and the four walls of her flat closing in on her. These women all wish to be accepted and understood. Instead they experience betrayal.
Mongrel pulls no punches in its accurate depiction of the hypocrisy and casual racism in some of the upper echelons of the English class system and the hangers on and social climbers who orbit around them like champagne-toting satellites. I winced with painful recognition at the scene where Matilda's father sexually harasses Mei at the opera while making comments about her having a touch of the Orient. This then cuts straight to pure grotesque as they see Matilda as Madame Butterfly: the white "other woman" - the partner of the man who helped destroy Yuki's soul - pretending to be a Japanese teenage girl destroyed by an older white man. The parts where she accurately skewers the pretentions of would-be creatives who mask their greed by corruption of art had me chuckling darkly.
Hanako Footman's ire is particularly directed at Alex, Yuki's faithless husband and Mei's negligent father. He is a male monster lurking between a veneer of charm and musicality who having exploited his young Japanese student as a live-in cook/maid/girlfriend chews her up, spits her out and moves onto a much bigger prize, Matilda, who has the money to fund the lifestyle he thinks he deserves. The reader is embarrassed with Mei at her free-loading father's attempts to brazen his way into expensive restaurants.
Mongrel is not always an easy read. Mei's desperate devotion to her best-friend and occasional lover Fran, who is more privileged and wealthy than even Matilda, is heart-rending. Mei thinks her narrative arc is that of a story to win back her spot in first place in Fran's affections. We the reader can see that all the loneliness, neglect and abandonment has driven Mei to put all her emotional eggs in this one very unreliable basket. Her association with Fran leads to pure horror: Mei is raped by someone within their social circle. Haruka's sex-work and the punters that range from the pathetic to the brutally twisted are depicted without judgement. Mei, Yuki and Haruka are regarded as playthings formed by the male gaze. Mei and Yuki have the humiliation of this gaze being filtered through a lens of Japan fetishism and orientalism that regards Japanese (and other East Asian women) as subservient objects who exist only to please.
Alex, Matilda, Fran's mileu, Haruka's clients and the one other male anti-hero/quasi villain from the latter half (I'm trying not to spoil the denoument at the end) are unpleasant people who regard other people as either objects that serve their ends or obstacles which prevent them from achieving their end. I was reminded strongly of The Great Gatsby:
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
In Mongrel we see the consequences of the intersection of racism, misogyny and greed funnelled by a carelessness that smashes up not just things, but people. Don't read this if you don't want your geisha-kawaii fantasies called out for what they are. Or maybe, you should.
Mongrel is the book I wish I could have read growing up half Japanese, half British (Hafu) in London. The first half tells two stories simultaneously. One is of Mei, a Hafu girl in Britain being raised by her British father (Alex) and step-mother (Matilda) without any sensitivity towards or desire to acknowledge that her mother was Japanese. The other story is of a very young Japanese student who quickly marries and has a baby with her music teacher with the consequence of being cut off from her family in Japan thanks to the prison of her marriage to an exploitative and callous man. Mei is the product of that marriage. The latter part of the novel then introduces the story of a Japanese sex worker, Haruka, and winds the stories of all three women together towards a climax of catharsis, heartbreak and ultimately of hope.
Hanako Footman's debut novel accomplishes many things. Above all she is a master of understanding multiple forms of female loneliness. Her sensitive portrayal of the loneliness of being mixed race compounded with the pains of being a teenage girl brought tears to my eyes. Footman depicts the intensity and passion of teenage female love and friendship with compassion and understanding. The pain of being a stranger in your own home from the people who should care for you the most. The agony of a young mother stranded far from home with only her baby and the four walls of her flat closing in on her. These women all wish to be accepted and understood. Instead they experience betrayal.
Mongrel pulls no punches in its accurate depiction of the hypocrisy and casual racism in some of the upper echelons of the English class system and the hangers on and social climbers who orbit around them like champagne-toting satellites. I winced with painful recognition at the scene where Matilda's father sexually harasses Mei at the opera while making comments about her having a touch of the Orient. This then cuts straight to pure grotesque as they see Matilda as Madame Butterfly: the white "other woman" - the partner of the man who helped destroy Yuki's soul - pretending to be a Japanese teenage girl destroyed by an older white man. The parts where she accurately skewers the pretentions of would-be creatives who mask their greed by corruption of art had me chuckling darkly.
Hanako Footman's ire is particularly directed at Alex, Yuki's faithless husband and Mei's negligent father. He is a male monster lurking between a veneer of charm and musicality who having exploited his young Japanese student as a live-in cook/maid/girlfriend chews her up, spits her out and moves onto a much bigger prize, Matilda, who has the money to fund the lifestyle he thinks he deserves. The reader is embarrassed with Mei at her free-loading father's attempts to brazen his way into expensive restaurants.
Mongrel is not always an easy read. Mei's desperate devotion to her best-friend and occasional lover Fran, who is more privileged and wealthy than even Matilda, is heart-rending. Mei thinks her narrative arc is that of a story to win back her spot in first place in Fran's affections. We the reader can see that all the loneliness, neglect and abandonment has driven Mei to put all her emotional eggs in this one very unreliable basket. Her association with Fran leads to pure horror: Mei is raped by someone within their social circle. Haruka's sex-work and the punters that range from the pathetic to the brutally twisted are depicted without judgement. Mei, Yuki and Haruka are regarded as playthings formed by the male gaze. Mei and Yuki have the humiliation of this gaze being filtered through a lens of Japan fetishism and orientalism that regards Japanese (and other East Asian women) as subservient objects who exist only to please.
Alex, Matilda, Fran's mileu, Haruka's clients and the one other male anti-hero/quasi villain from the latter half (I'm trying not to spoil the denoument at the end) are unpleasant people who regard other people as either objects that serve their ends or obstacles which prevent them from achieving their end. I was reminded strongly of The Great Gatsby:
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
In Mongrel we see the consequences of the intersection of racism, misogyny and greed funnelled by a carelessness that smashes up not just things, but people. Don't read this if you don't want your geisha-kawaii fantasies called out for what they are. Or maybe, you should.
March 4, 2024
This book was such a drag, and let me tell you: did it drag on. 3 star rating, but actual rating 2.75.
I don't usually put out trigger warnings in my reviews, but there are several (fairly) graphic scenes of sexual assault and self harm. Decent amount of racism and misogyny too. I read mostly dark and disturbing content and this book was just not entertaining to read at almost any given point. All the crazy and terrible things happening to these characters, while being very much real life issues that women go through, felt like unnecessary trauma porn to me at times. This book was a lot to get through. Anyway.
That said, I do love Asian literary fiction, so much so that I'd probably say it's been my favorite thing to read for most of the past year: this is basically my soul food. Unfortunately, while Mongrel has literally everything you could expect in an Asian literary story (even including the excessive drinking and copious descriptions of nature and food), it doesn't serve the story well because there simply isn't enough room for the themes to be explored properly. Especially not when there are three main characters with very different experiences and they get disproportionate time to have their stories and perspectives told.
The main character of this novel is mixed race and queer, and as a queer mixed race person myself, I adore stories where people go back to their roots and discover who they are, but that isn't really the crux of this story, at least not for most of it. The main issue in the first half of the book is the queer character's obsession and pining over her best friend who doesn't fully respect and love her back the way that she needs. Literally been there done that myself, but I've seen it explored far better in different Asian books. And that's basically how I view this entire novel: I've just read lots of books that discuss the same or similar topics but were executed much better.
That being said, I think Footman simply bit off way more than she could chew. I could list at least a dozen Asian books that focus on one or two of the topics presented in this book, or use the multiple character approach to tackle the themes in nuanced ways, and they all do it way better because they were more focused and concise. There is a good story here at its heart, but the writing isn't strong or consistent enough to carry everything presented here.
On a positive note, my favorite part of the book was the three stories from a Japanese collection of fairy tales that the author included from the MC's childhood. I don't know if they're real Japanese fairy tales, or inspired by something, but they were very well written and I wish there had been more and had been given more of a thematic through line for the story. That one of the main characters is a sex worker in Tokyo was also something I liked, and I wish that had been given more time and emphasis in the story. A decent enough debut effort here - I think Footman has it in her to do better in the future.
I don't usually put out trigger warnings in my reviews, but there are several (fairly) graphic scenes of sexual assault and self harm. Decent amount of racism and misogyny too. I read mostly dark and disturbing content and this book was just not entertaining to read at almost any given point. All the crazy and terrible things happening to these characters, while being very much real life issues that women go through, felt like unnecessary trauma porn to me at times. This book was a lot to get through. Anyway.
That said, I do love Asian literary fiction, so much so that I'd probably say it's been my favorite thing to read for most of the past year: this is basically my soul food. Unfortunately, while Mongrel has literally everything you could expect in an Asian literary story (even including the excessive drinking and copious descriptions of nature and food), it doesn't serve the story well because there simply isn't enough room for the themes to be explored properly. Especially not when there are three main characters with very different experiences and they get disproportionate time to have their stories and perspectives told.
The main character of this novel is mixed race and queer, and as a queer mixed race person myself, I adore stories where people go back to their roots and discover who they are, but that isn't really the crux of this story, at least not for most of it. The main issue in the first half of the book is the queer character's obsession and pining over her best friend who doesn't fully respect and love her back the way that she needs. Literally been there done that myself, but I've seen it explored far better in different Asian books. And that's basically how I view this entire novel: I've just read lots of books that discuss the same or similar topics but were executed much better.
That being said, I think Footman simply bit off way more than she could chew. I could list at least a dozen Asian books that focus on one or two of the topics presented in this book, or use the multiple character approach to tackle the themes in nuanced ways, and they all do it way better because they were more focused and concise. There is a good story here at its heart, but the writing isn't strong or consistent enough to carry everything presented here.
On a positive note, my favorite part of the book was the three stories from a Japanese collection of fairy tales that the author included from the MC's childhood. I don't know if they're real Japanese fairy tales, or inspired by something, but they were very well written and I wish there had been more and had been given more of a thematic through line for the story. That one of the main characters is a sex worker in Tokyo was also something I liked, and I wish that had been given more time and emphasis in the story. A decent enough debut effort here - I think Footman has it in her to do better in the future.
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