The Woman in the Dunes

De: Kobo Abe

Narrado por: Julian Cihi

The Woman in the Dunes, by celebrated writer and thinker Kobo Abe, combines the essence of myth, suspense, and the existential novel.

After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit. But when he attempts to leave the next morning, he quickly discovers the locals have other plans. Held captive with seemingly no chance of escape, he is tasked with shoveling back the ever-advancing sand dunes that threaten to destroy the village.

His only companion is an odd young woman. Together, their fates become intertwined as they work side-by-side at this Sisyphean task.

©1964 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (P)2018 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Devious, addictive.... Never less than compulsive.... Abe is an accomplished stylist.” (David Mitchell)

“Abe follows with meticulous precision his hero's constantly shifting physical, emotional and psychological states.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“As is true of Poe and Kafka...Abe creates on the page an unexpected impulsion. One continues reading, on and on.” (The New Yorker)

I really wanted to like it

I have probably been corrupted by tik tok and instagram but despite my efforts to keep an open mind I found this novel to be dreadfully boring and repetitive. It was asphyxiating by boredom not so much by the story. In addition at times it felt as if the translation was wrong, using words and expressions that were not of literary levels. I hated the performance, sounded very fake. :(

If Kafka was Japanese

Parallels a lot of themes Kafka tackles in the general sense of story and structure - I.E. reflective characters, ideological commentary, etc.

I enjoyed it.

pretty good!

i thought it was a really good story! there were parts that lost me, but over all it was good, not too complicated, not too stale! good story!

Not science fiction as we know it in the West

The usage of scientific terminology to present metaphores for the individual's role in society was very interesting.

Woman in the Dunes- Review

interesting progression of plot

well read. Good character development. realistic yet surprising ending
good book.

I surprisingly felt better about life after reading this book.

I like how this parable made me think about my own life. I’m a retired person whose husband left me after 38 years of marriage. By time I get the sand shoveled each day with the things that responsible adults should do, I often feel like the man. And not to be depressed. It actually made me realize I am not alone in my thoughts. Perhaps our daily grind is a human condition. I also like how he ounces his ideas off of his knowledge about insects.

Bought this book on pewds suggestion. Liked it.

If you are thinking and are confused weather to buy it is not. I think you will not regret it. It was subtle existential funny book.

Fantastic

I’ve heard Abe kobo translated well into English and boy it does not disappoint. If you’re a fan of surreal and strange Kafka-like fiction with great prose you should check out this book.
Narration was pretty good, a bit monotonous but it suited well to the style of the story.

Slow moving

Everyone has their own preference. I’m not upset that I listened to this book, but I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped hoped. Slow moving.

Fantastic

Really enjoyed! The atmosphere of the sandy dunes was captivating and I loved the absurdist existential themes - plenty of food for thought. I felt Abe's fictional application of absurdist philosophy was much better executed than anything I've read by Camus (so far) as the plot worked quite well on its own. I was dying to know what would happen to the man and the woman! The suspense and mystery of it all worked well for me even if it was a bit of a slow burn at times.

There were some... surprisingly pornographic bits that I hadn't expected and I felt awkward encountering them at the gym (listened to the audiobook which was very well-narrated). That said, while I found them a bit much, I suspect they did contribute to some of the more philosophical angles of the book. I did also appreciate the meta-literary point that venereal diseases are the opposite of soap operas - I do appreciate a good anti-soap-opera.

I chose this as a fast and easy read to help me get out of a reading slump and it delivered!

Edited to add: would pair well with The Hole, which I'm assuming was inspired by this book.