BOOK REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW: 

ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR 

BY LIAN HEARN

Across the nightingale floor, written magnificently by Lian Hearn, is an intriguing tale of love, violence, wall, and loyalty as well as betrayal, set in the complicated feudal system somewhere in old-age Japan.

The story starts out with Takeo, while he is in the forest, his whole village is slaughtered and when he returns, he is faced with Lord Iida. He runs to escape the soldiers and is saved by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru

The story, which revolves around the main characters, Takeshi and Lord Shigeru explores the culture and landscape of Japan. Takeshi, who later becomes Takeo is a boy raised amongst the hidden. It is later found that his father is a former assassin – and that Takeo may have in fact inherited his supernatural powers.

Otori Shigeru is a young lord, having recently lost his brother, he found comfort in the company of Takeo who reminds him of the sibling he lost. Takeo is then adopted and becomes part of the Otori famly.

The story has a fast moving plot with interesting events which occurs at random spots throughout the book, making this text thrilling and never boring to read.

What stands out, is that although the characters all have Japanese names, the country, “Japan” itself is never named. Leaving the audience to try pin-point the location in which the story is set from clues like, “Mountain ranges”, a village surrounded by trees.Deeper understanding of Japanese terms and cultures, is just one of the many things I’ve come to learn and better understand by reading this book. The captivating plot took my mind to ideas and thoughts I would have never thought about prior to finishing this text.Overall, this book is beautifully written, and is guaranteed to keep you glued to the pages as you explore deeper and deeper into the story, losing yourself among the characters and plot of the book.