Woman Running in the Mountains by Yūko TsushimaMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
"It was not that she was running away. She just wanted to be tough and free to move."
Finished this book on a day I went for a fun run. I have to say, I enjoyed the run more than the novel. 😄 But I wanted to read a book written by Osamu Dazai's daughter.
The book brought me painfully inside the body and mind of a single mother in 1980's Japan, a time when less than 1 percent of children are born illegitimate. Facing hatred at every turn, including her own family, it details how she defiantly finds joy in independence, in coffee shops, in parks and forests and gardens, rebelling against those who thought she deserved only misery.
Running is difficult at my age and weight, but when I do run, it feels like flying.
The breeze at one's back, the air filling up one's lungs give a sense of wellbeing to be found nowhere else. It's as if each breath is inhaling life.
There's a special magic in running with a crowd, too. The camaraderie of crazy folks who wake up at 2 or 3 am on a Sunday, pounding away at the asphalt.
For one day, we know, our running days will be over. We know not when that day will come, but for now, let's run and embrace the freedom it offers.
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