General Review:
The Legend of Sosen no Tani: Through the Well by Allison Conroe is a pretty interesting tale of a half-Japanese girl, Kairi, who falls through a well and encounters the land of her ancestors. There, she learns of the ancient ways and the influence of Keepers, Ancestors, gods, and demons on her world. There’s some fun, soft magic involved and the buddings of a romance yet to come to fruition.
The novel is a clear love letter to Japanese culture. Fans of anime that blur the line between shōjo and shōnen are more than likely to get a kick out of this debut. It is also a pretty short read.
I picked this book up a while ago and had some trouble reading it because I had the Kindle edition and was reading off my laptop, but once I started reading it on my tablet, I breezed right through it.
When I initially picked it up on release, it had few (no) reviews. Reading through other reviews that accuse it of being confusing or that it “demonizes Western culture” kind of missed the point of the book of the value of tradition. The criticisms it makes are against corporate greed. Do not be misled by reviewers who are salty they can’t make the poor dependent on them. Do not be misled by reviewers who don’t know just how damaging the U.S. was to Japan upon their forced entry. Even Americans should be able to admit that.
The book has an environmentalist message, but not one that I think the average person would disagree with (especially if they have an understanding of the desire for and purpose of traditional farming).
Characters:
I think Conroe did a good job differentiating her limited cast. We generally only focus on Kairi and Mato, the main love interest, and while I think they could use a little more depth, I felt they were sufficient. The other side characters, Auntie Mie, Misao-dono, Elder Tadaaki, etc. are believable enough even with their limited screen time.
Nothing about any of the characters dazzled me and I don’t think I have a favorite character, but there also no least favorite character. These characters follow, in a way, basic tropes, but not in a bad way. Nothing outstanding, but pretty solid nonetheless.
I’d give the characters a solid 7/10.
Plot:
The plot followed logic, and there did not really feel like there were any stand-out issues or anything of the like. It was definitely a slow start to the plot and I’ll talk about that as I talk about the writing, but once things get moving, they move. I don’t know if I was ever addicted to the book, but that rarely happens for me (even for books other people say are addicting).
I would say most events are sufficiently foreshadowed, so that’s nice.
Even though there is a clear sequel being set up at the end, everything still felt wrapped up enough to be a solid ending.
With that, I’d give the plot about an 8.5/10.
Writing:
Ok, here’s where my biggest criticism of the book is. But let’s start with the good. Conroe is a talented writer and a knowledgeable one at that. Her descriptions don’t take too long but still manage a clear image of the environment (though that may be because I’m also a weeb?).
A line that I noted as I was reading as one that earned my love was: “Settling in a nearby grouping of brush, I nestled my way in with the spiders and crouched low.”
Another that I noted as “bombastic” was: “As I ran, paved road eventually gave way to forest floor. I could see herds of deer fleeing with me, small animals that were just as unlucky as I was.”
She has good analogies in some places and rough ones in others.
One that stands out as rough to me is “He leaned back on the palms of his hands with a youth-like arrogance, like a boy who still hadn’t fully matured yet.” AKA, he leaned back with the arrogance of a young person… like a boy who was still… young…
There are some other issues, like dialogue being damaged by some people talking like they are living encyclopedias, or tags feeling inaccurate (a page and half of a rant is “spat” at one point, and that doesn’t feel right to me, though that may just be me). Sometimes, what I would define as a “special line” is used too frequently or things are said repeatedly while adding nothing. These issues lessen the deeper you get into the book.
Back to the good, however, is that while the opening is a little slow, the tension builds as we see the story developing from the perspectives of our two main characters. So good job on that, Conroe.
Overall, the writing to me is about a 6.5/10.
Final Rating: 7.3/10
Good job, Ms. Conroe, I look forward to reading your next book.
David J. Neumaier 