i finished this in a week, but as i journeyed through sayuri’s life with her it felt like much longer. at the moment i’m living in tokyo so it was good to be immersed in a more traditional version of japan that gives a little perspective on the crazy neon version that exists now. the book is beautifully written, especially the allusions to nature, and murmurings about destiny, and it’s weird how sayuri subtely changes as she grows older and wiser but still maintains some childhood innocence. my only qualm is the way that nobu just disappears, and that sayuri seems a bit passive at times. if she’d met nobu just once more she would’ve had to face herself maybe. amazing book though.