Portraits of a Mother
A Novella and Stories

I find this book remarkable - as content, as language.......more

"With one single exception, there had been no mistakes or corrections in his father's life. What could possibly be the point for such a man to write anything?" Reading this newly translated novella and 5 stories (the latest to be added to the list of books by the great Catholic writer Shusaku Endo) i......more

I have not read any Endō for over a year, but I learned a couple months ago that Yale University press published a new collection this year. The novella in this collection, Confronting the Shadows, was discovered in 2020 among Endō’s papers! This is incredible given both his popularity in Japan and......more

The novella is an exciting new addition to Endo’s work—I feel that there are 2-3 stories he explores over and over again in all of the works that are published, and this is definitely something different. However, it was hard to read, because it (and the stories with it) are much, much more personal......more

A very beautiful book that's close to the author's heart with his thoughts and feelings. He really loved his Mother, but struggled with the past and her death, that you see he is trying to make sense of his feelings and thoughts. There are regrets , sadness and loneliness. Well worth the time to rea......more