Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai: A Reflection

Last week, after completing the Easter services at St Ann's in Dublin, I finally had the opportunity to read Clara Kumagai's Songs for Ghosts while flying to Japan.

I read it in one sitting. It took about five hours in all, and I enjoyed it very much.

Songs for Ghosts tells the story of Adam, a Japanese-American high school student, who discovers the diary of a young Japanese woman from a family of biwa players. His desire to return the diary draws him into a world of hauntings, fractured relationships, heartbreak, and unexpected discoveries.

Woman with biwa [Hand-coloured albumen print, likely Meiji Period, possibly by Kusakabe Kimbei (1841-1934)]

Biwa in the Story

Clara weaves various aspects of the biwa into the story beautifully, making the instrument almost a character in its own right.

The novel features the Heike biwa, a form older than the Satsuma biwa, which I play.

The two instruments are not unrelated, of course. The Satsuma biwa is believed by some to have developed from the Heike biwa around the early 16th century, according to certain traditional histories. Their repertoires overlap considerably as well.

In any case, the image of the biwa cultivated in the story felt very authentic to me as a biwa player.

Kumagai captures the character of the instrument plausibly and tastefully. Its history and role in society are nicely presented, too. Her portrayal gives a real sense of what people find beautiful about the instrument — its sound, as well as the emotional resonance it holds for both player and listener.

Themes

The themes of loss, trauma passed down through generations, and the sense of something left incomplete in life that carries over into the next world were particularly well treated with relation to the biwa.

They echo themes found in traditional Japanese arts such as Noh, where unresolved emotions often linger into the next life.

Beyond my interest in the portrayal of the biwa, I found the characters engaging and realistic, too.

Their conversations were quite thought-provoking at times, offering new perspectives on facing challenges, empathy and its lack, fear, and healing.

In particular, I was especially struck by Adam's reaction to the diarist's descriptions of events in her life. These gave me much pause for thought.

Other themes such as control over others, communication between generations, and the inability to empathize with those in different circumstances also came across well.

Final Thoughts

Songs for Ghosts is certainly worth taking a little time over.

Its thoughtful weaving of the biwa into the story makes for an enjoyable novel, and a good introduction to the aesthetics and spirit of the instrument.

It can be found through most major bookstores and online retailers.