I enjoyed this book. The gentle writing style reflected the Japanese culture which I found appealing.

Inheritance from Mother unfolds superbly. Originally written as a serial novel, readers come to know the main character Mitsuki, who is a French professor, daughter, sister, and wife, as she navigates changing relationships.

Set in Japan, Inheritance from Mother is the story of two sisters and their aging mother Noriko, as she declines in health and ends up in the hospital. Noriko is in her eighties, and she is vain, self-absorbed and manipulative. Although her cognitive function is declining, she is still able to control her daughters and have them satisfy her every whim.

Older sister Mitsuki is in her mid-fifties, with a successful career teaching French at a private Tokyo university. Although she is doing well at work, her marriage is failing – she has just discovered that her husband is having an affair with a much younger woman. Mitsuki sacrifices her own chance at happiness to fulfill all of her mother’s wishes, and yet she secretly dreams of the day that her mother will finally pass away. She carries the full weight of responsibility for Noriko, as her beautiful sister Natsuki has never been expected to help out.

The novel opens after Noriko’s death, as the sisters discuss their financial inheritance from their mother. Then the story moves backwards to when Noriko first ends up in the hospital, and the many calculations that must be made to put her in a suitable nursing home. Although money is a constant concern, there is another inheritance that Mitsuki receives – the learned behaviour of her mother and the constricting bonds of womanhood. Especially in Japan, where the feminine mystique is the image of honoured mother and dutiful daughter, Mitsuki struggles to put herself and her happiness first. This theme transcends Japanese culture, as the role of women globally is that of caretaker to everyone else.

The characters are somewhat cold and disconnected, but it’s hard not to feel empathy for them – even vain Noriko, who is struggling to accept the fact that she is aging and unable to continue with her life as she knew it. She hopes for a dignified death, even in the sterile and dehumanizing hospital setting. Meanwhile, Mitsuki is clear and honest with herself about her choices, despite her chronic fatigue and possible depression. When she does finally receive her inheritance, it isn’t about the money – it’s about gaining some breathing room from her life, and making time for herself.

This novel was originally serialized and published in short chapters, which likely accounts for its repetition and length. Although it is probably too long for a deathbed family drama, it also contains countless themes about motherhood and, more importantly, womanhood, that are explored thoroughly and intriguingly. Told in spare prose, the novel is touching but never melodramatic, as Mitsuki grows into her own woman beyond the shadow of her mother.

I received this book from Other Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mitsuki and Natsuki are the daughters of Noriko, who is dying and has dementia and gets placed back and forth from a nursing home, to a hospital, back to a clinic for the remainder of her life. The sisters are just excitedly waiting for their mother to die, so that they could finally be free of the toll that she takes on them. This book explores the intricacies and complications of a mother-daughter relationship gone arift.

For about the first 50% of the book, the pacing was so slow that I legitimately had a very rough time getting through the parts that dragged on and on. It’s probably because I didn’t care about any of the characters, I just viewed that as privileged pompous traditionalists, or ego-centered egotistical people who I didn’t want to support in any way.

Also, one of the most interesting things about this was exploring how Japanese culture teaches you to treat your elders, taboo surrounding divorce and other things like that were my favorite things to dissect in this novel

To be perfectly honest, the last 50% wasn’t the most engaging literary material that I’ve read either, however I think that this book is worth reading for the discussion around mothers, how mothers can help/harm your adult self, carrying the burden of taking care of your parents in old age and how that can take a big toll on your own health, etc.

Although firmly rooted in Japanese life and culture, this compelling story of two middle-aged sisters having to face the increasing frailty of their mother, about whom they both have conflicted feelings, has a universal application and there will not be many older readers who will not recognise aspects of their own lives here. The culture may be different but the issues remain the same. The relationship between mothers and daughters, the problem of looking after elderly relatives when you’re getting older yourself, the ethics and practicalities of terminal care and dying with dignity are all issues that have relevance to many of us today and this novel deals with the topics with intelligence and insight. The two sisters in the novel have never had an easy relationship with their mother and as the novel progresses the back story is filled in adding an extra layer of empathy and understanding. The exhaustion caused by the constant demands of the mother and having to deal with the many crises that occur felt very heartfelt to me and I could relate to many of them. As the sisters face their own ageing they have to face their Mother’s and the novel offers a convincing and moving family drama.

What an emotional reading journey! These characters were easy to imagine with her brilliant writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and look forward to exploring more works from this author.

I was unable to get through this book. I feel that I had a problem with the translation to English.

A bit hard to understand at times, but what a beauty. The relationships between the sisters and their husbands, along with the mother- daughter relationship was disheartening. Each character was developed nicely. Didn't end like I had hoped, but didn't take away from book.