'The Thorn Puller' follows Hiromi Ito in her travels between Japan, where she cares for her elderly parents, and the US, where she cares for her elderly husband. Her humor and delivery reminded me of Kishon, though it's been probably 10 years since I last read anything by him. She weaves in and out of prose and poetry smoothly to tell stories of her family and her life. There's a surprising amount of body fluids in this book but those are the facts of life I guess. Or death. I enjoyed it though, the book was raw, funny, gross and hopeful and by the end every Jizo appearence felt like seeing an old friend and my own thorns were being pulled.

The storytelling was a bit tedious at parts, but I don't believe it was Ito's or the translator's fault. I imagine a native speaker who's familiar with the 'voices' she borrows would have another layer to enjoy during those parts but sadly I've only read The Pillow Book out of them, so maybe it's time to change that.

Over the course of this novel, we hear the story of Ito as she bounces back and forth between Japan and California, taking care of her parents, husband, daughters, and herself. The story explores the intricacies of aging, death, struggle, and compassion through an array of relationships; however, the story itself becomes tedious at times with its winding descriptions and tangents. The same components that allow the book to shine - Ito's magnificent imagery and poetic voice alongside Japanese folktales which are woven throughout - also bring the journey to a standstill at some points. The Thorn Puller is a wonderful display of Ito's talent in writing, but the story itself failed to keep me immersed as it drew on.

The Thorn Puller, Wow! this book has parts which will fascinate you , parts which will repulse you but you won't be able to stop reading it.