I don't usually read book with a deep focus on religion but this one paid off the chance I took.

The archaized (per the introduction) language seemed fitting for the story, although I needed a while to get accustomed to it. Early on, there was quite a bit of theological background that may be more valuable during a reread, which I plan to do at some point. The pace picks up once our narrator meets the alchemist and climax of the story is a transcendental and unforgettable scene.

Early access courtesy of the publisher & NetGalley.

Eclipse, by Hirano Keiichirio and translated by Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf, is a slim novel set in 1482 that follows the journey — physical and spiritual — of a young Dominican friar from Paris to Florence as he seeks out a rare manuscript and in doing so, comes in contact with a reclusive alchemist and bears witness to a horrible tragedy.

The book is told in flashback, with the narrator Nicolas swearing “as a Christian and in the holy name of God,” that everything that follows actually happened, recognizing as he does that “it is not a document that invites one’s trust” due to its strange events. He is also concerned that because the memory is so “unbearable . . . I would be tempted … to render a false report … and end my story with much still hidden away in my heart.”

He then brings us back to how his theological studies led him to try to “bring order, under the holy name of the Lord, to the once again resurgent doctrines of the ancients” now “crashing in upon our shores,” his aim being to protect the faith from peril” by “subordinat [ing] and absorb [ing]” the pagan works “within the body of theology.” His goal was not to squelch the pagan views; his hope was that by exploring the old texts, by going “beyond” St. Thomas, he might “construct a new theology” with the pagan texts, some still unknown, acting as “a guidepost on a new path toward God.” Seeking one particular text, Nicolas set out first for Lyons and then, at the suggestion of that city’s bishop, on to to Florence. There, he recommends, the friar should try to find an alchemist well versed in natural philosophy and pagan works,

The vast majority of the book takes place in the village where Nicolas does eventually meet up with the alchemist (Pierre Dufay), becoming just as impressed with his knowledge and abilities as the Bishop of Lyons had been. Unfortunately, he also finds a bad priest and worse, a fellow Dominican (Jacques Michaelis) who is also an Inquisitor. While Nicolas observes Pierre’s attempts to find the Philosopher’s Stone and discusses philosophy and theology with him, he also discovers a secret underground cavern and an even greater secret within. When the town is visited by a plague though, Jacques and the villagers go on a witch-hunt which embroils Pierre as well as their eventual victim. All of this culminates in a horrible scene set during an eclipse. Traumatized by events and worried over getting entangled himself (a concern heightened by a not-so-subtle push by Jacques), Nicolas heads back home.

Eclipse is an odd little novel. The plot is pretty straightforward and simple, as are the individual scenes comprising the story, with the vast majority of them being either Nicolas alone being introspective or Nicolas interacting with a single character: the reclusive, erudite, and mysteries Pierre, a truculent blacksmith, the helpful Bishop of Lyons, etc. Where the book breaks away from simplicity is when it bends, as it does frequently, toward the more philosophical realms, whether its Nicolas’ musing on the Dominicans versus the Franciscans, the recent decline of the Church, his desired melding of pagan, alchemical, and Christian worldviews, his meditations on the existence, form of evil and Church doctrine surrounding it, and the surreal, ecstasy of discovery and unification that culminates in the eclipse scene. Unity is obviously a major theme of the book, beginning with his directly stated desire to unify pagan and Christian thinking, but the theme is expressed/explored in multiple other ways throughout, particularly via a single character whose appearance I won’t spoil.

The author does a good job of portraying the mindset of the time, it seems to me (not being a medieval historian), in the depiction for instance of Nicolas’ acceptance of visions, his concerns of the fallen nature of the Church, the mean ignorance of the villagers that turns quickly to violence and a search for a scapegoat for the plague that afflicts them. It’s ignorant superstition that provokes this, but a superstition rooted in a worldview where the superstition makes some sense perhaps. But if the superstition is the base, what fans the horror that ensues is the ugly trait of people to fear and abhor the “other”, a trait happily exploited by those in power (the Inquisitor).

If the mindset of the time is well portrayed, I can’t say the world itself is fully present for me: it’s sounds and smells and day to day existence. And if the highly charged language of our narrator is a good fit for he mind of a friar of the time, I confess it was at times a bit much for my own personal liking. In general, while I found Eclipse interesting, I can’t say it ever fully grabbed me or immersed me, and Nicolas’ stance as a more passive observer lent it a distance that made engagement more difficult. A relatively slim novel, I’d say it’s just as long as it should be, in that any longer and I might have slightly regretted my time spent reading it. I never considered putting it down, knowing how quick a read it would be, but it’s not a book I’d enthusiastically recommend picking up.

This is an odd little book; I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. The first half or so is an incredibly slow burn in plot terms, but when the plot picks up everything happens very fast. I enjoyed the sheer unclassifiability of it, though I think I would struggle to recommend it to others, as it is quite unusual. I think we expect translated books to deal only with the author's home country or language (and this says a lot about the politics of what gets translated), so I very much appreciated the chance to read a Japanese novel about Europe.

Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf's translation is very readable, while also capturing the somewhat archaic nature of the text, which is meant to read (and reads quite successfully) as the personal memoirs of a late medieval monk. De Chene's introduction is helpful is understanding the book's rather unusual place within contemporary Japanese literature, as well as highlighting some references to alchemical thought that I had missed, this not being an area in which I am super knowledgeable. I would, however, encourage fellow readers to save the introduction for the end and first experience the novel's plot for themselves, without knowing what comes next, as this is, in my opinion, part of what makes the reading experience enjoyable.

I liked this novel a lot. A unique novel from a Japanese author. I would love to see more translated from them. expect the unexpected.

Sorry, but this one just wasn't for me. It clearly went over my head and I couldn't engage at all with the topic, the language, or the tone.

DNF at 47%

I will say though, that what I did read was well written.

A massive hit in Japan on its release in 1998, this small wonder of a book gets a (worthy) English translation by Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf (love 'de' names, by the way). The year is 1482, and our narrator sets off on a journey from Paris to Florence, hoping to find some esoteric manuscripts. Along the way he hears of, and then visits, an alchemist by the name of Pierre Dufay, and all sorts of odd things start to happen.

On its release this must have been a strange novel for a Japanese readership, a story involving an ancient world far away, and that unsettling relationship between text and context is equally strong in this English-language translation of a Japanese text set in medieval Europe. It is a beguiling mixture, and suits the themes and almost other-worldliness of the writing. I don't pretend to have got all of the meanings and subtext of what is, in a short novel, a book heavy on philosophy. I got faint echoes of Shusako Endo's 'Silence' in the way it looks at another religion from a Japanese perspective (though that isn't explicit in the narrative, it would be for the original reader upon its publication).

Above all, it is beautifully written, a testament to the excellent translation as well, and its sentences will linger long in your mind:
'After the rain, the earth, reflecting the brilliant sun, is blindingly bright. Birds are singling. When I look off into the distance, I see that in the sky, resplendent, a rainbow is shining.'

An excellent addition to the wealth of Japanese literature being translated and made available these days. It is also a welcome change from bookshops/cafes/potteries/libraries, so that too is to be celebrated. Challenging and rewarding at the same time, this book deservedly won the Akutagawa prize in Japan and deserves a wide audience. 4.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I can't imagine what prompted a modern Japanese author to write a story about a 14th century monk's study of alchemy, but here we are and Eclipse is the result. It's an amazing small novel, filled with the mundane, the miraculous, and the hallucinogenic, told in first person with earnest scholarly detachment by our young monk. It's one I will think about for a while and probably reread.

Well, I guess it's nice to see that English-language authors don't have a monopoly on rambling semi-philosophical Eurocentric historical fiction. I got almost nothing out of this, sad to say; one presumes that the Japanese-language original was considered well-written stylistically (to have won the Akutagawa Prize) but I found it all impenetrable and basically had no idea what was going on or why.

Eclipse was both mesmerizing and thought-provoking. While I struggled to engage fully and found connecting challenging, I appreciated the unique reading experience and beautiful writing. Overall, it’s a captivating read that offers much to ponder, earning a solid four stars from me!

This book reminded me somewhat of Silence, by Shusaku Endo, though this one is set in Europe. I didn't like the graphic bits in this one any more than I liked the similarly graphic scenes in Silence, but I did enjoy this book more than I expected to. The first third of the story is really slow, but once the plot kicks in the story gets easier to engage with. I suspect that readers who enjoyed Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees, Christopher Priest's The Islanders, or Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose may also enjoy the style of this novella. For me it was a decent bit of serious literary fiction, but not a book I would recommend to just anyone. There is enough going on in this novella to make it a great option for college world literature classes, so I would not be surprised if this book winds up in the syllabus in a few courses over the next few years.

3.5/4

This is probably the strangest book I've read this year. The prose is excellent and flows well. There were parts which were captivating in their oddness and I found it difficult to stop reading at times. However there were also parts which I read several times and still didn't understand what Hirano was trying to say.

The story follows a young priest, Nicolas, on his journey through France ostensibly heading to Florence to find a manuscript. However, along the way he gets waylaid in a village where he becomes entranced by an alchemist, Pierre Dufay. Strange things begin to occur in the village which culminates in the burning of a witch.

The book is a strange mixture of religion, paganism and the failings human nature. It certainly wasn't the book I was expecting to read. I would recommend this book if you have an interest in religion and its attitude to life in the 16th century.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Columbia University Press for the advance review copy.

Thank you so much to author Keiichiro Hirano, translators Brent de Chene & Charles De Wolf, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A relatively quick read (which can likely be consumed in one sitting), Eclipse is a bite sized novella that follows a religious man pursuing different avenues of knowledge in 15th Century France. Rather than seeing Good as Good and darkness and Evil as 100% evil, that bit in between-that grey area--is explored as our main character meets new people and stories along his journey. Though the original Eclipse was published in 1998, I do believe that the themes brought up back then are still relevant to this day. Overall, I enjoyed this translation, though I would like to note that while the story begins a bit slow, it does ramp up as the story picks up. Just stick with it!

The ideas and premise of this story was fascinating. Hirano explores religion, philosophy, alchemy and nature within a short book. We get a real sense of the religious journey the Friar embarks on, and how he questions the world as his relationship with the alchemist develops.The language at times was beautiful and soulful.

However, this felt like a slog. Perhaps it is a novel that needs to be savoured, and concentrated on more than I was able to. The ideas and exploration as mentioned above are profound and fascinating, but they are a lot to digest and really understand. This book took me a long time to get through. It may have achieved its purpose in making the reader think and really understand the world and nature, but it felt like the reader really has to commit to absorbing these.

Everything was there in this novel, but the pace and language require it to be completely embraced and pored over. It is certainly not a quick read, nor an easy one. But it is extremely clever and impressive and I can see why it was awarded.

An odd, mysterious little novella, translated expertly. I found myself interested in the strange happenings in this medieval French village, but the theological discussions didn’t engage me and it moved too quickly to build tension to the explosive ending. Certainly an intriguing work, but it didn’t fully work for me.

Eclipse is a novella which spans a very short space of time but the pacing made it feel much longer.

The protagonist, who writes in the first person, is an inquisitive but cautious person and has an air of detachment to their narration which meant I didn't feel there was much build up or excitement to the novel. The writing style distracted me from the action and I found my interest waning several times although I did manage to finally get to the end.

A mesmerising, atmospheric and thought provoking story, following a priest's experience with pagan forces and a mysterious alchemist in Lyon. I was absolutely captivated by this, it's a little slow to start with but there is such a sense of suspense and the final third is very thought provoking. A very unique story, I'm so glad we've finally got an English translation of this.

My experience reading Eclipse was a bit like going on a great first date—followed by subsequent dates that were nice enough, but lacked that "glow" that had portended magic.

Keiichiro Hirano's novel tells the story of a young Dominican (the Catholic type, not the Caribbean type) in 15th Century France. Our central character—we never learn his name—admires Thomas Aquinas and hopes, like his hero, to reconcile parts of pagan science and philosophy with Christian doctrine. Pagan ideas, he explains "Though for a time driven into exile... are invariably revived by whatever elements they contain that are philosophically valid. And when they return, their errors are seen, seamlessly, as one with their truths. It is for this reason that we are obliged to incorporate the entirety of these systems of thought, submitting them to the teachings of the Church even as we rigorously seek out and expose whatever they harbor that is false, Excluding them would only leave them abandoned, beyond the scope of doctrine. Even poisoned water must be turned to wine." (The reader might ask here "but is the poisoned water going to result in poisoned wine?")

Our Dominican sets out for Florence, hoping to find rare pagan texts that will allow him to begin his work of wine-making/reconciliation. He stops in a village that is home to an alchemist he's been told to seek out and has a series of interesting but inconclusive interactions with this man. Theirs is not a teacher-student relationship, but more like a an older sibling letting a younger sibling tag along while pretending that younger sibling doesn't exist.

They village has been suffering through a miserable period of drenching rain and poor harvests and villagers are beginning to ask who or what is responsible for this disaster. Which leads, of course, to questions of whether something diabolical is at play. At the same time, visions of hermaphroditic giants begin appearing to villagers.

The events that play out in the village at this point provide the heart of the novel, and for our Dominican, open up questions of spiritual and earthly justice, dualism, the nature of the sacred, and the possibility of transcendence. Our Dominican's thoughts span the profound and the banal—and he is much more interesting an following these thoughts than in taking action during this time of crisis. He observes the world, but largely avoids interacting with it.

As I said at the beginning of this review, I lost some of my fervid, love-at-first-sight reaction and I made my way through Eclipse. But I never considered putting the book down. It had substance, though that substance was oddly non-directional.

I received a free electronic copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Sigh, sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this book that received Japn’s prestigous Akutagawa Prize. I enjoyed one of the author’s other books A Man, which I enjoyed a lot and I’m looking forward to reading his At the End of the Marinee. Back to this book - I couldn’t get into it…Set in the 15th century it’s about a friar who meets an alchemist while traveling from Paris to Florence to search for rare manuscripts. It’s replete with philosophical and psychological fare, medieval alchemy, and symbolism. I was drawn to the premise of the book and was intrigued as the book began, but alas, it didn’t hold my attention and I couldn’t get into the book. I hope other readers will enjoy it much more than I did. It was a 2.5 star read for me, rounded up to 3 stars. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

very daring and unique, but i wish the explanation was earlier and i wish tehre was more contextualization to "map" it onto the emotions of the reader. 4 stars. tysm for the arc

I found the whole idea of this novella strange, a Japanese writer telling the story of a Dominican friar in France in the late 15th century so I read it for interest but I must admit that I didn’t really connect with it. It’s a straightforward structure and starts a bit slow as it sets the scene. Plenty of ideas and philosophy packed into a short book.