The challenges faced by a Westerner trying to work at a Japanese firm are deep, intractable, and sometimes bordering on the hilarious. "Fear and Trembling" recounts the trials of one such young worker at the fictional-but-believable Yumimoto Corporation.
It's a quick read, but the human dynamics leave much to ponder. In particular, many Western "intuitive" concepts of how to approach relationships are revealed to be figments of culture, because the exact opposite approach is favored in Japan. For example, when a problem arises that appears to be a misunderstanding, the Belgian intern attempts to have a talk with the other person, which only makes matters worse. Again and again, the direct, Western approach backfires in the subtle context of the Japanese corporation.
The contrasts swing in the other direction, too. Some actions that would be horribly out of line in America or Europe are overlooked or accepted at Yumimoto. At the novel's climax, the main character breaks down during an overnight work session and is found passed out on the floor when the others arrive in the morning. Far from causing her dismissal, this action is considered regrettable, but somehow not surprising. In the rigid Japanese system, such breakdowns are not infrequent.
The book could easily be dismissed as a weird account of a foreign cultural experience.... unless you fully realize that millions of Japanese "salarymen" (and now some women) actually live this life, or something not far from it. Then it hits much harder. And you start to think about what values we have been "brainwashed" with too.
My only objection to the book is that the main character is such a slow learner about controlling her tongue. She speaks up in ways that would be tolerable although perhaps not totally polite in a Western company for far longer than should be required to realize that this is unacceptable in a Japanese company. It allows for snappy dialogue, but I think it amounts to laziness on the author's part. After all, the Japanese style is indirect. She should have relied much less on dialogue and much more on description and action.
This book was originally published in French and was translated into English by Adriana Hunter. She did a nice job; the language has some subtlety and some of the metaphors are just fabulous (almost reminiscent of Margaret Atwood). I recommend it as a short afternoon read that will nonetheless jar some cultural foundations in your mind.
Copyright © Kim Allen 2003
