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Melancholy in the CountrysideAuthor: Sato Haruo
| Original Title | 田園の憂欝 |
|---|---|
| Author | 佐藤 春夫 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | A young couple seeks refuge from urban chaos in a secluded countryside house, drawn by its weathered charm and promise of serenity. The husband, a sensitive soul burdened by existential restlessness, finds fleeting solace in the overgrown garden’s wild beauty—its tangled vines, whispering streams, and stoic roses struggling to bloom. His wife navigates quiet unease, balancing hope for their new life with lingering doubts about his mercurial temperament and unresolved past. As seasons shift, the house reveals its layered history: abandoned gardens echo with ghosts of former inhabitants, while village tensions simmer beneath rustic simplicity. Fleas, relentless rain, and claustrophobic isolation test their resolve, blurring the line between idyllic escape and suffocating exile. Through vivid natural imagery—dragonflies skimming water, cicadas clinging to bark—the narrative weaves a haunting meditation on longing, impermanence, and the fragile pursuit of peace. Shadows of past loves and unspoken regrets linger like mist over rice fields, inviting readers into a world where every rustling leaf whispers secrets of resilience and decay. |
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