Yukio Mishima's
Spring Snow

In "Spring Snow," Yukio Mishima is as gentle and as beautiful as fresh-fallen snow.

The story of a young and handsome aristocrat, Kiyoaki Matsugae, and the beautiful and mysterious Ayakura Satoko is set just after the Russo-Japanese War in the early 20th century, the novel offers intriguing insights into a Japanese culture that is at once in transition while also clinging to traditions of the past.

Mishima strength is description of nature. His writing allows the reader to fully sense the wonders of Japan and he is equally adept at describing the contours of his young lovers' bodies. In addition to the sensual and sensuous wonders, the inner psychology of passion-plagued minds of the young lovers who are at the center of his story is also genius. Mishima avoids sentimentalism while walking the thin line between hatred and love, between passion and pain.

Spring Snow is composed using symbolism, description, psychology, and a gentle narrative pace. Readers looking for a fast-paced plot might find it difficult to get started, but keep reading beyond the first dozen or so pages and you will get drawn in and not be able to put it down.