A man decides to craft a book of definitions for his disabled son and struggles to find the right words. For his inspiration, he reads the poems of William Blake – an unlikely choice for the down-to-earth job of defining things but ultimately one that offers an amazing treasure for readers – reading Blake through the lens of an author who makes his poetry accessible without sacrificing its otherworldliness.
Interspersed among poetic musings is the story of Eeyore, the disabled son – from his birth with an attached second brain to him becoming a young man with a burgeoning talent for classical musical composition. So nuanced are the father’s descriptions of his son, especially how he moves and communicates, that a portrait emerges of a father so fully enveloped in the most selfless of emotions – love – that he can never acknowledge it directly.
Kenzaburo Oe is a celebrated Japanese author who has written before about a disabled son. Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age! is the least disguised novel about his son, Hikari. It’s a ruminating book that is enormously absorbing. It’s also one of the most honest and compelling stories I’ve ever read about disability, creativity and family life.