Guess what? I finished another book today! So while I’m not making any progress on my actual non-reread books, I am at least finding more time than usual to read.

And You, Too, is the third and longest work in Endo’s book Foreign Studies. I was initially optimistic that I would enjoy the story and while it does provide food for thought, it is very bleak. Essentially, And You, Too is the story of Tanaka, a Japanese professor who goes to France to be a student and research Sade and ends up defeated by the culture.

As Endo notes in the introduction, this was written when he was a young writer and doubtful that meaningful understanding between East and West was possible. In this story, he shows very clearly how immersion in a different culture can be emotionally taxing and without any of the rewards that living in a different culture can bring.

Given that I returned from France a few months ago, and I lived in Japan for over 5 years, I found Tanaka a sympathetic, though emotionally taxing, character. I definitely have felt his sense of “lostness” (for lack of a better word) at times, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it at this level of intensity for as long as Tanaka did.

I’m not going to lie, this is not an easy book to read. The short stories are easier on the emotions, but if you read this all in one go, you might end up feeling rather down. That said, I don’t think I’ve felt so “seen” when it comes to an unspoken part of living overseas; even though I mostly (95% of the time) enjoyed my time in Japan and France, I have to admit that you sometimes feel very much like a foreigner – and then you go home and still feel like a foreigner!