World Famous Comics: Barefoot Gen, Vol. 4: Out of the Ashes
Barefoot Gen, Vol. 4: Out of the Ashes
By: Keiji Nakazawa Publisher: Last Gasp Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Last Gasp Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 284 Publication Date: May 10, 2005
Product Description: Volume four, resumes nine days after the bomb, as Gen and his mother continue to struggle for food, shelter and water amid chaos and vast human suffering. Though confronted with the most despicable aspects of humankind, Gen acts with love and compassion.
Good book, weak ending. Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen: Out of the Ashes (Last Gasp, 2005)
In the fourth and final volume of the Barefoot Gen series, Gen and his family have gone back to Hiroshima and, nine days after the detonation of the atomic bomb, are trying to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. School has begun again, and Gen meets a whole new set of classmates, with the attendant budding friendships and immediate rivalries. Then, the unthinkable happens-- Gen's baby sister Tomoko is kidnapped. The bulk of the novel concerns Gen's attempts to find her, and the moral quandary in which he finds himself when he does.
As usual, Nakazawa's clean, crisp prose is often understated and compelling. The exception to this is in the final few pages, when a scene set up early in book one becomes relevant, and instead of letting the scene do the talking, Nakazawa gives Gen a "wow, look how relevant that was!" speech that ends the series on a slightly sour note. As usual, the characters are well-drawn and likable without being archetypes or ideals. Some of the ultimate fates of characters (telling you which ones would probably constitute a spoiler) are surprisingly realistic, and work very well considering those characters effectively drop out of the story, never to be seen again; rather than grating, it seems almost inevitable that in the chaos that is post-bomb Hiroshima, people will simply vanish into the night, never to be seen again.
This is a fine series, and well worth reading. If that final scene had been handled better, it might have been one of the best series I've read this year; as it is, it's a good one. *** ½
Tragic Japan has surrendered, the war is over, and American troops are securing the mainland. Gen and his family are suffering from malnutrition. The Americans aren't allowing Japanese police to carry weapons, so criminals and black-marketeers are running rampant. People are still dying from radiation poisoning. Gen's little sister is kidnapped. These are some, but not all, of the problems that Gen and his family are facing.
This book is powerful and moving, but it is heartwrenching and very difficult to read. Technically this book is fiction but Keiji Nakazawa did live through the bombing of Hiroshima and these stories are based on his experiences. It will make you cry.
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