The Forest Brims Over

Author: Maru Ayase, translated by Hadyn Trowell

Genre: Fiction

Format: Physical purchase

Publish Date: 2019 (Japan), 2023 (English Translation)

Read: March 2024

Favorite Quote: Because it felt feminine to put emotion before rationality, to fall madly in love, to surrender one’s own existence to support a man.

Story Synopsis: When an author’s wife, Rui, mistakenly eats seeds, she suddenly begins to germinate. The author, unbothered by this new development, goes about his life instead of taking Rui to the hospital. As Rui grows, she takes over their apartment, then the plot of land next door, then the city. All the while, other characters from Rui’s husband’s life weave in and out in a complex pattern of culture and gender conformity.

Why does this book beguile? The Forest Brims Over is definitely a “weird girl book.” It has an interesting blend of fantasy and reality from the Japanese perspective. I enjoyed Ayase’s study on how men and women interact, behave, and what is considered acceptable for both genders. The Forest Brims Over is a short, but powerful look at gender inequity and the line between having a muse and oversharing.

Very weird, but I liked it. I’ll think about this book for a while.

Rating: 4/5

Link*: The Forest Brims Over by Maru Ayase

If you’re interested in this, read*: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield