Hearn, L. (2006). The harsh cry of the heron. New York: Riverhead Books.

03/29/08 to 04/11/08
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"...What does the blessing of heaven mean? We know the kirin is just an animal, not a mythical creature."
"It has become a symbol now.... That is the way human beings deal with the world."

This is the conclusion to Hearn's initial Otori series. That series definitely had a young adult flavor although I highly recommend them. This book takes place many years later and shifts it's focus from a coming of age story to more complex sociopolitical, philosophical, and interpersonal questions. The characters are compelling and the story is very well crafted keeping up an almost relentless pace. There is one section in the middle of the novel which slows down and feels somewhat out of place but I think the subsequent events needed that period of quiet before the storm. I think my main difficulty with the book is that the play of events supports the Asian stereotypes of women being irrational and the inescapability of one's predetermined fate. I realize that many of the male characters were presented with significant flaws, but it seemed that the effective agents of destruction were almost invariably women. I also realize the somewhat hypocritical nature of my complaints against destiny determining the outcome of the story. I had no difficulty when destiny determined the positive outcomes of the initial series, but I am uncomfortable with this idea that we cannot simply use destiny when we wish, but are at the mercy of it when unjust outcomes are the result.