Of Dogs and Walls is a collection of two short stories from Yuko Tsushima. In both stories, the central character is a middle-aged single woman raised by a single mother and struggling to get out from under her mother's influence.

The first story, The Watery Realm, starts with a humdrum account of a mother and her child's fascination with a castle decoration for his aquarium, This segues into memories of paternal loss and maternal conflict, all bound up with the fears that water holds for the people in the story. In the second, Of Dogs and Walls, the protagonist sees a strange shape in a wall and her mind is cast back to her youth and her relationship with her developmentally-challenged older brother, and their family dogs.

Both stories give an interesting twist after seemingly banal starts and lead to affecting tales of heartbreak and loss. ( )

This tiny book contains two short stories, both begin in media res. This is quite a distance from my usual reading paths, so it was kind of unexpected in a number of ways.

I liked the first piece better of the two. But, since I have a deep inexplicable love for water, that makes sense. In these stories the author writes fluidly and the edges blend. What edges? The clearly defined borders of characters, of time, of space. In some points it feels a little like a stream of consciousness.

I loved the last paragraph of the first story and I loved the usage of the umbrella. This is subtle and mysterious and skillful writing.

The second story has similar elements to the first; they are of a close radius. But I do not think I was able to get the resounding significance of the dog and the wall like I was able to internalize and comprehend the water and the umbrella.

Recommend for advanced readers and for those who enjoy dream-like streams of slice-of-life. ( )