A New Life, Volume 2

War transforms the Paris where Kishimoto has sought distance from his troubled household. Mobilization empties familiar rooms, friends depart, and the city’s streets fall silent. A stay in Limoges offers countryside, music, and a glimpse of renewal, but letters from his niece Setsuko keep drawing him toward the secret he hoped to bury.

Kishimoto eventually resolves to return to Japan. The sea voyage and the first sunlight of home bring overwhelming joy, followed by fatigue and the difficult reunion with his brother’s family and his children. Hoping to build another household and help Setsuko find a future, he discovers that neither guilt nor dependence can be set aside by deciding to begin again.

Shimazaki Tōson gives domestic gestures, church interiors, changing seasons, and the awkwardness of conversation an exact emotional weight. This second volume of the four-volume edition continues his novel of confession, self-deception, and responsibility. It includes the author’s later reflections on the title Awakening and preserves the supplied source’s divisions in a complete new English translation. AI-assisted translation.