PositiveLitroWhen I heard about Scattered All Over the Earth, I worried I’d need a PHD in linguistics to appreciate Yoko Tawada’s exploration of language and identity in a quasi-dystopian landscape. Luckily, this is one of those rare novels that challenges the intellect while creating engaging characters to whom almost any reader can relate ... unlike anything I’ve read before ... Likewise, its tone, described as “cheerfully dystopian” by its publishers, was new to me. Despite a backdrop of global disasters and personal tragedies, many of the characters are relentlessly upbeat. Although this attitude doesn’t always befit their circumstances, it is oddly charming, which is a testament to both the book’s writer and its translator Margaret Mitsutani ... first and foremost a love letter to language in all its forms ... Fascinating as these themes are, Tawada’s most impressive achievement is the creation of emotionally credible characters who are more than simply tools to further her thematic preoccupations ... for all its lyricism, the novel firmly grounds its dystopian themes in many of the most troubling issues facing readers in 2022 ... When I started reading, portions of dialogue did feel stilted. It wasn’t until I read on, that I realised this effect is a deliberate attempt to highlight the strangeness of verbal communication. No matter how much the characters love language, it can be an imperfect tool to communicate across cultures. My biggest frustration, however, was probably with the character of Hiruko who, for me, is the least relatable in the book, with her reliance on Panska occasionally grating.
