往復書簡　限界から始まる

An exchange of letters between Suzumi Suzuki and Chizuko Ueno. As I read it, I got the impression that, if anything, Chizuko Ueno was providing mental counseling to Suzumi Suzuki. What struck me most strongly was the obvious yet undeniable fact that an individual’s values and ideas can ultimately only arise from their own personal experiences. Ryomi Suzuki’s views and judgments regarding men are grounded in her own extensive experiences and differ significantly from my own values. However, both sets of views stem from the worlds each woman has experienced, so neither is a lie. When experiences differ, the very world one sees is different. In this context, I truly realized the difficulty of discussing one’s beliefs and, furthermore, debating “how society should be.” Personally, what left the strongest impression on me was Ryomi Suzuki’s relationship with her mother. Since I read it right around the time I was pregnant with my own daughter, it made me wonder what kind of relationship I would build with her. While I have a very good relationship with my own mother, I realized that having a mother who is wise and understands me deeply can, in some cases, become a kind of “curse” for a child. The fact that I sensed this possibility through the relationship between Suzumi Suzuki and her mother is what stayed with me most after reading this book.