The CommonerA Novel

An examination of Japanese society that probes the themes of power and tradition.
The protagonists of John Burnham Schwartz's novels Claire Marvel and Reservation Road were intellectuals attempting to rationally grapple with events and emotional states beyond their ability to fully comprehend. The Commoner, though seemingly a change of pace for Schwartz, turns out to cover similar emotional territory. Haruko, the novel's narrator, comes of age amidst the rebuilding of post-war Japan. Though she's the daughter of a respected businessman, she nonetheless finds herself ill-equipped to deal with the routines of aristocracy after she marries her country's Crown Prince. As the story progresses, Haruko's confidence and self-assurance begin to shatter; she is cut off from her family and friends and faced with the sudden burden of bearing a male heir. That gradual wearing-down, and the effect it has on Haruko and the (largely) sympathetic characters around her, forms this novel's core; the knowledge that emerges, and what Haruko ultimately does with it, lead to the novel's resolution.

The Commoner is ultimately less an examination of Japanese society and more of a permutation on themes of power and tradition. It's a well-told story, imported to us with an air of regret that runs from beginning to end. Janet Song's narration meshes well with Schwartz's first-person narrative, providing Haruko with an understated voice that matches the terse, unapologetic tone with which her story is told.