“Filled with warmth and humour, sadness and tenderness…” the back cover promised. #1 National Best Seller, the front cover trumpeted. Inside, it was like reading the longest Readers Digest story ever. Perhaps it makes more sense if you’re American. And from a small town. And don’t like new fangled rubbish like plots, or humor, or points to anecdotes. 

Even the stuff that I kind of got, just never got there in terms of interest or funniness. So, on page 181, despite having nothing else to read, I put it down for the last time with a deep feeling of relief. I’ll go back to reading the Japanese instructions on what paper to use in the toilet instead.