Catfish Rolling

Sora and her dad are in the supermarket when the earthquake strikes Japan and are fortunate to survive. Sora’s mother and grandfather are not so lucky. Fast-forward several years, and Sora is a 17-year-old teenager living in a Japan which has various zones, each operating at a different pace of time. These are the focus of intense research by scientists, including her dad and the company for which he works. This type of study necessitates visiting the various zones, a dangerous endeavor. Sora’s father goes to zones too often and ventures too far inside these restricted areas, and the effects show up in both his mind and body. Sora must care for herself after the deaths around her and finds that she must also be the caregiver for her father.

The title of the novel refers to a mythological catfish which lives under the islands of Japan. When it twists and turns before settling back down into the mud, the catfish causes the ground to shake – what we have come to know as earthquakes.

The story is told from Sora’s point of view, and readers will find her an intense, single-minded and confident young woman who isn’t afraid to argue with her dad when she feels strongly about visiting the time zones and even confronts the businessman in charge of her father’s company. Yet the other side of Sora’s personality is one that has been shaken just as much as the physical world around her. She is heartbroken over the loss of her mother and continues to search for her, certain that she may be found in some other zone, some other slice of time.

Kumagai uses the various time zones as a wonderful metaphor for Sora’s grieving process. The world around her speeds up and slows down, and this reflects Sora’s feelings. Grief can make our lives speed up at some times and slow down at others. It can make our lives seem to absolutely stand still. Just when you are moving ahead in the grieving process, something happens which puts you right back to a different place. Anyone who has lost someone near to them will understand and empathize with what Sora is going through.

Catfish Rolling is a first novel which is difficult to classify. There are elements of Japanese myth and folklore as well as details which give readers insight into the daily life and culture of the Japanese people. The mythology gives the book a feeling of fantasy, and yet there is also scientific research as well as moments of time travel and time shifting, giving the novel a science fiction aspect. And often both Sora and her dad find themselves in deep conversations, lending a philosophical side to the story as well. In other words, there is something for all young adult readers to enjoy.

The story is not plot-driven, and there are times when the book feels a little slow and repetitive, but going in and out of various time zones also give it a dream-like quality and thus the somewhat slower pace seems appropriate.

With Catfish Rolling, Clara Kumagai has provided her audience with an engaging and interesting story which also probes the depths of human emotions. We can hope that this debut

novel is the first of many more novels to come.