It is a paperback edition with 216 pages.

From Library Journal
A trip to India becomes a journey of discovery for a group of Japanese tourists playing out their "individual dramas of the soul." Isobe searches for his reincarnated wife, while Kiguchi relives the wartime horror that ultimately saved his life. Alienated by middle age, Mitsuko follows Otsu, a failed priest, to the holy city of Varanas, hoping that the murky Ganges holds the secret to the "difference between being alive and truly living." Looking for absolutes, each character confronts instead the moral ambiguity of India's complex culture, in which good and evil are seen as a whole as indifferent to distinction as the Ganges River, which washes the living and transports the dead. This novel is a fascinating study of cultural truths revealed through a rich and varied cast. Endo, one of Japan's leading writers, skillfully depicts the small details of life, investing them with universal significance.

In July
Here is Christmas
Christmas, but how??
Nattabee declared it :)
So a Surprise parcel
is travelling to, ?? <]:-)
it is still secret!!!
A.. "what? No!! Samuel! No!!"
Happy Christmas in July!!
---<<--{@

I just received a "Christmas in July" package!
I added this book to my wishlist when I saw Dogen reading it in Lost's season 6, then looked it up and it seemed very interesting... looking forward to reading it. Thank you so much for the book and all the other wonderful goodies, hakkalina.
(And in case anybody ever wonders who Samuel is... a little teddy bear I made, who moved to hakkalina recently.)

This is a very interesting book - and the review from Library Journal above catches it perfectly. Endo has a great way dealing with stereotypes and prejudices, and he draws the attention to the controlling aspects of religion, to different ways of spirituality, to finding meaning in one's life. Endo is Catholic, but he never preaches his assertions, and even I, a very non-religious person, got hooked to this book.

Dancesports chose this book from Samrana's Japanese authors VBB.
Travelling to Tasmania now.
Happy reading!

That was quick - the book is here already - and with a travelling companion - thank you