THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH

A tale of love and forgiveness toward oneself and others.

Machiko Yamamoto lives and works as a teacher a few hours outside of Kyoto. Although she has family and friends around her, she feels isolated and misunderstood due to her trichotillomania, a mental disorder that compels her to pluck out the hairs on her head and body and to pick at her skin until it is covered in scars. The shame she feels as a sufferer of this condition—particularly in a country that values conformity and professional normality—causes her to emotionally withdraw from friendship and romantic intimacy. Into Machiko’s life comes Krista Black, an American woman with a troubled past whose global wanderings point to a similar state of protective detachment. Krista’s presence as a foreigner in a relatively small community attracts Machiko’s compassion and curiosity, and the two women begin to spend more and more time together, traveling and discovering each other’s customs and worldviews. As they begin to open up to one another, however, old fears arise and emotional wounds are reopened, causing both of them to re-examine their assumptions about life, other people, suffering and even religion. Narrated in alternating first and third person, the book weaves Machiko’s and Krista’s stories together in a way that mimics the measured, unhurried pace of two human beings connecting over a period of time. In a novel, however, the reader may find the slow pace frustrating. Murphy’s own travels in Japan and Tibet, as well as her understanding of Buddhism, inform the descriptions of the setting; passages about the beauty and complexity of Japanese traditions are best served by this pace, while Krista’s parts of the story, which mostly take place in America, seem to strain against the slowness. This story of cultures, individuals and otherness will resonate with readers willing to surrender to its calmative tenor.

While some readers may find the level of detail a bit tedious, others will welcome the tone of serenity.