Oe is amazing, this novel gripped my soul. It's lyrical, drawing you in, but also disturbing, making you want to pull away. There's something about plague that always gets me, something so scary, but real. I see the link to "Lord of the Flies", which I loved as well, but this one was something else entirely. I guess it was the abandonment, the fact that there were people, so close, but not willing to help that made this so much more powerful. Complicated but simple, beautiful but grotesque, a perfect balance.
