Goodbye, Things

Title: Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism

Author: Fumio Sasaki

Translator: Eriko Sugita

Publisher: W. W. Norton Company

Genre: Nonfiction; Self-Help

Release: June 12, 2015

Read: November 7, 2017

Format: Audiobook, read by Keith Szarabajka, published by Blackstone Audio

 

This book on minimalism taps into the same trend as Marie Kondo’s tremendously popular The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (read my review here). That is where the resemblance ends. Where Kondo condescendingly shares stories about her clients, Sasaki opens up about his former, “maximalist” life and the alcoholism he believes it caused. Where Kondo worships and speaks to her possessions, Sasaki treats them as utilitarian. Where Kondo focuses on “tidying,” Sasaki instead dwells on the minimalist life and philosophy. Some of his suggestions are unrealistic, or only apply to city life, or single life, or upper middle-class life. However, Sasaki does offer an engaging introduction to his own extreme minimalism while emphasizing, again and again, that minimalism looks different for everyone. He never judges the number of possession that a minimalist should have, but rather shares his own minimalism and advice while conceding that your version will not match his. One tip is to take pictures of items before discarding them, as it will make it easier to part with them. Along the same lines, treasured letters and other papers can be scanned onto the computer and then discarded. Sasaki offers some great tips for finding your own personal minimalism, so overall, this book is worth a read for those intrigued by minimalism.

Note on the audiobook: a terrible choice of narrators. Keith Szarabajka has a rough, thoroughly American accent and uses ridiculous accents for quotes from Einstein, Gandhi, etc. His voice would be excellent for some books, but simply did not suit this material.

3.5/5 stars.