his feelings for the girl is not defined -either as love or as lust, or even a longing for the mysterious and exotic - but it clearly haunts him. it is left to the reader to interpret, even understand his feelings.
To buy these silkworm eggs Herve travels to japan and successfully returns three times. the last and fourth trip that he makes, is to a strife torn japan. he finds the village -which supplied him the silkworm eggs, illegally under japanese law- to be empty of its inhabitants. but a young boy leads him to the caravan of villagers and is punished by death for his folly. as Herve's inscrutable host tells him, the boy was the message from his concubine.
Herve has a devoted wife with the most beautiful voice and he loves to hear her read aloud to him. he takes her out on holidays every year and though they are childless, have a very sound relationship. But she seems to be aware that there is an added interest to these visits to japan. she reveals her knowledge after her death, dramatically, in an intimate and erotic letter to her husband, written in japanese.
an ordinary tale, so brilliantly told that you are left focussing only on the exotic and Herve's perspective.
