I read Golden Pavilion earlier this year. What an incredibly powerful book. I scarcely can think of a novel that felt so psychologically realistic, that portray

I read Golden Pavilion earlier this year. What an incredibly powerful book. I scarcely can think of a novel that felt so psychologically realistic, that portrayed humiliation so clearly. Oe's "Personal Matter" and Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" deal with similar themes — the destruction that can be wrought by a sense of humiliation and alienation.