Piercing by Ryu Murakami REVIEW

Summary:

Kawashima Masayuki is a successful graphic designer living in Tokyo with his loving wife, Yoko, and their baby girl. Outwardly, their lives are a picture of happiness and contentment, but every night while his wife sleeps Kawashima creeps from his bed and watches over the baby's crib with an ice pick in his hand and an almost visceral desire to use it.

One particular night, as this struggle unfolds once more, Kawashima makes a decision to confront his demons, and sets into motion an uncomfortable chain of events seeming to lead inexorably to murder.

My Thoughts:

This book kind of reminds me of American Psycho. Kawashima has the intrusive thoughts to use the ice pick on his baby, but is able to refrain from doing so. In an effort to make those thoughts go away, he decides to leave town and use it on someone else. Kawashima has stabbed someone before, which is what lead him to this conclusion. However, the person he selects to be his victim is just as twisted - if not more - than himself.

The novel starts off a bit slow, and it shows the main character's descent into madness throughout. Halfway through, it does switch to the point of view of the would-be victim. I think it was a good move to make them a similar level of crazy as the main character instead of just the cookie-cutter victim. It made things a lot more interesting, and it's what sold the ending for me.

My Rating: 4 stars 

Audition by Ryu Murakami REVIEW

 Summary:

Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son since his wife died seven years ago, decides that it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that he stage auditions for a movie he never intends to produce in order to cast the perfect woman as his bride. Only one of the applicants catches Aoyama's attention: Yamasaki Asami, a striking young ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his infatuation, Aoyama discovers too late that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagined her to be.

My Thoughts:

I do know this was a film, but I wanted to read the novel it was based on first. This isn't the first Murakami book I have read; I have previously read In the Miso Soup.

Aoyama is still grieving the loss of his wife, even though it has been several years. He was not faithful to her when she was still alive, but he never wanted her to die. His son, now in high school, notices how miserable Aoyama is and suggests he remarry. Aoyama originally rejects the idea, but soon realizes that his son is right. When he tells his friend Yoshikawa about this, the friend decides to create an audition for a film that likely will not happen so that Aoyama can find his ideal type. Asami blows him away, and he falls in love with her. Unfortunately, he finds out too late about her past.

I really liked the relationship Aoyama has with his son. It is something that we don't see very often in the horror genre (or most genres really). Asami was abused growing up, and she tells Aoyama that she healed through dancing. But it turns out that she has not actually healed. Asami wants to be loved by Aoyama, but she also wants him to ONLY love her. He doesn't really understand what she means until she leaves after he tells her about his son.

I definitely loved this book, and I hope to find more compelling novels from this author.

My Rating: 5 stars

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami REVIEW

 Summary:

It is just before New Year's.

Frank, an overweight American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's sleazy nightlife on three successive evenings. But Frank's behavior is so strange that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion: that his new client is in fact the serial killer currently terrorizing the city. It isn't until the second night, however, in a scene that will shock you and make you laugh and make you hate yourself for laughing, that Kenji learns exactly how much he has to fear and how irrevocably his encounter with this great white whale of an American will change his life.

Kenji's intimate knowledge of Tokyo's sex industry, his thoughtful observations and wisecracks about the emptiness and hypocrisy of contemporary Japan, and his insights into the shockingly widespread phenomena of "compensated dating" and "selling it" among Japanese schoolgirls, give us plenty to think about on every page. Kenji is our likable, if far from innocent, guide to the inferno of violence and evil into which he unwillingly descends - and from which only Jun, his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, can possibly save him...

My Thoughts:

This is such a wonderfully written novel. The style of writing is so different to what I am used to, but makes me intrigued. 

Kenji, while not relatable in the job/life experience area, is definitely relatable once he starts to suspect Frank of murder. Being utterly convinced that he's a killer and being scared of him while at the same time having seen or heard any actual evidence.

He does end up being right though. While I didn't really laugh at the scene alluded to in the summary, I did quite enjoy reading it.

Frank's character is very interesting. You want to believe that he's innocent, but there's too many coincidences and contradictions that make you suspect him. Even by the end of the novel, you don't end up hating him despite the horrible things he has done.

Kenji's refusal to go to the police about it, while annoying, is also kind of understandable.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed reading this and would recommend others do the same.

My Rating: 5 stars