Astonishing Writing, 26 Jun 2008
This is my favourite book.

Fast paced plot line but always clear and sensitive, total sense of being there but never over-descriptive, short but with everything said, incredible sense of Japan's 'sex-scene'...

But what really amazes me about this book is the astonishing level of detail in psychological reaction from 1st person character - unbelievably realistic.

It's also funny, very moving, horrifically gory (in places), brilliant tension, wonderful characters.

It's such a satisfying read, and possibly due to the nature of Japanese and its translation, the writing style bounces off the page - it is so fresh, quick and accessible and yet conveys unbelievably detailed emotion and scenes.

Buy it and read it - it is simply brilliant.

Noirish nightmares, 29 May 2008
I picked this up after reading other Japanese fiction and found it one of the most rewarding reads so far.
It unfolds as a pulp novel and noirish thriller, you really get sucked into Tokyo's underbelly with Murakami's wonderful descriptions of the seedy side. Despite this easy to read thriller style there are sections (one in particular) which are difficult to swallow, but this shouldn't get in the way of a plot which grows deeply reflective and critical of Japan and how others see Japan. As you discover more and more there is an inevitable slowing of pace and thrill, but then I would say that this is a serious book disguised as a thriller.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has seen and enjoyed any of the Asia Extreme films or someone who fancies a change from Haruki Murakami. If you are easily offended or prudish I suggest you read Pride and prejudice etc etc.

Psycho-thriller that reflects on loneliness, 01 Mar 2008
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami is on the surface a gritty hard boiled thriller set in the Kabuki-cho red-light district of Tokyo as the approaching New Year leaves near empty except for the human wreckage of the city. Jimji a young illegal sex tourist guide makes a good but shady living from taking westerners around the girlie bars, peep shows, hookers that allow foreigners.

He meets up with Frank who hires him for three days but from the start Jimji feels something is wrong and he starts to be sucked into an ever deepening nightmare that threatens his and his girl friend existence.

The story is told in the 1st person from Jimji perspective and is based on clear fluid writing equal if not better then Haruki Murakami, which evokes the place and time so that you have a movie in your head. Not necessarily a good thing given some of things that happen.

Beneath the surface is a very different story which leads to conclusions and beginnings that can be misunderstood if psycho thriller is the readers' sole expectation. We are instead being lead into mediation through the events affecting two desperate characters on what the Western and Japanese experience of loneliness is. The key passage for me is this one.

I remember the American making this particular confession, and the way his voice caught when he said "accept it". Americans don't talk about just grinning and bearing it, which is the Japanese approach to so many things. After listening to a lot of these stories, I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it made me glad I was born Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different from the sort you know you will get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel.

Reflect on what is being said here and you will enjoy a taut psychological thriller whose outcome makes perfect sense. Highly recommended


Interesting ... and unsettling, 15 Feb 2008
This is an excellent read. It's very compelling, and although it might get a bit daft towards the end, 'In the Miso Soup' is a really interesting meditation on Japanese culture and its relation to the West.

A smooth and intensely gripping read, 02 Aug 2007
I was bought this book by a friend as a birthday present. I found it compelling, very atmospheric, evocative and chilling. The prose is very well written and reads smoothly, without any tedious chunks. In addition to being a brilliant (albeit at times gruesome) story, it also presents some insightful views on loneliness, consciousness and Japanese culture, whilst painting a gritty picture of the Tokyo underground - but not in a way that a Western J-enthusiast would expect. My only criticism is that I personally felt that the way in which the main characters meet at the beginning of the story wasn't consistent with what you go on to learn about one of them later in the story, in a way I can't explain without ruining the story.

If you like surprises, psychological thrillers and have any interest in Japanese popular culture, read this book. You won't find it very easy to put down.

Astonishing Writing, 26 Jun 2008
This is my favourite book.

Fast paced plot line but always clear and sensitive, total sense of being there but never over-descriptive, short but with everything said, incredible sense of Japan's 'sex-scene'...

But what really amazes me about this book is the astonishing level of detail in psychological reaction from 1st person character - unbelievably realistic.

It's also funny, very moving, horrifically gory (in places), brilliant tension, wonderful characters.

It's such a satisfying read, and possibly due to the nature of Japanese and its translation, the writing style bounces off the page - it is so fresh, quick and accessible and yet conveys unbelievably detailed emotion and scenes.

Buy it and read it - it is simply brilliant.

Noirish nightmares, 29 May 2008
I picked this up after reading other Japanese fiction and found it one of the most rewarding reads so far.
It unfolds as a pulp novel and noirish thriller, you really get sucked into Tokyo's underbelly with Murakami's wonderful descriptions of the seedy side. Despite this easy to read thriller style there are sections (one in particular) which are difficult to swallow, but this shouldn't get in the way of a plot which grows deeply reflective and critical of Japan and how others see Japan. As you discover more and more there is an inevitable slowing of pace and thrill, but then I would say that this is a serious book disguised as a thriller.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has seen and enjoyed any of the Asia Extreme films or someone who fancies a change from Haruki Murakami. If you are easily offended or prudish I suggest you read Pride and prejudice etc etc.

Psycho-thriller that reflects on loneliness, 01 Mar 2008
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami is on the surface a gritty hard boiled thriller set in the Kabuki-cho red-light district of Tokyo as the approaching New Year leaves near empty except for the human wreckage of the city. Jimji a young illegal sex tourist guide makes a good but shady living from taking westerners around the girlie bars, peep shows, hookers that allow foreigners.

He meets up with Frank who hires him for three days but from the start Jimji feels something is wrong and he starts to be sucked into an ever deepening nightmare that threatens his and his girl friend existence.

The story is told in the 1st person from Jimji perspective and is based on clear fluid writing equal if not better then Haruki Murakami, which evokes the place and time so that you have a movie in your head. Not necessarily a good thing given some of things that happen.

Beneath the surface is a very different story which leads to conclusions and beginnings that can be misunderstood if psycho thriller is the readers' sole expectation. We are instead being lead into mediation through the events affecting two desperate characters on what the Western and Japanese experience of loneliness is. The key passage for me is this one.

I remember the American making this particular confession, and the way his voice caught when he said "accept it". Americans don't talk about just grinning and bearing it, which is the Japanese approach to so many things. After listening to a lot of these stories, I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it made me glad I was born Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different from the sort you know you will get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel.

Reflect on what is being said here and you will enjoy a taut psychological thriller whose outcome makes perfect sense. Highly recommended


Interesting ... and unsettling, 15 Feb 2008
This is an excellent read. It's very compelling, and although it might get a bit daft towards the end, 'In the Miso Soup' is a really interesting meditation on Japanese culture and its relation to the West.

A smooth and intensely gripping read, 02 Aug 2007
I was bought this book by a friend as a birthday present. I found it compelling, very atmospheric, evocative and chilling. The prose is very well written and reads smoothly, without any tedious chunks. In addition to being a brilliant (albeit at times gruesome) story, it also presents some insightful views on loneliness, consciousness and Japanese culture, whilst painting a gritty picture of the Tokyo underground - but not in a way that a Western J-enthusiast would expect. My only criticism is that I personally felt that the way in which the main characters meet at the beginning of the story wasn't consistent with what you go on to learn about one of them later in the story, in a way I can't explain without ruining the story.

If you like surprises, psychological thrillers and have any interest in Japanese popular culture, read this book. You won't find it very easy to put down.

Voices from the dark side, 29 May 2008
Quite a brief book but well worth reading. Murakami pretty much grabs you straight away with voices direct from the minds of some pretty messed up people. The disturbed characters drip feed us their horrific back stories as the main story unfolds, this makes the cold 'logic' of their actions and thoughts even scarier. The plot moves back and forth with the mesmerising backdrop of Tokyo's seedy nightlife. This author has clearly had many experiences in some dark corners of Tokyo which makes the book infinitely more readable.

More like 3.5, 13 Mar 2008
"Piercing" offers us more gripping, twisted prose from Ryu Murakami. Having paid £8 for under 200 pages, I hoped for something as impressive as my favourite Murakami, "Coin Locker Babies".

The writing is just as good, (if not better, in the translation) but the plot is less intricate. "Coin Locker Babies" had twists, turns and climaxes aplenty, but "Piercing", being a much shorter book, quickly moved from A to B and finished, I thought, quite abruptly.

Nevertheless, it's recommended for those who enjoy the potential for being disturbed by Japanese fiction. But I can't deny I'd have preferred MORE.

Murakami goes more Psycho, 01 Aug 2007
After reading 'In the Miso soup' I thought of buying his latest, even though as usual his books are short and don't involve much charecters in them, he still manages to take you into a world where your psychology has to act.
In this book as always shows how the lonliness,emptiness and lack of communication inhibited by the japanese makes them listen to thei ineer voices which gives a great creative writing skill to write.

This is a great book again with twists and always have to imagine the impossible.

Somewhat Dated Commentary on Japanese Society, 21 May 2007
Originally published in Japan in 1994, this latest translation of "the other" Murakami's works suffers somewhat from its relative age. This is the fifth of his ten or so novels to appear in English, and by now, his paired themes of alienation and ultraviolence are well past their sell-by date. The perspective he offers on Japanese society may have been shocking thirteen years ago, but with the proliferation of J-horror films, media coverage of Japanese suicide rates, and other such indicators of a society in social distress, his latest serving ends up tasting like stale leftovers.

The story opens with Masayuki, a successful young graphic designer whom we meet as he hovers over his new baby with an ice pick, stifling the urge to pierce the newbor'ns smooth, perfect skin. It seems that Masayuki was abused as a child and has carried all kinds of psychological trauma with him into adulthood, even as he has managed to arrange a very normal domestic life. However, the new baby has brought forth his hidden turmoil, and an inner voice convinces him that the only way to purge his awful yearnings is to actually stab someone, preferably a prostitute no one will miss. Masayuki's meticulous plan brings him into contact with Chiaki, a young S&M prostitute with her own hidden history of abuse (incest) and mental instability (she likes to cut herself).

When the two meet in his hotel room, nothing goes as planned, and after a gruesome battle, the two wounded souls actually manage at least a moment of connection. Murakami appears to be trying to use this vivid tableau to comment on Japanese society, notably how the modern emphasis on the individual can result to complete breaks with reality. However, its a rather flimsy and dated indictment, and the direct line he paints from childhood abuse to psycho adult behavior is far too pat. The interior thoughts of the two damaged souls are well rendered, but on the whole, there's not a whole lot here to engage with.

Fine but disturbing writing, 08 May 2007
The 'other' Murakami" does it again. This is darker, pyscho thriller once again set against the seedier side of Tokyo life. The voices in a young man's head tells him that he has to kill. He fixes on a victim who is equally unusual. A short book, fast paced, exciting and bold - this can be read at one sitting. every bit as good as his last hit 'In the Miso Soup".

Astonishing Writing, 26 Jun 2008
This is my favourite book.

Fast paced plot line but always clear and sensitive, total sense of being there but never over-descriptive, short but with everything said, incredible sense of Japan's 'sex-scene'...

But what really amazes me about this book is the astonishing level of detail in psychological reaction from 1st person character - unbelievably realistic.

It's also funny, very moving, horrifically gory (in places), brilliant tension, wonderful characters.

It's such a satisfying read, and possibly due to the nature of Japanese and its translation, the writing style bounces off the page - it is so fresh, quick and accessible and yet conveys unbelievably detailed emotion and scenes.

Buy it and read it - it is simply brilliant.

Noirish nightmares, 29 May 2008
I picked this up after reading other Japanese fiction and found it one of the most rewarding reads so far.
It unfolds as a pulp novel and noirish thriller, you really get sucked into Tokyo's underbelly with Murakami's wonderful descriptions of the seedy side. Despite this easy to read thriller style there are sections (one in particular) which are difficult to swallow, but this shouldn't get in the way of a plot which grows deeply reflective and critical of Japan and how others see Japan. As you discover more and more there is an inevitable slowing of pace and thrill, but then I would say that this is a serious book disguised as a thriller.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has seen and enjoyed any of the Asia Extreme films or someone who fancies a change from Haruki Murakami. If you are easily offended or prudish I suggest you read Pride and prejudice etc etc.

Psycho-thriller that reflects on loneliness, 01 Mar 2008
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami is on the surface a gritty hard boiled thriller set in the Kabuki-cho red-light district of Tokyo as the approaching New Year leaves near empty except for the human wreckage of the city. Jimji a young illegal sex tourist guide makes a good but shady living from taking westerners around the girlie bars, peep shows, hookers that allow foreigners.

He meets up with Frank who hires him for three days but from the start Jimji feels something is wrong and he starts to be sucked into an ever deepening nightmare that threatens his and his girl friend existence.

The story is told in the 1st person from Jimji perspective and is based on clear fluid writing equal if not better then Haruki Murakami, which evokes the place and time so that you have a movie in your head. Not necessarily a good thing given some of things that happen.

Beneath the surface is a very different story which leads to conclusions and beginnings that can be misunderstood if psycho thriller is the readers' sole expectation. We are instead being lead into mediation through the events affecting two desperate characters on what the Western and Japanese experience of loneliness is. The key passage for me is this one.

I remember the American making this particular confession, and the way his voice caught when he said "accept it". Americans don't talk about just grinning and bearing it, which is the Japanese approach to so many things. After listening to a lot of these stories, I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it made me glad I was born Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different from the sort you know you will get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel.

Reflect on what is being said here and you will enjoy a taut psychological thriller whose outcome makes perfect sense. Highly recommended


Interesting ... and unsettling, 15 Feb 2008
This is an excellent read. It's very compelling, and although it might get a bit daft towards the end, 'In the Miso Soup' is a really interesting meditation on Japanese culture and its relation to the West.

A smooth and intensely gripping read, 02 Aug 2007
I was bought this book by a friend as a birthday present. I found it compelling, very atmospheric, evocative and chilling. The prose is very well written and reads smoothly, without any tedious chunks. In addition to being a brilliant (albeit at times gruesome) story, it also presents some insightful views on loneliness, consciousness and Japanese culture, whilst painting a gritty picture of the Tokyo underground - but not in a way that a Western J-enthusiast would expect. My only criticism is that I personally felt that the way in which the main characters meet at the beginning of the story wasn't consistent with what you go on to learn about one of them later in the story, in a way I can't explain without ruining the story.

If you like surprises, psychological thrillers and have any interest in Japanese popular culture, read this book. You won't find it very easy to put down.

Voices from the dark side, 29 May 2008
Quite a brief book but well worth reading. Murakami pretty much grabs you straight away with voices direct from the minds of some pretty messed up people. The disturbed characters drip feed us their horrific back stories as the main story unfolds, this makes the cold 'logic' of their actions and thoughts even scarier. The plot moves back and forth with the mesmerising backdrop of Tokyo's seedy nightlife. This author has clearly had many experiences in some dark corners of Tokyo which makes the book infinitely more readable.

More like 3.5, 13 Mar 2008
"Piercing" offers us more gripping, twisted prose from Ryu Murakami. Having paid £8 for under 200 pages, I hoped for something as impressive as my favourite Murakami, "Coin Locker Babies".

The writing is just as good, (if not better, in the translation) but the plot is less intricate. "Coin Locker Babies" had twists, turns and climaxes aplenty, but "Piercing", being a much shorter book, quickly moved from A to B and finished, I thought, quite abruptly.

Nevertheless, it's recommended for those who enjoy the potential for being disturbed by Japanese fiction. But I can't deny I'd have preferred MORE.

Murakami goes more Psycho, 01 Aug 2007
After reading 'In the Miso soup' I thought of buying his latest, even though as usual his books are short and don't involve much charecters in them, he still manages to take you into a world where your psychology has to act.
In this book as always shows how the lonliness,emptiness and lack of communication inhibited by the japanese makes them listen to thei ineer voices which gives a great creative writing skill to write.

This is a great book again with twists and always have to imagine the impossible.

Somewhat Dated Commentary on Japanese Society, 21 May 2007
Originally published in Japan in 1994, this latest translation of "the other" Murakami's works suffers somewhat from its relative age. This is the fifth of his ten or so novels to appear in English, and by now, his paired themes of alienation and ultraviolence are well past their sell-by date. The perspective he offers on Japanese society may have been shocking thirteen years ago, but with the proliferation of J-horror films, media coverage of Japanese suicide rates, and other such indicators of a society in social distress, his latest serving ends up tasting like stale leftovers.

The story opens with Masayuki, a successful young graphic designer whom we meet as he hovers over his new baby with an ice pick, stifling the urge to pierce the newbor'ns smooth, perfect skin. It seems that Masayuki was abused as a child and has carried all kinds of psychological trauma with him into adulthood, even as he has managed to arrange a very normal domestic life. However, the new baby has brought forth his hidden turmoil, and an inner voice convinces him that the only way to purge his awful yearnings is to actually stab someone, preferably a prostitute no one will miss. Masayuki's meticulous plan brings him into contact with Chiaki, a young S&M prostitute with her own hidden history of abuse (incest) and mental instability (she likes to cut herself).

When the two meet in his hotel room, nothing goes as planned, and after a gruesome battle, the two wounded souls actually manage at least a moment of connection. Murakami appears to be trying to use this vivid tableau to comment on Japanese society, notably how the modern emphasis on the individual can result to complete breaks with reality. However, its a rather flimsy and dated indictment, and the direct line he paints from childhood abuse to psycho adult behavior is far too pat. The interior thoughts of the two damaged souls are well rendered, but on the whole, there's not a whole lot here to engage with.

Fine but disturbing writing, 08 May 2007
The 'other' Murakami" does it again. This is darker, pyscho thriller once again set against the seedier side of Tokyo life. The voices in a young man's head tells him that he has to kill. He fixes on a victim who is equally unusual. A short book, fast paced, exciting and bold - this can be read at one sitting. every bit as good as his last hit 'In the Miso Soup".

Depressingly Dire, 17 Jun 2007
I've read the reviews by people on amazon, because a detailed book review is hard to find online, and I cannot fathom how anyone can see this book as being good.

It is extremely depressing and miserable, but not in a way that you can relate and feel emotional about, but in a horribly boring way. Every page turn, you soon learn to expect something terrible will happen, even if there is no real reason for it to. The author disjointedly writes about his shallow characters, whose actions can be predicted effortlessly.

Needlessly depressing, the plot slugglishly moves from one horribly predictable event to the next, dragging you into a world of misery, leaving all emotions except boredom behind.

I would not recommend this book, and although I have heard better things about his other novels, I shall be looking elsewhere.

translation isn't great., 06 Apr 2007
I would've given this five stars, as it is imaginative, deep and shocking in all the right measures, but it fell down with a disappointing translation. It was clear at times that Snyder had literally translated whole sections from the Japanese which, although beautiful, makes no sense in English. I was also disheartened to see a well-spoken Japanese woman say "It must of hurt a lot."
But translation-holes aside, I really enjoyed this novel. It may have been depressing and frightening at times, but it is truly unique.


Coin Locker Babies, 20 May 2003
This is potentially the most enthralling and all encompassing of Ryu Murakami's novels. it explores the very depths of the human psyche and what it means to be an individual. it vividly colourful discriptions and unstoppable narative provide the reader with a journey of a lifetime. this book is perfect for keen readers of Oriental Literature or just individuals with a interest in a good read with an emotive storyline. let me finish by saying that the experience of the book stays with you, and your perception of normality and rationality for, life

Weird, stylised and intriguing modern fiction, 04 Feb 2002
In the 1970s there developed in Japan a very disturbing trend whereby young mothers would abandon newborn babies in coinlockers. Most of the babies died. Coin Locker Babies is the story of two who survive. Adopted and raised as brothers, their lives are, nevertheless, fated to diverge quite alarmingly and not entirely happily. The bulk of the novel is set in a semi-real Tokyo, the surreal addition being the existence of 'Toxitown', an area so polluted that the authorities relocated all its residents and shut it off from the outside world, only for the underclasses to move in and set up residence. The underbelly of Tokyo is suddenly concentrated in one location and a fair chunk of the action takes place here. Murukami, one of Japan's most renowned modern authors, considers much of the weirdness and conflict of modern Japan, with a particular emphasis on sexuality (bisexuality and homosexuality receiving far more treatment than any other Japanese novel I have read, and certainly portrayed as far more open and prevalent than is actually the case in contemporary Japan), but there is a strong surreal and psychological streak to the work. Coin Locker Babies contains much that is entertaining, even educational, but is, in the end, a tragedy with a somewhat abrupt ending that will probably leave most readers faintly dissatisfied, a sentiment one is rather unhappy with, given the overall excellence of the bulk of the work. Recommended, nevertheless.

cyber-terror, with feelings, 11 Dec 2001
I don't know about the english translation, but i can say that the french one is not bad, and that it is an apocalyptic view of japan, a bit cyber, with those strange feelings that you can't explain. The most achieved of murakamis books. But I prefer Totally Transparent Blue. (sorry for the mistakes, but i don't write english perfectly.
Julian

Astonishing Writing, 26 Jun 2008
This is my favourite book.

Fast paced plot line but always clear and sensitive, total sense of being there but never over-descriptive, short but with everything said, incredible sense of Japan's 'sex-scene'...

But what really amazes me about this book is the astonishing level of detail in psychological reaction from 1st person character - unbelievably realistic.

It's also funny, very moving, horrifically gory (in places), brilliant tension, wonderful characters.

It's such a satisfying read, and possibly due to the nature of Japanese and its translation, the writing style bounces off the page - it is so fresh, quick and accessible and yet conveys unbelievably detailed emotion and scenes.

Buy it and read it - it is simply brilliant.

Noirish nightmares, 29 May 2008
I picked this up after reading other Japanese fiction and found it one of the most rewarding reads so far.
It unfolds as a pulp novel and noirish thriller, you really get sucked into Tokyo's underbelly with Murakami's wonderful descriptions of the seedy side. Despite this easy to read thriller style there are sections (one in particular) which are difficult to swallow, but this shouldn't get in the way of a plot which grows deeply reflective and critical of Japan and how others see Japan. As you discover more and more there is an inevitable slowing of pace and thrill, but then I would say that this is a serious book disguised as a thriller.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has seen and enjoyed any of the Asia Extreme films or someone who fancies a change from Haruki Murakami. If you are easily offended or prudish I suggest you read Pride and prejudice etc etc.

Psycho-thriller that reflects on loneliness, 01 Mar 2008
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami is on the surface a gritty hard boiled thriller set in the Kabuki-cho red-light district of Tokyo as the approaching New Year leaves near empty except for the human wreckage of the city. Jimji a young illegal sex tourist guide makes a good but shady living from taking westerners around the girlie bars, peep shows, hookers that allow foreigners.

He meets up with Frank who hires him for three days but from the start Jimji feels something is wrong and he starts to be sucked into an ever deepening nightmare that threatens his and his girl friend existence.

The story is told in the 1st person from Jimji perspective and is based on clear fluid writing equal if not better then Haruki Murakami, which evokes the place and time so that you have a movie in your head. Not necessarily a good thing given some of things that happen.

Beneath the surface is a very different story which leads to conclusions and beginnings that can be misunderstood if psycho thriller is the readers' sole expectation. We are instead being lead into mediation through the events affecting two desperate characters on what the Western and Japanese experience of loneliness is. The key passage for me is this one.

I remember the American making this particular confession, and the way his voice caught when he said "accept it". Americans don't talk about just grinning and bearing it, which is the Japanese approach to so many things. After listening to a lot of these stories, I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it made me glad I was born Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different from the sort you know you will get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel.

Reflect on what is being said here and you will enjoy a taut psychological thriller whose outcome makes perfect sense. Highly recommended


Interesting ... and unsettling, 15 Feb 2008
This is an excellent read. It's very compelling, and although it might get a bit daft towards the end, 'In the Miso Soup' is a really interesting meditation on Japanese culture and its relation to the West.

A smooth and intensely gripping read, 02 Aug 2007
I was bought this book by a friend as a birthday present. I found it compelling, very atmospheric, evocative and chilling. The prose is very well written and reads smoothly, without any tedious chunks. In addition to being a brilliant (albeit at times gruesome) story, it also presents some insightful views on loneliness, consciousness and Japanese culture, whilst painting a gritty picture of the Tokyo underground - but not in a way that a Western J-enthusiast would expect. My only criticism is that I personally felt that the way in which the main characters meet at the beginning of the story wasn't consistent with what you go on to learn about one of them later in the story, in a way I can't explain without ruining the story.

If you like surprises, psychological thrillers and have any interest in Japanese popular culture, read this book. You won't find it very easy to put down.

Voices from the dark side, 29 May 2008
Quite a brief book but well worth reading. Murakami pretty much grabs you straight away with voices direct from the minds of some pretty messed up people. The disturbed characters drip feed us their horrific back stories as the main story unfolds, this makes the cold 'logic' of their actions and thoughts even scarier. The plot moves back and forth with the mesmerising backdrop of Tokyo's seedy nightlife. This author has clearly had many experiences in some dark corners of Tokyo which makes the book infinitely more readable.

More like 3.5, 13 Mar 2008
"Piercing" offers us more gripping, twisted prose from Ryu Murakami. Having paid £8 for under 200 pages, I hoped for something as impressive as my favourite Murakami, "Coin Locker Babies".

The writing is just as good, (if not better, in the translation) but the plot is less intricate. "Coin Locker Babies" had twists, turns and climaxes aplenty, but "Piercing", being a much shorter book, quickly moved from A to B and finished, I thought, quite abruptly.

Nevertheless, it's recommended for those who enjoy the potential for being disturbed by Japanese fiction. But I can't deny I'd have preferred MORE.

Murakami goes more Psycho, 01 Aug 2007
After reading 'In the Miso soup' I thought of buying his latest, even though as usual his books are short and don't involve much charecters in them, he still manages to take you into a world where your psychology has to act.
In this book as always shows how the lonliness,emptiness and lack of communication inhibited by the japanese makes them listen to thei ineer voices which gives a great creative writing skill to write.

This is a great book again with twists and always have to imagine the impossible.

Somewhat Dated Commentary on Japanese Society, 21 May 2007
Originally published in Japan in 1994, this latest translation of "the other" Murakami's works suffers somewhat from its relative age. This is the fifth of his ten or so novels to appear in English, and by now, his paired themes of alienation and ultraviolence are well past their sell-by date. The perspective he offers on Japanese society may have been shocking thirteen years ago, but with the proliferation of J-horror films, media coverage of Japanese suicide rates, and other such indicators of a society in social distress, his latest serving ends up tasting like stale leftovers.

The story opens with Masayuki, a successful young graphic designer whom we meet as he hovers over his new baby with an ice pick, stifling the urge to pierce the newbor'ns smooth, perfect skin. It seems that Masayuki was abused as a child and has carried all kinds of psychological trauma with him into adulthood, even as he has managed to arrange a very normal domestic life. However, the new baby has brought forth his hidden turmoil, and an inner voice convinces him that the only way to purge his awful yearnings is to actually stab someone, preferably a prostitute no one will miss. Masayuki's meticulous plan brings him into contact with Chiaki, a young S&M prostitute with her own hidden history of abuse (incest) and mental instability (she likes to cut herself).

When the two meet in his hotel room, nothing goes as planned, and after a gruesome battle, the two wounded souls actually manage at least a moment of connection. Murakami appears to be trying to use this vivid tableau to comment on Japanese society, notably how the modern emphasis on the individual can result to complete breaks with reality. However, its a rather flimsy and dated indictment, and the direct line he paints from childhood abuse to psycho adult behavior is far too pat. The interior thoughts of the two damaged souls are well rendered, but on the whole, there's not a whole lot here to engage with.

Fine but disturbing writing, 08 May 2007
The 'other' Murakami" does it again. This is darker, pyscho thriller once again set against the seedier side of Tokyo life. The voices in a young man's head tells him that he has to kill. He fixes on a victim who is equally unusual. A short book, fast paced, exciting and bold - this can be read at one sitting. every bit as good as his last hit 'In the Miso Soup".

Depressingly Dire, 17 Jun 2007
I've read the reviews by people on amazon, because a detailed book review is hard to find online, and I cannot fathom how anyone can see this book as being good.

It is extremely depressing and miserable, but not in a way that you can relate and feel emotional about, but in a horribly boring way. Every page turn, you soon learn to expect something terrible will happen, even if there is no real reason for it to. The author disjointedly writes about his shallow characters, whose actions can be predicted effortlessly.

Needlessly depressing, the plot slugglishly moves from one horribly predictable event to the next, dragging you into a world of misery, leaving all emotions except boredom behind.

I would not recommend this book, and although I have heard better things about his other novels, I shall be looking elsewhere.

translation isn't great., 06 Apr 2007
I would've given this five stars, as it is imaginative, deep and shocking in all the right measures, but it fell down with a disappointing translation. It was clear at times that Snyder had literally translated whole sections from the Japanese which, although beautiful, makes no sense in English. I was also disheartened to see a well-spoken Japanese woman say "It must of hurt a lot."
But translation-holes aside, I really enjoyed this novel. It may have been depressing and frightening at times, but it is truly unique.


Coin Locker Babies, 20 May 2003
This is potentially the most enthralling and all encompassing of Ryu Murakami's novels. it explores the very depths of the human psyche and what it means to be an individual. it vividly colourful discriptions and unstoppable narative provide the reader with a journey of a lifetime. this book is perfect for keen readers of Oriental Literature or just individuals with a interest in a good read with an emotive storyline. let me finish by saying that the experience of the book stays with you, and your perception of normality and rationality for, life

Weird, stylised and intriguing modern fiction, 04 Feb 2002
In the 1970s there developed in Japan a very disturbing trend whereby young mothers would abandon newborn babies in coinlockers. Most of the babies died. Coin Locker Babies is the story of two who survive. Adopted and raised as brothers, their lives are, nevertheless, fated to diverge quite alarmingly and not entirely happily. The bulk of the novel is set in a semi-real Tokyo, the surreal addition being the existence of 'Toxitown', an area so polluted that the authorities relocated all its residents and shut it off from the outside world, only for the underclasses to move in and set up residence. The underbelly of Tokyo is suddenly concentrated in one location and a fair chunk of the action takes place here. Murukami, one of Japan's most renowned modern authors, considers much of the weirdness and conflict of modern Japan, with a particular emphasis on sexuality (bisexuality and homosexuality receiving far more treatment than any other Japanese novel I have read, and certainly portrayed as far more open and prevalent than is actually the case in contemporary Japan), but there is a strong surreal and psychological streak to the work. Coin Locker Babies contains much that is entertaining, even educational, but is, in the end, a tragedy with a somewhat abrupt ending that will probably leave most readers faintly dissatisfied, a sentiment one is rather unhappy with, given the overall excellence of the bulk of the work. Recommended, nevertheless.

cyber-terror, with feelings, 11 Dec 2001
I don't know about the english translation, but i can say that the french one is not bad, and that it is an apocalyptic view of japan, a bit cyber, with those strange feelings that you can't explain. The most achieved of murakamis books. But I prefer Totally Transparent Blue. (sorry for the mistakes, but i don't write english perfectly.
Julian

May be more than you bargained for...which could be good or bad, 16 Oct 2007
Porn-like with bloody needles and every forty pages or so a pause for an "epiphany". Not the "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" epiphanies, which intimated the real thing as well as words can be expected to, but the feeling of drug hazes, a chance to rest from the intensity of the main story and perhaps make it all seem of socially redeeming value. But does transcendence have socially redeeming value any more than drug and sex escapisms do? May depend on what you make of silver negligees. Almost no one here seems to have a job except for the cops and the serviceman but the former might be better occupied with real criminals and the latter are off-duty. It may be that only the nurses, as always, do necessary work. The character Ryu and his friends seem also in need of psychologists but there is no context in the book of how the characters became this way or of how they may find help before self-destructing.

Forceful writing, for sure. Seemed somewhat choppy but that may have helped move it along quickly.

"Almost Transparent Blue" is not at the level of Burroughs either in style or at all for the issues raised. It's probably asking way too much to expect that. Burroughs "Naked Lunch" and his trilogy "The Cities of the Red Night", "The Place of Dead Roads" and "The Western Lands" have plenty of sex and drugs, if that is what you are after, but with broad contexts and much deeper explorations of how it connects to all of us. No one may have understood and expressed the role of addictions in social control the way Burroughs did. But it seems unfair to compare Murakami with Burroughs based on just this first and short novel of Murakami, so you may want to read later and longer works (e.g. "Coin Locker Babies" and "In the Miso Soup")

It's hard to tell when reading "Almost Transparent Blue" whether one should feel sad or manipulated. I wasn't comfortable with Ryu the character or Ryu the author. Maybe comfort isn't the point. Maybe Murakami is effectively raising social concerns and without glossing over the creepiness of what can happen.

For a less shocking, probably more compassionate and more fully developed presentation of youths lost amidst drugs and sex that don't go off the deep end as Murakami (and Burroughs) may seem to do, I suggest Frank Daniels "futureproof", which still lingers with me constructively a year after I read it.

P.S. Murkami directed a 1980 Japanese movie derived from this novel but apparently tamer. It was nominated for a best sound award by the Japanese Academy. I'll leave it to our imaginations what the well-done sounds were.

Not his best work., 17 Nov 2004
Having read Murakami's "In The Miso Soup" and "Coin Locker Babies", it has to be said that this book does not live up to the expectations generated by his two other works. BUT as it is his first novel, written in the mid-seventies (the other works are much more recent), it is a readable, if confused, portrait of degeneracy and drug abuse in 70's Tokyo. Like a Japanese "Trainspotting" but without the humour.
Not a book I would go out of my way to read, but not bad either.

Gently tragic, 24 Sep 2003
This is one of those books that appeals and repels in equal measure. Comparable to The Outsider in tone and Less Than Zero in content, it's the story of an individual drifting through a series of experiences with passive interest. The author's note on the last page is absolutely essential to the overall effect, and will stay with you for a long time after.

Astonishing Writing, 26 Jun 2008
This is my favourite book.

Fast paced plot line but always clear and sensitive, total sense of being there but never over-descriptive, short but with everything said, incredible sense of Japan's 'sex-scene'...

But what really amazes me about this book is the astonishing level of detail in psychological reaction from 1st person character - unbelievably realistic.

It's also funny, very moving, horrifically gory (in places), brilliant tension, wonderful characters.

It's such a satisfying read, and possibly due to the nature of Japanese and its translation, the writing style bounces off the page - it is so fresh, quick and accessible and yet conveys unbelievably detailed emotion and scenes.

Buy it and read it - it is simply brilliant.

Noirish nightmares, 29 May 2008
I picked this up after reading other Japanese fiction and found it one of the most rewarding reads so far.
It unfolds as a pulp novel and noirish thriller, you really get sucked into Tokyo's underbelly with Murakami's wonderful descriptions of the seedy side. Despite this easy to read thriller style there are sections (one in particular) which are difficult to swallow, but this shouldn't get in the way of a plot which grows deeply reflective and critical of Japan and how others see Japan. As you discover more and more there is an inevitable slowing of pace and thrill, but then I would say that this is a serious book disguised as a thriller.
I would recommend this book to anybody who has seen and enjoyed any of the Asia Extreme films or someone who fancies a change from Haruki Murakami. If you are easily offended or prudish I suggest you read Pride and prejudice etc etc.

Psycho-thriller that reflects on loneliness, 01 Mar 2008
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami is on the surface a gritty hard boiled thriller set in the Kabuki-cho red-light district of Tokyo as the approaching New Year leaves near empty except for the human wreckage of the city. Jimji a young illegal sex tourist guide makes a good but shady living from taking westerners around the girlie bars, peep shows, hookers that allow foreigners.

He meets up with Frank who hires him for three days but from the start Jimji feels something is wrong and he starts to be sucked into an ever deepening nightmare that threatens his and his girl friend existence.

The story is told in the 1st person from Jimji perspective and is based on clear fluid writing equal if not better then Haruki Murakami, which evokes the place and time so that you have a movie in your head. Not necessarily a good thing given some of things that happen.

Beneath the surface is a very different story which leads to conclusions and beginnings that can be misunderstood if psycho thriller is the readers' sole expectation. We are instead being lead into mediation through the events affecting two desperate characters on what the Western and Japanese experience of loneliness is. The key passage for me is this one.

I remember the American making this particular confession, and the way his voice caught when he said "accept it". Americans don't talk about just grinning and bearing it, which is the Japanese approach to so many things. After listening to a lot of these stories, I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it made me glad I was born Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different from the sort you know you will get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel.

Reflect on what is being said here and you will enjoy a taut psychological thriller whose outcome makes perfect sense. Highly recommended


Interesting ... and unsettling, 15 Feb 2008
This is an excellent read. It's very compelling, and although it might get a bit daft towards the end, 'In the Miso Soup' is a really interesting meditation on Japanese culture and its relation to the West.

A smooth and intensely gripping read, 02 Aug 2007
I was bought this book by a friend as a birthday present. I found it compelling, very atmospheric, evocative and chilling. The prose is very well written and reads smoothly, without any tedious chunks. In addition to being a brilliant (albeit at times gruesome) story, it also presents some insightful views on loneliness, consciousness and Japanese culture, whilst painting a gritty picture of the Tokyo underground - but not in a way that a Western J-enthusiast would expect. My only criticism is that I personally felt that the way in which the main characters meet at the beginning of the story wasn't consistent with what you go on to learn about one of them later in the story, in a way I can't explain without ruining the story.

If you like surprises, psychological thrillers and have any interest in Japanese popular culture, read this book. You won't find it very easy to put down.

Voices from the dark side, 29 May 2008
Quite a brief book but well worth reading. Murakami pretty much grabs you straight away with voices direct from the minds of some pretty messed up people. The disturbed characters drip feed us their horrific back stories as the main story unfolds, this makes the cold 'logic' of their actions and thoughts even scarier. The plot moves back and forth with the mesmerising backdrop of Tokyo's seedy nightlife. This author has clearly had many experiences in some dark corners of Tokyo which makes the book infinitely more readable.

More like 3.5, 13 Mar 2008
"Piercing" offers us more gripping, twisted prose from Ryu Murakami. Having paid £8 for under 200 pages, I hoped for something as impressive as my favourite Murakami, "Coin Locker Babies".

The writing is just as good, (if not better, in the translation) but the plot is less intricate. "Coin Locker Babies" had twists, turns and climaxes aplenty, but "Piercing", being a much shorter book, quickly moved from A to B and finished, I thought, quite abruptly.

Nevertheless, it's recommended for those who enjoy the potential for being disturbed by Japanese fiction. But I can't deny I'd have preferred MORE.

Murakami goes more Psycho, 01 Aug 2007
After reading 'In the Miso soup' I thought of buying his latest, even though as usual his books are short and don't involve much charecters in them, he still manages to take you into a world where your psychology has to act.
In this book as always shows how the lonliness,emptiness and lack of communication inhibited by the japanese makes them listen to thei ineer voices which gives a great creative writing skill to write.

This is a great book again with twists and always have to imagine the impossible.

Somewhat Dated Commentary on Japanese Society, 21 May 2007
Originally published in Japan in 1994, this latest translation of "the other" Murakami's works suffers somewhat from its relative age. This is the fifth of his ten or so novels to appear in English, and by now, his paired themes of alienation and ultraviolence are well past their sell-by date. The perspective he offers on Japanese society may have been shocking thirteen years ago, but with the proliferation of J-horror films, media coverage of Japanese suicide rates, and other such indicators of a society in social distress, his latest serving ends up tasting like stale leftovers.

The story opens with Masayuki, a successful young graphic designer whom we meet as he hovers over his new baby with an ice pick, stifling the urge to pierce the newbor'ns smooth, perfect skin. It seems that Masayuki was abused as a child and has carried all kinds of psychological trauma with him into adulthood, even as he has managed to arrange a very normal domestic life. However, the new baby has brought forth his hidden turmoil, and an inner voice convinces him that the only way to purge his awful yearnings is to actually stab someone, preferably a prostitute no one will miss. Masayuki's meticulous plan brings him into contact with Chiaki, a young S&M prostitute with her own hidden history of abuse (incest) and mental instability (she likes to cut herself).

When the two meet in his hotel room, nothing goes as planned, and after a gruesome battle, the two wounded souls actually manage at least a moment of connection. Murakami appears to be trying to use this vivid tableau to comment on Japanese society, notably how the modern emphasis on the individual can result to complete breaks with reality. However, its a rather flimsy and dated indictment, and the direct line he paints from childhood abuse to psycho adult behavior is far too pat. The interior thoughts of the two damaged souls are well rendered, but on the whole, there's not a whole lot here to engage with.

Fine but disturbing writing, 08 May 2007
The 'other' Murakami" does it again. This is darker, pyscho thriller once again set against the seedier side of Tokyo life. The voices in a young man's head tells him that he has to kill. He fixes on a victim who is equally unusual. A short book, fast paced, exciting and bold - this can be read at one sitting. every bit as good as his last hit 'In the Miso Soup".

Depressingly Dire, 17 Jun 2007
I've read the reviews by people on amazon, because a detailed book review is hard to find online, and I cannot fathom how anyone can see this book as being good.

It is extremely depressing and miserable, but not in a way that you can relate and feel emotional about, but in a horribly boring way. Every page turn, you soon learn to expect something terrible will happen, even if there is no real reason for it to. The author disjointedly writes about his shallow characters, whose actions can be predicted effortlessly.

Needlessly depressing, the plot slugglishly moves from one horribly predictable event to the next, dragging you into a world of misery, leaving all emotions except boredom behind.

I would not recommend this book, and although I have heard better things about his other novels, I shall be looking elsewhere.

translation isn't great., 06 Apr 2007
I would've given this five stars, as it is imaginative, deep and shocking in all the right measures, but it fell down with a disappointing translation. It was clear at times that Snyder had literally translated whole sections from the Japanese which, although beautiful, makes no sense in English. I was also disheartened to see a well-spoken Japanese woman say "It must of hurt a lot."
But translation-holes aside, I really enjoyed this novel. It may have been depressing and frightening at times, but it is truly unique.


Coin Locker Babies, 20 May 2003
This is potentially the most enthralling and all encompassing of Ryu Murakami's novels. it explores the very depths of the human psyche and what it means to be an individual. it vividly colourful discriptions and unstoppable narative provide the reader with a journey of a lifetime. this book is perfect for keen readers of Oriental Literature or just individuals with a interest in a good read with an emotive storyline. let me finish by saying that the experience of the book stays with you, and your perception of normality and rationality for, life

Weird, stylised and intriguing modern fiction, 04 Feb 2002
In the 1970s there developed in Japan a very disturbing trend whereby young mothers would abandon newborn babies in coinlockers. Most of the babies died. Coin Locker Babies is the story of two who survive. Adopted and raised as brothers, their lives are, nevertheless, fated to diverge quite alarmingly and not entirely happily. The bulk of the novel is set in a semi-real Tokyo, the surreal addition being the existence of 'Toxitown', an area so polluted that the authorities relocated all its residents and shut it off from the outside world, only for the underclasses to move in and set up residence. The underbelly of Tokyo is suddenly concentrated in one location and a fair chunk of the action takes place here. Murukami, one of Japan's most renowned modern authors, considers much of the weirdness and conflict of modern Japan, with a particular emphasis on sexuality (bisexuality and homosexuality receiving far more treatment than any other Japanese novel I have read, and certainly portrayed as far more open and prevalent than is actually the case in contemporary Japan), but there is a strong surreal and psychological streak to the work. Coin Locker Babies contains much that is entertaining, even educational, but is, in the end, a tragedy with a somewhat abrupt ending that will probably leave most readers faintly dissatisfied, a sentiment one is rather unhappy with, given the overall excellence of the bulk of the work. Recommended, nevertheless.

cyber-terror, with feelings, 11 Dec 2001
I don't know about the english translation, but i can say that the french one is not bad, and that it is an apocalyptic view of japan, a bit cyber, with those strange feelings that you can't explain. The most achieved of murakamis books. But I prefer Totally Transparent Blue. (sorry for the mistakes, but i don't write english perfectly.
Julian

May be more than you bargained for...which could be good or bad, 16 Oct 2007
Porn-like with bloody needles and every forty pages or so a pause for an "epiphany". Not the "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" epiphanies, which intimated the real thing as well as words can be expected to, but the feeling of drug hazes, a chance to rest from the intensity of the main story and perhaps make it all seem of socially redeeming value. But does transcendence have socially redeeming value any more than drug and sex escapisms do? May depend on what you make of silver negligees. Almost no one here seems to have a job except for the cops and the serviceman but the former might be better occupied with real criminals and the latter are off-duty. It may be that only the nurses, as always, do necessary work. The character Ryu and his friends seem also in need of psychologists but there is no context in the book of how the characters became this way or of how they may find help before self-destructing.

Forceful writing, for sure. Seemed somewhat choppy but that may have helped move it along quickly.

"Almost Transparent Blue" is not at the level of Burroughs either in style or at all for the issues raised. It's probably asking way too much to expect that. Burroughs "Naked Lunch" and his trilogy "The Cities of the Red Night", "The Place of Dead Roads" and "The Western Lands" have plenty of sex and drugs, if that is what you are after, but with broad contexts and much deeper explorations of how it connects to all of us. No one may have understood and expressed the role of addictions in social control the way Burroughs did. But it seems unfair to compare Murakami with Burroughs based on just this first and short novel of Murakami, so you may want to read later and longer works (e.g. "Coin Locker Babies" and "In the Miso Soup")

It's hard to tell when reading "Almost Transparent Blue" whether one should feel sad or manipulated. I wasn't comfortable with Ryu the character or Ryu the author. Maybe comfort isn't the point. Maybe Murakami is effectively raising social concerns and without glossing over the creepiness of what can happen.

For a less shocking, probably more compassionate and more fully developed presentation of youths lost amidst drugs and sex that don't go off the deep end as Murakami (and Burroughs) may seem to do, I suggest Frank Daniels "futureproof", which still lingers with me constructively a year after I read it.

P.S. Murkami directed a 1980 Japanese movie derived from this novel but apparently tamer. It was nominated for a best sound award by the Japanese Academy. I'll leave it to our imaginations what the well-done sounds were.

Not his best work., 17 Nov 2004
Having read Murakami's "In The Miso Soup" and "Coin Locker Babies", it has to be said that this book does not live up to the expectations generated by his two other works. BUT as it is his first novel, written in the mid-seventies (the other works are much more recent), it is a readable, if confused, portrait of degeneracy and drug abuse in 70's Tokyo. Like a Japanese "Trainspotting" but without the humour.
Not a book I would go out of my way to read, but not bad either.

Gently tragic, 24 Sep 2003
This is one of those books that appeals and repels in equal measure. Comparable to The Outsider in tone and Less Than Zero in content, it's the story of an individual drifting through a series of experiences with passive interest. The author's note on the last page is absolutely essential to the overall effect, and will stay with you for a long time after.

Light and entertaining read, 27 May 2008
This is a very funny novel, the protagonist is a wise guy who recounts his experiences at school. I enjoyed the wackyness, the sharp style, realism and inter-relationship of the characters.

Above all this is a novel simply to be enjoyed - I read it over the Bank Holiday Weekend and it went by very quickly. I hope Ryu comes out with something like this in the future, as it seems to have been a one-off.

Unsettling, 21 Jun 2001
I first read this book on a trip to the northern lights and couldn't decide if I really liked it. Its unsettling weave or story and stance is indeed unique and sets the reader on a rare trip - to somewhere out of their control. Just wander with the story but don't fight it.