A disappointing read from Shuichi Yoshida, author of the great crime novel Villain.
While the writing was good, the story about a group of people sharing a Tokyo apartment didn't go anywhere, nothing much happened, with a heavy hit of violence at the end.
Ryosuke (24) goes out with his girlfriend or watches traffic off the balcony, Koto (23) is dating a popular TV star but waits around for him to phone once a week, Mirai is an artist who drinks too much at local gay bars with roommate Naomi, who works in film distribution. One morning they find Satoru (18) sleeping on their couch, but no one remembers inviting him. Satoru works nights as a hustler and spends his days entering people's apartments when they are out. Each chapter is from a different perspective, sometimes over the same time period. The story covers everyday life - eating, sleeping, wandering, jogging, going to work, drinking, and comparing people to celebrities, with no major drama until you remember that a woman has been attacked every few months in the area, leading to a nihilist, out-of-place, senseless and pointless ending.
While the intimate goings on of strangers might sound interesting, without an event larger than "who taped over my VHS porn tape", it didn't engage as I wanted it to. My excitement at finding a new novel from Yoshida dulled halfway to the point of almost not finishing and I found the ending a sour, depressing hit.
Well written but not recommended.
2002 (translated 2014) / Tradeback / 230 pages
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