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Grotesque

Author: Natsuo Kirino
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

9 reviews
Sales Rank: 4926

Media: Paperback
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.3

ISBN: 0099488930
EAN: 9780099488934
ASIN: 0099488930

Publication Date: February 7, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book dispatched from stock in the UK

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Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

grotesque June 26, 2008
well after reading natsuo kirinos other book 'out' couldnt wait to order and read this one, and i wasnt disapointed, it takes a little while to get into but once you do you cant put it down, really enjoyed it cant wait for new book to come out.

1 out of 5 stars

like wading through treacle June 25, 2008
The extravagant hyperbole of the blurb for this novel reaches new heights even in the fantastic world of the publishing PRO. It implies that the author has a penetrating insight into the female psyche which "grips the reader" (not this reader!), and that modern Japanese life is explored with "acute and chilling insight". Yeah right! I was excited to get my teeth into this book having been whipped into a frenzy of anticipation by the bold promises of the culled reviews and the blurb on the cover. My, but wasn't I disappointed! For a start, for a crime novel the book has about the pace of wading through treacle in concrete boots i.e. SLOW! And repetitive. I was driven demented as the author seemingly repeated the same point ad nauseum for the majority of the book. Yuriko is the personification of a form of Nietzschean post-feminist nihilism. Kazue is... well Kazue is just a pain-in-the-you-know-where sad case! I GET IT! Although I'm not convinced! And as for the suspense I think you're entitled to expect from a crime novel...that was well and truely deader than the two odious prostitutes by the time we finally achieved some form of denouement. And as for this supposed "insight" into the female psyche, this reader was not convinced by any of the main characters of the book. And before you shout cultural misunderstanding, I actually lived in Japan for a period, so I am somewhat familiar with it as a society. No, this book was a big disappointment as a crime novel and as a portrait of people in modern Japan. Too repetitive. Too slow. Too two-dimensional. Don't go there is my advice!

1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing May 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I couldn't disagree more with the other reviews of this novel.

Everyone's experience of a piece of literature is very different, as the reader's experience is entirely subjective, so I can only express MY opinion!

This novel failed on so many counts that I can only list a few here; the first was the complete and utter lack of any feeling of empathy with, or sympathy for, the narrator, who is closely involved with both victims. She is a cold, dispassionate, objective character, who gives no sense of the trauma that most people would experience following the murder of a family member.

Another issue was that unless you are an ardent Japan-o-phile, the cultural differences described are completely incomprehensible to anyone who has never been to Japan.

I don't want to spoil this for anyone who DOES choose to buy and read this book, but I was left feeling cheated and disappointed after investing time and money in this.

Definitely one that should have stayed un-translated.

5 out of 5 stars

A novel on the brink of reality May 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Heartbreakingly realistic, I'm left in tears having just finished the novel literally minutes ago. A beautifully poignant portrayal of modern Japan and fantastically sharp in regard to the culture of "youth" and "beauty", Grotesque is the story of three women, two of whom are prostitutes, murder, incest and the slow decay of human life. It's not happy story, it's not an easy one to stomach, but soldier through and you will have a whole new understanding of the hyper-sexualized, individualistic, money-grabbing culture we're all prey to in the Western world.

Natsuo Kirino said it best: The things that shame us and the things that make us proud are only two sides of the same coin.

5 out of 5 stars

Not for the faint of heart April 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I've just finished this book and all I can say is WOW. I've read the authors other English translation novel 'Out', and Grotesque also blew me away with the originality of the writing and the narrative. Although I am not Japanese, I could recognise the elements of how teenage 'girls can act towards each other'. The nastiness of girls is universal the world over. Along with the need for status and differentiation in even in the most egalitarian of environments - school. We also see how it can sow the seeds of emotional and mental trouble in later life. Grotesque lives up to the title, if you want to be amazed and shocked read this book.