Popular Hits of the Showa Era | 
pick"No, it wasn't violence they disliked: it was contact with strangers. What these young men feared & hated more than anything else was being spoken to by people they hadn't met, or having to explain themselves to people they didn't know." This is my first Ryu Murakami & I'm pleased to say it was a total ? Violence, gender battles & caustic satire. A bizarre, extremist tale of the spinster aunties vs. the younger incel-like men of modern society.
batsy It fell short for me in some way that I can't put my finger on; perhaps the back & forth perspective that made it hard to get back into the groove of things once you put it down. But I entered into the absurdist spirit of the book because it's such an astute depiction of capitalist alienation. I enjoyed the philosophical asides of the 3rd person omniscient narrator. If Shakespeare lived in the present he might come up with something like this!? 5y
Freespirit Great review! 5y
BarbaraBB Super review. I read two of his books (not this one) and they were both rather extreme 😳 5y
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Leftcoastzen I looked fast and thought it said “shower era”.😃 5y
batsy @Freespirit Thank you! :) 5y
batsy @BarbaraBB Thank you! I'm preparing myself for more of the same in his other novels, lol 5y
batsy @Leftcoastzen 😆🚿 5y
fleeting I have so many of his books but haven't read any! Was thinking of giving them away already; good thing I saw your post! 😆 5y
batsy @fleeting Ha! 😆 His books seem like they would be pretty divisive; no middle ground here, I reckon 😁 5y