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I get why this is considered a classic work of Japanese crime fiction. Not always an easy read, it‘s a fantastic one. The feeling of something off which quickly grows into a sense of wrongness is pervasive from the beginning, the tension pulling you along until there is a sudden eruption of explosive violence that leaves the main character unmoored but refusing to give up while hunting & hoping for a way to survive. Dark. Atmospheric. Excellent.

Friday reading…

Despite the gruesome plot (and one extremely gory scene) it was honestly kind of boring.

119.

104.

69.

30.

Purtroppo dalla scrittura non traspare l'angoscia del protagonista quando si trova faccia a faccia col killer. E pure tutta l'atmosfera di questa Tokyo by night non trova posto nella scrittura se non per la descrizione minuziosa degli avventori e dipendenti dei locali a luci rosse in cui vanno i protagonisti.

This book is a journey to say the least. The style is something I haven‘t seen before, for example: There are only three chapters 😄 but it‘s interesting where you can‘t put it down and then bam it escalates when you least expect it. #horror

What a weird and disturbing story.

Kenji is a tour guide for those who are seeking something a little extra in Japan, such as hookers, drugs and other unmentionables.

His client Frank, is beyond strange, unreadable and completely unpredictable. Also a murderer.

Shockingly cut-throat and bizarre reading. 🍜

This book made some promises early on that I'm not sure it delivered. The end fell a little flat and I also think it suffered some from being translated, but overall it was a quick and interesting enough read. I do wish I had realised it was set in the sex tourism trade BEFORE I'd started reading it on the bus.

I apparently try to relax with Japanese crime thrillers.

Ryu Murakami introduces us to Frank and Kenji. Kenji acts as a tour guide to Americans coming to dabble in the Japanese sex trade. Frank procures Kenji‘s services and we are taken on a tour of the sex trade underbelly.........
#bookstagram #books #japaneseauthors #redbagreadbooks #iowabooks #bookwormproblems #bookworm

Just finished it. It kept me intrigued and I was definitely wrong on my guesses for what was going on. But what was going on just kind of felt like a let down. The ending kind of did in general for me. It felt like there was so much build up and then it kind of fell flat.
#inthemisosoup #ryumuraki #Japanesehorror #translated #theyearofhorrorbookclub #Japanese #murder #horrorbookclub #horror

Ryu Murakami‘s work always promises a dark, sometimes sickening, ride.

This is how I read now

This is my first Ryu Murakami and it's one of the creepiest books I've read. And I mean creepy at all levels! There are things you'd never imagine. And I like creepy & weird stories. But although the first 2 parts were interesting I thought it fell flat later. I was expecting something major to happen but the book ended and I'm like "That's it??" And not just the end, the entire 3rd part was boring. More like a good book gone wrong. Average read.

My yearly book gift to myself 🔪📚

The funny thing with this book is that while at first I thought huh this is violent and weird (an American hires Kenji to guide him around the Tokyo sex clubs. Kenji thinks he‘s a serial killer) but actually that was the ok part. It‘s after the violence dies down and Frank starts philosophizing about what he did, well, it was rather boring & I skimmed a lot of it. Strange ending that I wasn‘t expecting.

Not miso soup but kimchi ramen with crab sticks, broccoli and more kimchi

Starting a new #ripxiii read in the car - Ryu Murakami‘s In the Miso Soup which includes sleaze and serial killers... hmmm what have I gotten myself into?

Ummm yeah, creepy and gross for sure but there is more to it. It is short but you have interesting musings on culture and whatever the heck is going on with the main character Kenji. Something to disturb you well after you finish it. My husband thought it wasn't wrapped up enough for him, didn't answer enough of his questions, so if that drives you nuts it may not be for you.

Such a random midnight snack, but all I was craving was miso soup, so miso soup was made. And let me tell you guys, it is so delicious. ♥️

A crazy, dark book on a wet and rainy night! BarkThins makes everything better :)

Ryu Murakami blends the hyperviolence of Bret Easton Ellis, perversity of Henry Miller, and psychological acuity of Natsuo Kirino into a brutally cold novel. There's an American serial killer, the underbelly of Tokyo, and dissections of both Japan's and America's cultural traditions. A desensitizing read for sure. Murakami's depictions of violence never feel cheap or wreak of shock value, making the narrative tight and at the forefront!

This was disgusting, traumatizing, but also amazing. If you are a fan of gory, psychological thrillers definitely try this one.

Malevolence is born of negative feelings like loneliness and sadness and anger. It comes from an emptiness inside you that feels as if it's been carved out with a knife, an emptiness you're left with when something very important has been taken away from you. I can't say I sensed a particularly cruel or sadistic tendency in Frank, or even that he fit my image of a murderer. But what I did sense was an emptiness like a black hole inside him... ☠️🖤

October 1st! This will be my first scary book of October. It is set in Japan and it is a murder mystery about a serial killer! 💀
#littensdressedinblood #screamathon

And more #bookmail! Sorry mail carrier that everything came today.

Wow, that was a wild ride. It is pretty gruesome, so I don't recommend it if you are squeamish at all, but it probes some pretty interesting questions about loneliness, normality and culture. And, it was WEIRD!

Someone is a little bit annoyed that I won't put the book down and hold him. He's not always terribly friendly, so I have to soak it up when I can!!

The only book I own that isn't in English is this book of Mexican short stories, in both English and Spanish. I bought it when I was in Mexico for an archaeological dig and trying to improve me Spanish. So, I'm bolstering with two that I'm currently reading that weren't ORIGINALLY in English 😄 #seasonsreadings2016

Not pictured: many more ebooks than I should admit to. Some of these #latestbookishbuys will be read for my #192019challenge.

#photoadaynov16

Weird but good it all comes together in the end and makes sense.