This is a book I'd long wanted to read but not until recently that I finally got my hands on it. Part of me thought of giving up on reading it half way through the book, not because of how difficult it's but more on the content. I can't understand how much the main character had suffered but I can somehow understand the pain he'd felt, the lives he ( Read more... )

When a friend of mine recommended the works of this writer to me, I understood from the description that it must be something pretty special, but I wasn’t expecting this ( Read more... )

If you’re looking for a good piece of contemporary Japanese literature, and especially if you like reading mystery novels, this book is a great choice ( Read more... )

I’ve heard about this book that it is one of the classics of modern Japanese literature, so I thought I would give it try. It is impressive, to say the least ( Read more... )

蛇にピアス
金原ひとみ

Why I chose it: This book has been on the yomiyasui list for a long time, recommended by No-Sword. I always intended to read it eventually, so when I saw it in Book-Off I grabbed it. I knew that it was an Akutagawa award winner, and had already been translated into English under the title Snakes and Earrings.
Rating: 4/5 stars.
Plot ( Read more... )

(edited and reposted from my journal, Jun. 21st, 2004)
Genre: Literary fiction
Stars: 5/5          On February 20, 2004, Wataya Risa was awarded the 130th annual Akutagawa Prize at age 19 for her novel 蹴りたい背中, making her the youngest person to ever win the coveted literary prize. She also won the Bungei Prize at age 17 for her first novel, ( Read more... )