Wednesday 30 July 2014

Devouring Books: In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

"I began to think that American loneliness is a completely different creature from anything we experience in this country, and it makes me glad to be Japanese. The type of loneliness where you need to keep struggling to accept a situation is fundamentally different form the sort you know you'll get through if you just hang in there. I don't think I could stand the sort of loneliness Americans feel."

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all, you'll know all about my love for Japanese authors, the things they write, and Japan in general. This means that I'm always willing to try a new Japanese author, and when Kayleigh came back from Japan earlier this year, filled with news of this other Murakami, I made it my single minded mission to seek out and read this book. 

This was easier said than done. Go to any big bookshop and you'll find a whole row of Haruki Murakami books, but Ryu? Not so much. The only time I saw this before I actually bought it, I was in Foyles and got paralysed by the amount of choice there was (so, like, 5 of his books?) and then I couldn't decide between getting this book- because all my friends were reading it- or one of his bigger books because more pages=better value. When I saw it again, it was the only one they had, and that pretty much made up my mind for me.

But ENOUGH about the shocking lack of diversity in Japanese authors available in this country! Onto the book. In The Miso Soup is completely different to any book I've read by any Japanese author before. The front of my copy says "Reads like the script notes for American Psycho- the Holiday Abroad," and while that's way more spoilery than I think it probably should be, it's not completely inaccurate. However- I have long given up on Bret Easton Ellis because I think he has long given up on the human race, and I don't think that's Murakami's game at all. But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself.

In the Miso Soup is the story of Kenji and Frank. Kenji is a tour guide for the sex industry in Tokyo, and Frank is an American tourist, looking for some, you know, sex. Almost immediately, Kenji starts to feel uneasy about Frank and his actions, and starts to wonder if he's responsible for some recent murders in Toyko. That's very much the premise for the rest of the book that I can't really talk about, but suffice to say there's a massive amount of build up, and tension, and all sorts of other dramatic stuff that makes this book so damn good.

And then there's a scene that I can't talk about but oh my god. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read this (read this) so all I'm going to say about it now is OH MY GOD. I'm only saying this because I was very unprepared for it and so yes. Wow.

Let's see, what can I talk about? If the other books I've read by Japanese authors are sad and deep and kind of weird, then In the Miso Soup looks at a different side of Japanese culture. The women involved in the sex industry seem to think very little about what they're doing, and there's not a lot of regret or emotion displayed about what they're doing. The ubiquity of selling sex for money is something that's mentioned a lot, and there's not much comment passed either way on the morality of it all.*

There's also some good stuff here about the difference between American and Japanese cultures. Kenji switches between being alternately disgusted by the Japanese AND American cultures, but that's just the 20 year old cynic in him speaking. The above quote is a good one on the difference between American and Japanese loneliness, and I think it has a lot to do with the difference between American (and just Western) individualism and Japanese (or Eastern) collectivism, about which I have lots of thoughts that I won't bore you with here. The point specifically though: loneliness is harder to bear in America because you're supposed to be the centre of the universe and if no one wants to be around you then you're nothing. In a more collectivist culture, it's easier to bear, because you as a person are not supposed to be everything there is. Or maybe you're just too numbed to everything to care about the loneliness.

God, I've made this sound much more depressing than it actually is. But really- it's tense, it's exciting, it's a lot of other things that I can't mention because spoilers; and it also gives you the opportunity to learn a LOT of Japanese sex talk, if that's what you're into. Sukebe jijii suki desu ka?

*This isn't supposed to be anti-sex workers or anything, but just the way it's talked about doesn't really involve much in the way of right and wrong, or emotion. 

14 comments:

  1. WAAAAAANT. That's three recommendations for this book now - from Kayleigh, Alley and you - which is more than enough to persuade me. Also I'm super-curious about this famous WTF Scene that everyone keeps mentioning. There's only so many times I can read comments/tweets along the lines of 'oh my god you're reading That Scene, aren't you?' before I start thinking WHAT SCENE? WHAT'S GOING ON? I NEED THIS BOOK! I HAVE TO KNOW! So... yeah. This is happening, Laura.

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    1. YAY! You might need to go to a really BIG Waterstones to find it though, because I had a lot of issues. Boo. (You don't want to read the scene Ellie. YOU JUST DON'T.)

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  2. I'm feeling pretty cool right now as I already had this on my wishlist! Can't wait to try it.

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    1. YAY! You are officially a cool kid ;) But this is seriously very good indeed.

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  3. Not THAT Murakami. Ha! I'm listening to Quiet right now (that book about introverts) and what you say about loneliness makes absolute sense in terms of introvertedness and extrovertedness (are those words?) as America is supposed to be a very extroverted country so all of us introverts feel out of place...and lonely. Or something. I need more coffee.

    Though I'm not entirely sure I want to read a GRAPHIC of something like American Psycho.

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    1. This isn't a graphic novel! Which is good because OMG. Please no.

      This is an interesting thing you say about introverts vs extroverts. I still think that it's more like, if you're lonely in the US (or the West) then it's like you've failed at everything, because you are everything and if people don't want to hang around you then you are wrong, whereas that's not as big a problem in somewhere like Japan. And then you get down to the difference between alone and lonely and OMG they are completely not the same thing (if you're an introvert, they can sometimes be opposite things!)

      Anyway... This book isn't really about loneliness, it just made me think some thoughts haha!

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  4. How hard is it to review this book without discussing that scene? SO HARD.

    I'm glad you liked it though, I'm always a little stressed when people start reading books on my recommendation. If you hate it will you start hating me too?

    I'm thinking of going with Coin Locker Babies for my next Ryu Murakami.

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    1. THE HARDEST, KAYLEIGH. (Haha. Hardest.)

      I don't think I've ever hated anyone for recommending a book I didn't like. I might have been a little bit like 'Really? They thought THIS was good?' but it doesn't make me want to cut off all ties with a person or anything haha.

      I think Coin Locker Babies is one of the fatter books, so I support that! I was genuinely overwhelmed at my first Ryu sighting in a bookshop, so I just couldn't choose! All his books sound preeeeetty great.

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  5. Ugh that scene. UGH. I agree with you that I don't think this is QUITE so bleak as American Psycho but that scene could def show up in AP and wouldn't seem out of place.

    I appreciate your dilemma about whether to read this book or one of his longer ones cos better value. That made me laugh.

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    1. I feel like that scene was worse than anything in American Psycho, but then I remember the rat and NOOOOOOOOOOO. But The Scene! It's just so... long. And extended. And, well, you know. You've read it.

      That is how I work as a human, Alley. But, let's face it, if I'd bought one of his longer ones, I still wouldn't have read it, so.... Yeah. (I really only read small books at the moment so I can take them to work with me haha)

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  6. I thiiink my friend Katie-Anne read this, because I was like "that Murakami?" and she was like "No, other Murakami" and I was like "UGH different names, people, be born with them."

    If I were into any Japanese lit at all, I'd try this. Well. Maybe not. Because not interested in American Psycho at all. But I like that YOU like it.

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    1. The Other Murakami is his official name, I think. I don't think you want people to have different names so much as FAMOUS WRITERS SHOULD NOT HAVE THE SAME NAMES. Like, it would be really confusing if there was a HP Rowling or something.

      This isn't liiiiike any other Japanese lit (that I've read) though! (Not that I really count 'Japanese' as a genre because nooo that's not a thing) However, I respect your decision to stay away from American Psycho. Good call, there.

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  7. So Japanese stuff isn't usually my jam (that's more the honeyman's thing), but I have seen a LOT of recommendations for this one lately. So maybe I'll try... maybe. Because who doesn't want to learn a bunch of Japanese sex talk?

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  8. Whoa, based on the title of the book and the opening quote you have here, I would NOT have thought this was about the sex tourism industry! Still sounds great ;)

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