Just Couldn’t Finish Reading: Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino (FP: 2003)

It is what she has let define her – the hatred of her beautiful sister Yuriko who everyone admires but her sister knows to be a monster. When twenty years later her sister and Kazue, a school friend, are murdered by the same person she feels nothing, no loss, no guilt, no remorse. Now the centre of attention with her connection to both victims she hates her sister even more and spends her time thinking back to how it all began.

Reading the reviews of this book – the author’s second translated into English – I thought I’d be in for quite a treat. Labelled as ‘cool, angry and stylish’ and ‘brilliant... a triumph’ what more could I expect? What I didn’t expect was just how boring it would be. I did manage to last 200 pages but just couldn’t face ploughing through a further 270. I struggled with many things. Oh, the writing/translation was more than adequate and the setting in Japan was suitably exotic. Likewise the characters themselves where well drawn and believable. But not a one of them was a person you would like to spend hours and hours with. Actually I doubt if I’d particularly like to spend time in a lift with any of them. All of the characters portrayed here are damaged to varying degrees – not that it makes any of them admirable or, frankly, even that interesting. Most of the narrative – largely told in flashback and through various journal entries – takes place in a Japanese High School with its intense competition, bullying and backstabbing. That I found was unbelievably boring and it was a direct choice between losing the will to live or abandoning the book (which I never like doing as you know). Well, I chose life! Obviously this was a critical hit which, just like many movies approved of and applauded by the critic’s turns out to be dire. Most obviously not recommended. Oh, but if you do decide to try it watch out for the sex – it’s not for the easily offended!

Translated from the Japanese by Rebecca Copeland.