Daniel - Again I thought I'd try something different and this book caught my eye while I was book shopping over the Winter break.
Written by the same author as the 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' series, this one is about four women living together in a share-house, and follows their attempts at finding love in the heart of Tokyo.
I've got maybe a third left to plough through, but I've been really enjoying it so far.
Although some aspects have of course been exaggerated for entertainment value, it provides an interesting look into the messy and often shallow world of group and speed dating with some comical episodes and cutting witty quips from our protagonist. The protagonist's constant clashes with the ideologies and expectations of the men surrounding her and her friends throughout the story generate a lot of food for thought on a number of social issues currently plaguing Japan.
Being a very grounded slice of life novel, the language doesn't throw any strange curve balls. However, being familiar with place names in Tokyo might be of some help.
I'm actually juggling a few books at the moment, but I've felt myself drawn to this one more than the others. I think I'll be a little sad to say goodbye to the gang by the end but I'm going to try and wrap it up over the next couple of days.
I love it when you get a book that's so good it makes you want to finish and not finish it at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI've probably had that feeling more with games, but it's nice when a book grabs you like that.
DeleteGlad to see you in the blogging world my friend!
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