Sophia C. reviewed on 5/25/2011 + 289 more book reviews

In the Miso Soup is an extremely apt title for this dark, disturbing journey through Tokyo's nightlife. Kenji, a young man who makes his living as a nightlife guide for foreigners, is hired by Frank to take him through the adult nightlife scene just before New Years. However, his client, an overweight American tourist, starts to creep Kenji out as an irrational suspicion that he is associated with some recent gruesome murders takes hold. Similar to Natuso Kirino's work, Ryu (not to be confused with Haruki) Murakami critiques the conformity of Japanese society, including "compensated dating," with more nuance and less vitriol. There's a sharp bend in the action which takes it to another level. I blazed through this story in two sittings within 24 hours.

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