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Piercing- Ryu Murakami

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When a book is so bad it compels you to finish it (akin to a car crash), it definitely warrants a mention on this blog. Murakami’s novel, set in Japan, surrounds the disturbing thoughts and related events of one Kawashima Masayuki and his thinly veiled desire to stab his newborn baby with an icepick. Through a series of bizarre, but wholly unsurprising events, he faces of with a petite S&M prostitute who has her own demons.

The story however, invokes no real emotion. Murakami’s detatched, almost comical Tarantino-style approach to violence is unconvincing and unemotional. For a book that touches on those most terrible themes and childhood suffering, I cringe as the term “emo” comes to mind. That being said, a queasy stomach may force you to fumble blindly through the last few pages hoping that you can successfully skim over the gory, graphic details.

Each twist in the story is foreshadowed with a spectacular lack of subtlety and, invoking no sympathy or understanding for Masayuki or his bondage girl, the experience of reading is lessened, especially if, like me, you laugh out loud over the ending.

It’s not all bad news for Piercing though. There is a crispness to the translated Japanese prose that contains some pristine imagery. It’s a shame it was wasted on a character-driven story and I’m ever so slightly curious as to what Murakami’s In the Miso Soup is like. The problem with bad first impressions is that they last.

A quick and easy read that doesn’t challenge morals, if you’re looking for a bit of schizophrenia, incest, murder, rape and icepicks, check out Piercing. Otherwise, there’s always the more famous Haruki Murakami. Enjoy if you can stomach it.

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March 24th, 2009ReviewsRead More >No Comments