Synopses & Reviews
Taking on a subject that is still largely avoided in Japan, this powerful thriller explores the threat posed by an emperor, even in a ceremonial role, to a democratic government. Set in a fictional island country, the novel is told from the perspective of a group of young adults who are embroiled in their private problems of friendship, work, and sex. Much of the plot is revealed though their internet postings, which gradually become a tool of resistance when the country's popular young emperor dies and his sister is next in line to the throne. In the confusion that follows, martial law is declared and the populace, obsessed with fears about personal and national security, agrees to accept a new authoritarian government. Horrified by the rapid swing in the nation's politics, the main characters confront the brutality that is eroding support for basic rights and environmental and humanitarian reforms.
Review
"A major novel by Tomoyuki Hoshino, one of the most compelling and challenging writers in Japan today." —Thomas LaMarre, William Dawson Professor of East Asian Studies, McGill University
Review
"Since his debut, Hoshino has used as the core of his writing a unique sense of the unreality of things, allowing him to illuminate otherwise hidden realities within Japanese society." —Yuko Tsushima, author, Mountain of Fire: Account of a Wild Monkey
Review
"Reading Hoshino's novels is like traveling to a strange land all by yourself . . . But then you take a deep breath and a smell you've never encountered enters your nose, a wind youve never felt brushes against your skin, and an unknown substance rains down upon your head." —Mitsuyo Kakuta, author, Woman on the Other Shore
Review
"Lonely Hearts Killer is a fascinating story with a good translation, and it's a book that is well worth checking out.It's not always easy to get your head around what Hoshino is trying to say, but it's certainly a welcome change to some of the cherry-blossom-tinted (or blood-soaked) J-Lit around at the moment. Do try it." —Tony's Reading List
Synopsis
What happens when a popular and young emperor suddenly dies, and the only person available to succeed him is his sister? How can people in an island country survive as climate change and martial law are eroding more and more opportunities for local sustainability and mutual aid? And what can be done to challenge the rise of a new authoritarian political leadership at a time when the general public is obsessed with fears related to personal and national "security"? These and other provocative questions provide the backdrop for this powerhouse novel about young adults embroiled in what appear to be more private matters--friendships, sex, a love suicide, and struggles to cope with grief and work.
PM Press is proud to bring you this first English translation of a full-length novel by the award-winning author Tomoyuki Hoshino.
Synopsis
Fiction. East Asia Studies. Translated from the Japanese by Adrienne Carey Hurley. PM Press is proud to bring you this first English translation of a full-length novel by the award-winning author Tomoyuki Hoshino. What happens when a popular and young emperor suddenly dies, and the only person available to succeed him is his sister? How can people in an island country survive as climate change and martial law are eroding more and more opportunities for local sustainability and mutual aid? And what can be done to challenge the rise of a new authoritarian political leadership at a time when the general public is obsessed with fears related to personal and national "security"? These and other provocative questions provide the backdrop for this powerhouse novel about young adults embroiled in what appear to be more private matters--friendships, sex, a love suicide, and struggles to cope with grief and work.
About the Author
Tomoyuki Hoshino made his literary debut in Japan in 1997 and is the author of 12 novels, including
Fantasista,
which won the Noma Bungei award in 2003, and
The Mermaid Sings Wake Up, which won the Mishima Prize in 2000.
He is also known in Japan for his nonfiction essays on art, politics, social issues, and sportsparticularly soccer.