Ryu Murakami – In the Miso Soup
We are in Japan, a few days before New Years. Kenji is a twenty-year old nightlife guide for tourists in Tokyo who finds himself in the middle of a horror story when meeting a new client, named Frank.
Frank seems to be a bit strange from the beginning, but in his job, Kenji is used to all kind of people so he tries to ignore the bad feelings he has about this new american client. Most part of the action takes place on their first night out, going to different clubs in Frank’s search for pleasure. Things get gory in their second night, when Frank brutally murders all the people from a small club. Kenji then finds himself trapped between the duty of going to the police and turning Frank in and his disapproval of the life those people in the restaurant had.
The murder scene from the club is described in so many details that it makes you feel like you are there, in the club, watching Frank killing those people like it is the most natural thing for him and Keji being paralized with fear.
The story accentuates the Japanese life style that has begun to decay over the years, the american culture that has become a big part of japanese life and a society that has become inconsiderate to young people and their needs.
I can’t say i don’t like thrillers, though it’s not something i would usually read. But, In the Miso Soup is more than just that, it is an analysis of society and people and decisions that make them become monsters to those around them. What i liked most is the part that takes place in the abandoned building when Frank unravels the mystery behind his actions. The story makes him seem almost human looking for a certain purpose in his own existence, that he often finds missing in his victims.
I liked how many details the author gives us about the new years tradition, a tradition filled with spirituality and hope, that makes people feel optimistic about life. Also, the emptiness that can be felt in the most unusual way, a feeling of helplessness in front of life’s unexpected turnarounds, is something that made this worth reading.
