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Ryu Maurakami
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Audition Kindle Edition

by Ryu Murakami (Author), Ralph McCarthy (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 872 ratings
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The long-awaited translation of the novel behind the cult classic Japanese movie.


In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don’t intend to produce. As the résumés pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama’s attention—Yamasaki Asami—a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his instant and total infatuation, Aoyama is too late in discovering that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be. The novel’s fast-paced, thriller conclusion doesn’t spare the reader as Yamasaki takes off her angelic mask and reveals what lies beneath.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    193 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    June 7, 2010
  6. File size
    320 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seven years after his wife's death, Aoyama, the protagonist of popular Japanese author Murakami's dud chiller, is ready to get on with his life. Aoyama has a strong relationship with his son, Shinge, but the successful businessman needs more than a teenage son to keep him company. So he turns to his friend, Yoshikawa, and the two hatch a plan to hold auditions for a fake movie where the actresses will really be interviewing to date Aoyama. Enter Yamasaki Asami, a former ballet dancer who wants to star in the fake film. Aoyama's smitten, even after it becomes clear that Asami's at least a little crazy. Unfortunately, none of this adds up to a suspenseful story, and the big finale is more uncomfortable than frightening. Murakami's work has what could be a fascinating set of characters, but the uneven pacing and ineffective dialogue provide the only hint of horror the book has to offer. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"The prose…is elegiac and affecting, but it has the sharp, visceral feel of the butcher’s knife or surgeon’s scalpel…a highly compulsive, one-sitting read."
― Irvine Welsh, The Guardian

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003R7L908
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Media tie-in edition (June 7, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 320 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 193 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 872 ratings

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Ryu Maurakami

Ryu Maurakami

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
872 global ratings
Slow simmer that boils over at the end, not for everyone
4 Stars
Slow simmer that boils over at the end, not for everyone
After seven years of being alone, widower Aoyama decides, after being prompted by his fifteen-year-old son Shige, to consider marrying again. However, Aoyama doesn’t know just how to go about looking for a wife, as he confides to his close friend, Yoshikawa. Wanting to see his friend happy, Yoshikawa hits on the perfect solution—he’ll announce an audition for a romantic movie (which may never get made, but that’s show business, right?), and Aoyama can look through the resumes that are submitted and select about thirty or so for the two men to audition for the “role” of Aoyama’s future wife.One resume in particular catches Aoyama’s eye, and he barely gives any of the other applicants the time of day, so intent is he on meeting Yamasaki Asami. And when he does, she is even more than he could have hoped for. Of course, he has to let her know she didn’t get the part, and hope that she won’t be too disappointed.Is she Aoyama’s next great love... or a nightmare waiting to happen?This is my second book by this author, the first being Piercing. Both are psychological thrillers which take us deep into the protagonist’s psyche. Audition is slow-paced, but well worth the time it takes to come to a boil. I’ve seen the movie, as well, and have to say I like the book just a little bit better, although the movie is good too. It’s a good read, and well done, and I plan to read more of this author’s books. The ending may be too graphic for some, so know that going into it. This story is not for everyone, but I really liked it.
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Top reviews from the United States

Mr. Matthew L. C. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Psychological Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
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An amazing, dark psychological thriller. I was fascinated by the little hints of observations about human nature - things that go against the grain. And the overall structure of the violence only occurring at the end made for great anticipation.
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Thyme
4.0 out of 5 stars I really liked it, although it's not nearly as disturbing as people said online
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023
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The only reason it's not five stars was because I expected a lot more violence, gore, and disturbing things. I really loved the way this story was written! The characters were really good and I loved watching the relationships progress! I definitely recommend this! Although I originally got it because I saw a lot of reviews calling it disturbing, and I wouldn't say it really is? I mean yeah there's some violence at the end and I don't know if I'm just desensitized because gen z trauma or something but it's a lot more chill than I thought.
Basically I went into it expecting one thing, but was completely surprised and happy with something else that I wasn't expecting at all!
This is definitely a book I'd buy some more copies of to give to friends.
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Chasity Bradley
3.0 out of 5 stars ugh.. Was looking for Horror Found Boredom
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015
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I had high expectations for this book but... I have sadly been let down..

I was excited too read this and then watch the movie. The movie is on all the best horror lists and the book was also listed on many... But it was mainly a boring read mostly about business, day dreaming & Japan locations...I read it for the horror aspect which didn't really show up till pg169 out of 190 ... Plus i had a problem with the issue that the author didn't take the time to describe the situations well enough so he had to go back and tell you what/why the characters did/ didn't do things when it should have been an understood thing to begin with... There are no plot twists, no suspense, no horror, no anything that this book had promised... Some gore at the end but at animal cruelty I draw the line... even though I am a huge horror fan and watch and read it all the time I still stand by animal cruelty and child porn/torture not being ok even though the later was not involved in this book. So for the the gore it wasn't anything to bad at all not over the top for me just done in a unnecessary way. There was so many other things that could have been done to the man and son that would have made the horror... Even the ending of the book was a let down... You wait and wait and think since you waited so long that the ending must be this awesome dramatic... why else would it be taken till the very end... but no... read the reviews or the synopsis and you will know pretty much the who story ...

Not sure how I feel about seeing the movie now... Sooner or later im sure I will... As long as there isn't any dog torture...
5 people found this helpful
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Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars Audition -Review
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2011
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The book audition is almost exactly identical to the movie itself. If you have seen the movie and are the type of person who likes to read the book, definately check this one out. The book is pretty short and an extremely easy read, and is a great guilty pleasure.

The book starts out slow, looking like a love story.. you know how it goes, wife dies, old guy wants to re-marry, and of course meet a young girl. So he holds a fake audition, they fall in love, and live happily ever after... yea not this time around, the consequence of lying to this girl are intense, and brutal, but she still gains her elegance and poise.. I am not going to ruin it, but definately read it and more importantly definately see the movie! If you have a queasy stomach the book is better.

Definately get this one. Also I have read In The Miso Soup as well as Piercing, this author is a great writer. He blends the dark human psyche, with criminality, and toss in some black humor and social commentaries for good mesure!

READ IT!
2 people found this helpful
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chris perez
4.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019
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I have seen the film a few times, and have only read this book once and though there are aspects that the film did better there are many aspects that this book did better.
I would definetly recommend.
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Akshay Ramprakash
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Disturbing.
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2016
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Not for the faint hearted. If you cannot handle some significant gore, then do not read it. But if you are looking for something to make your feel like you have been violated, then this is definitely the book. This is ironic too, because the first half of the book is perhaps the best writing I have seen which describes a guy falling for a girl and all the things he feels for her. Very dark and very disturbing. And I loved it.
7 people found this helpful
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larry s enochs
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it and I will read it again soon!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2018
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I loved this movie so much I bought the book and was NOT disappointed! The book is very good at building to the climax! I would def read this before you watch the movie . The movie has a bunch of dream sequences where as the book has none and is easier to figure out what is going on. Def a must buy. It is a little slow but The main characters are so well devoloped that you can't put the book down! I read it in 2 days. And the ending is epic! If you buy this book I promise you will buy the movie because it is soooo good! A great read if you love the Asian horror.
4 people found this helpful
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Alatáriel
2.0 out of 5 stars Yawn.
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2012
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If this was supposed to be a fast-paced, one-sitting-read thriller, I'd say it failed big time.

I guess I did read it in more or less one sitting, but I was quite bored throughout the whole sit. I kept expecting the promised horror to unfold, for some unseen plot twist, or SOMETHING, but for the vast majority of the book, nothing creepy really happens at all, unless you count some foreshadowing that is totally lacking in creativity or subtlety. Of course, there's some gore there at the end, but the way it was done was distasteful in my opinion. Not scary, not suspenseful, just unnecessarily gruesome. The truth is, you could read any plot summary of this book and you'd basically have the experience of having read the whole thing. There's nothing unexpected, nothing that complicates the plot, and nothing that is likely to quicken your heartbeat or keep you rooted in place until you're done. The writing was also nothing special in my opinion.

In conclusion: Not terrible. Boring.

I haven't seen the movie yet; now I don't really want to spend money to see the movie. I'm afraid it's just as over-hyped and lame as this book.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars El japonés loco
Reviewed in Spain on August 3, 2023
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Es un libro muy audaz, gore, con mucho ritmo y humor. Es sorprendente como habla de sexo, violencia y comportamiento humano. Me recordó a Stephen King.
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Cinthya
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro interesante y compra en perfecto estado
Reviewed in Mexico on January 3, 2021
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Mi compra llegó en buen estado y muy rápido. Proveedor 100% recomendado.
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ilona~POW
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery, good quality.
Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2019
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Came way faster than anticipated. Great read.
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Pentacular
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in India on September 5, 2017
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Interesting read.
One person found this helpful
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ricardo santos
3.0 out of 5 stars Quem vê cara não vê um coração maligno!
Reviewed in Brazil on July 12, 2015
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"Quem vê cara não vê coração." Essa máxima é puro clichê. Mas acontece que, muitas vezes, a vida é isso mesmo, uma sequência de clichês, toscos e grotescos. Então quando um artista transforma o clichê em algo mais, ficamos, no mínimo, intrigados.

O escritor japonês Ryu Murakami (que não tem qualquer parentesco com o conterrâneo mais famoso Haruki Murakami) investe em sua literatura no que há de sombrio sob a superfície civilizada da sociedade. Ele se interessa em expor os monstros que nós mesmos criamos.

Em Audition, acompanhamos a estória de Aoyama, um tranquilo viúvo de meia-idade, dono de uma produtora de vídeo. Ele decide se casar pela segunda vez, incentivado pelo filho adolescente, Shige. Como ele não tem mais paciência para namorar, concorda em ser cúmplice do amigo Yoshikawa numa ideia maluca: entrevistar candidatas à noiva por meio de uma seleção falsa para um filme.

Depois de analisar pessoalmente vários perfis de mulheres, ele se encanta pela tímida e jovem, Yamasaki. Para Aoyama, ela é tudo que um homem como ele procura como segunda esposa: ela é bonita, elegante, comedida, delicada, inteligente... e ex-bailarina.

O amigo Yoshikawa, um cara despachado e vivido, não gosta dela. Acha Yamasaki uma garota estranha. Mas Ayoama não quer saber, e mesmo contra sua própria intuição, decide entrar de cabeça num compromisso cheio de respeito e expectativa.

A partir daí, sua vida na surperfície se torna um sonho, mas, sob esse verniz de normalidade, esconde-se um pesadelo cada vez mais aterrador à medida que a relação dos dois se aprofunda.

É um livro curto, praticamente uma novela, com um prosa bem direta, em 3ª pessoa. O ponto de vista de Aoyama é dominante. É por meio de suas ações e pensamentos que sabemos como são os outros personagens, como é o mundo à sua volta.

Temos aqui a visão do homem de meia-idade japonês. Apesar de sua retidão de caráter e até ternura, em relação às mulheres, Ayoama não pensa muito diferente do homem médio japonês, que possui uma relação mal resolvida com o sexo oposto. Homens de outras culturas acabam, muitas vezes, externando esse problema com violência, em discussões, espancamentos e mortes. Na cultura japonesa, em geral, o homem procura resolver isso de maneira mais discreta, transformando a mulher em objeto, para dominá-la, secretamente.

Ryu Murakami transformou a traumática relação do homem japonês com as mulheres numa história de terror com uma tensão crescente até o clímax chocante.

A personagem de Yamasaki é a maior escorregada do livro, por ser bidimensional demais para nos importarmos com ela.

Em 1999, foi lançado um filme que virou cult. Ele é bom justamente por não ser tão fiel ao livro. A essência está lá. Mas pequenas mudanças tornaram a história ainda mais assustadora.

No filme, também acompanhamos a trama pelos olhos da ora doce, ora macabra Yamasaki. O livro ganha no melhor desenvolvimento dos personagens ao redor de Ayoama, o filho, o amigo, a dona de um bar. O filme ganha em seu terceiro ato, que soube intensificar ainda mais uma sequência que já era perturbadora no papel.
3 people found this helpful
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