In Search of a Distant Voice - Taichi Yamada

...don't have any particular books in mind when I go to the library, I often randomly pick up books I perhaps wouldn't otherwise have read. This was one of them. I had no expectations of this book and began it with an open mind. Within about two pages, I was absolutely hooked. This is an unusual book that I found very original; it is almost, but not quite, a ghost story and it is almost, but not quite a psychological thriller. Whatever it is, it is ...
...is currently an immigration officer in Tokyo with plans to enter an arranged marriage with a woman he hardly knows. Several years before, he was living in the US and something clearly happened to him while he was there, but he is unwilling to talk or even think about it. While the arrangements for his engagement are going through, he suddenly begins to hear voices; more specifically, the voice of a woman, who, for some reason, has sought him out. ... more

When I don't have any particular books in mind when I go to the library, I often randomly pick up books I perhaps wouldn't otherwise have read. This was one of them. I had no expectations of this book and began it with an open mind. Within about two pages, I was absolutely hooked. This is an unusual book that I found very original; it is almost, but not quite, a ghost story and it is almost, but not quite a psychological thriller. Whatever it is, it is an excellent book and I can highly recommend it.

The story
Kasama Tsuneo is a man with a past. He is currently an immigration officer in Tokyo with plans to enter an arranged marriage with a woman he hardly knows. Several years before, he was living in the US and something clearly happened to him while he was there, but he is unwilling to talk or even think about it. While the arrangements for his engagement are going through, he suddenly begins to hear voices; more specifically, the voice of a woman, who, for some reason, has sought him out.

Tsuneo initially thinks that he is losing it and goes to see a psychiatrist. However, he manages to keep his problems quiet until the day that he attends his engagement party. The woman whose voice he can hear somehow begins to manipulate him into doing strange, out of character things, which leads to his boss asking him to take time off work to solve his mental health problems. Can Tsuneo find proof of the woman's existence? And what is her reason for contacting him?

The characters
The book is almost without exception about Tsuneo. At first glance, he seems to be a perfectly likeable young man, although he is perhaps a little weak-willed - he certainly seems unable to find himself a woman without the help of his boss in arranging a marriage for him. There is a hint of mysteriousness about him though and it is clear from the start that there is some mystery in his life that has affected him quite badly. It is because of this knowledge that I enjoyed reading about Tsuneo so much. The voices he hears are clearly caught up with his past, but it is unclear whether he really is hearing voices or if it is all in his mind. This is a short book, and as such, there is not much room to go into great depth into Tsuneo's character, but the author gives enough information to grab the reader's attention.

Conclusion
This is a highly original book and not even having read the blurb on the inside front cover before I began, I was surprised by the progress of the story at every turn of the page. I am generally not a fan of ghost stories/mysteries that discuss the paranormal. I don't believe in it, and as such, it tends to ruin my enjoyment of any book that ventures into this area. However, in this case, the story was so well-written and so realistic that I found it completely believable.

The knowledge that the key to Tsuneo's problems could be explained by his time in the US makes this book a real page-turner. I really wanted to know what had happened to him and actually found myself walking along Oxford Street reading, something I very rarely do for obvious reasons, because I wanted to get to the end of a section before I got to work.

I was very impressed by the way that the book was set out. The chapters are just the right length - enough to satisfy the reader, without being so long-winded that it was difficult to take a break when necessary. Much of the book consists of conversations between Tsuneo and the ghost and there are pages of dialogue where it might not have been clear who was saying what if the voice's words weren't put into italics. This may sound like an obvious thing, but all too often in other books, it doesn't happen and it is not always clear who is saying what.

I had no problems whatsoever with the translation by Michael Emmerich. Sometimes, the language used is not as natural as it would have been if not translated, but this fits in nicely with the book and acts as a reminder that the story is taking place in Japan. Don't get me wrong; it is not that there are grammatical mistakes, it is just that sometimes the language doesn't flow quite as well as it would if written directly into English.

The only possible downfall for some, which I didn't find a disadvantage at all, is that there are descriptions of sex between two men during one part of the book. This didn't bother me, but if you find homosexuality offensive, it would be best to stay away from this book.

I read this book during three trips to and from work. I found it very difficult to put down and thoroughly enjoyed every scrap of it. Taichi Yamada has written another book, called Strangers, which I am looking forward to reading.

The book is available from play.com for £7.49. Published by Faber and Faber, it has 220 pages. ISBN: 0571229719
 

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