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All She Was Worth
Miyuki Miyabe
Translated by Alfred Birnbaum
Paperback 304 pages
128 x 188mm 300g
ISBN : 978-4-7700-2558-6 / 4-7700-2558-0
Publish : 21 Jan, 2000
Price : $17.00 |
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[ About the Book ]
Named Best Novel and Best Mystery in Japan!
As a lone detective, recovering from a gunshot wound, limps through the backstreets of Tokyo and further afield in search of a woman on the run, he discovers another world—the world of loan sharks and bankruptcy; of elaborate lies to conceal identity; of bad debts to "the good life" that can only be paid in blood.
All She Was Worth is a riveting and frightening story about society—the victims of the throwaway lifestyle of modern Japan.
Reviews
"The horror in this beautifully fashioned tale of stolen identity lies not in the cold-blooded crimes but in the motive—a desperate hunger for consumer goods...For the American reader, the jewel in this enormously compelling novel is the portrait of working and middle-class Japanese getting caught in a cycle of astronomical personal debt in order to enjoy the good life. Also eye-opening is Japan's elaborate registry system for keeping track of its citizenry... Miyabe drives her complex plot with spare prose, combining expert pacing and psychological nuance to a ultimately haunting effect."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The spare style and measured pace of Alfred Birnbaum's translation suits [detective] Honma's painstaking investigative methods and the somber tone of Ms. Miyabe's searching theme—the value of the individual in a consumer-mad economy that punishes debt with ruin and disgrace, even death."
—New York Times Book Review
"An absorbing mystery...whose complex story unfolds naturally and harmoniously...an artful blending of puzzle-solving and social commentary."
—Washington Post Book World
"...A terrific mystery with a detective you'll want to meet again."
— Chicago Tribune
"This popular Japanese writer's work, translated admirably well, offers finely detailed narrative, Tokyo backdrops, and an approachable police detective while exploring identity theft and overt consumerism....Subtle complication and psychological depth in a masterful plot ...Super work from an award-winning author."
—Library Journal
"All She Was Worth was named Best Mystery of 1992 in Japan. Fans of Ross MacDonald and Julian Symons will have no trouble seeing why."
—Kirkus Reviews
"...A nuanced Eastern version of a classic detective story."
—Time Out New York
"...Offers Western readers a window into contemporary Japanese life... Miyabe's sharp social critique holds our interest, and she resolves the numerous disparate elements of the case at hand with a satisfying clarity."
—San Francisco Examiner
"The story maintains a compelling forward motion and the characters' motivations — love, self-preservation, or greed — cross all cultural boundaries."
—San Jose Mercury News
"A suspenseful guided tour of 'new' Japan."
—Christian Science Monitor
"The anxiety of the working class is the book's emotional center as it describes ordinary Japanese who 'just wanted to be happy' and use credit cards and consumer loans as the means... The secret of Miyabe's popularity may lie in her clear-eyed view of today's Japan but it comes primarily from a desire to frighten her readers."
—International Herald Tribune
"All She Was Worth is a well-written, enjoyable mystery, full of believable characters. In the masterful and moving final scene, Miyabe achieves a sort of epiphany, suggesting that all the main characters are related, all members of a giant family that is Japan ...the translator Alfred Birnbaum does an excellent job. Most impressive is his ability to smoothly render colloquial Japanese into English."
—The Armchair Detective
"Miyabe's stark vision of the downside of modern Japanese life is gripping and, despite the very obvious social and cultural differences, perfectly accessible to western readers."
—Toronto Globe & Mail
"The author is a facile writer who gives the narrative drive and power, and evokes a splendid feeling for Tokyo and its outskirts as the protagonist moves from one area to another... A very readable translation of this fast-moving tale."
—Border Patrol
available only in Japan
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