Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales
"It's not just Murakami but also the shadow of Borges that hovers over this mesmerizing book... [and] one may detect a slight bow to the American macabre of E.A. Poe. Ogawa stands on the shoulders of giants, as another saying goes. But this collection may linger in your mind -- it does in mine -- as a delicious, perplexing, absorbing and somehow singular experience." --Alan Cheuse, NPR
Sinister forces collide---and unite a host of desperate characters---in this eerie cycle of interwoven tales from Yoko Ogawa, the critically acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor. An aspiring writer moves into a new apartment and discovers that her landlady has murdered her husband. Elsewhere, an accomplished surgeon is approached by a cabaret singer, whose beautiful appearance belies the grotesque condition of her heart. And while the surgeon's jealous lover vows to kill him, a violent envy also stirs in the soul of a lonely craftsman. Desire meets with impulse and erupts, attracting the attention of the surgeon's neighbor---who is drawn to a decaying residence that is now home to instruments of human torture. Murderers and mourners, mothers and children, lovers and innocent bystanders---their fates converge in an ominous and darkly beautiful web. Yoko Ogawa's Revenge is a master class in the macabre that will haunt you to the last page. An NPR Best Book of 2013BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
So fantastic.
Slightly less than fantastic review coming soon.
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I wrote the above TWO YEARS AGO. Apparently review coming soon means IN TWO YEARS.
I am disappointed to say that I do not remember a thing, so I'm giving it four stars. By my comment TWO YEARS AGO, I bet I was going to give it five. At least it's still accurate regarding the less than fantastic review...
As nerdy as I am, however, I had scribbled down some notes about it in my book review notebook at the time I read it. They do not make a lot of sense now, but here we go:
-This is a long chain of cause and effect. The actions and reactions of every person - even those that don't know one another. You would need to read this multiple times to catch/remember all the connections.
-This collection is not as "dark" as much as it is "haunting." Some are creepy, but some are sad.
-Jealousy seems to make me suffer in the most unexpected ways.
...I still love that line.
Slightly less than fantastic review coming soon.
------------------------------------------
I wrote the above TWO YEARS AGO. Apparently review coming soon means IN TWO YEARS.
I am disappointed to say that I do not remember a thing, so I'm giving it four stars. By my comment TWO YEARS AGO, I bet I was going to give it five. At least it's still accurate regarding the less than fantastic review...
As nerdy as I am, however, I had scribbled down some notes about it in my book review notebook at the time I read it. They do not make a lot of sense now, but here we go:
-This is a long chain of cause and effect. The actions and reactions of every person - even those that don't know one another. You would need to read this multiple times to catch/remember all the connections.
-This collection is not as "dark" as much as it is "haunting." Some are creepy, but some are sad.
-Jealousy seems to make me suffer in the most unexpected ways.
...I still love that line.
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