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Şeytan ve Maske
Fumihiro Kuki, on bir yaşındayken babası onu çağırıp arkasında dünyanın başına bela olacak bir lanet bırakmak için doğduğunu söyler: “Lanet derken, bu dünyaya sefalet getirecek bir varlıktan bahsediyorum. Herkesi bu dünyaya geldiğine pişman edecek ya da en azından, bu dünyayı erdem ışıltılarının yok olduğuna ikna edebilecek bir varlık.” Şeytan ve Maske, bir aile geleneği olarak dünyaya kötülük yaymak için eğitilen bir çocuğun hikâyesini konu alıyor. Aşk ile tanışan çocuk yaşadıklarını sorguluyor ve bu mirası reddediyor. Kendine yeni bir hayat kurmak için ailesiyle ve kaderiyle zorlu bir savaşa giriyor. Bu savaşta güçlü ailelerin kendi çıkarları için insanların hayatlarına korku salmalarına, terör ve karmaşanın onları zengin etmelerine tanık oluyor. İlk kitabı Hırsız'la Japonya'nın en önemli edebiyat ödüllerinden Kenzaburo Oe Ödülü'nü kazanan ve Los Angeles Times Kitap Ödülü finalisti olan Fuminori Nakamura, Şeytan ve Maske'de sürükleyici bir gerilim hikâyesi anlatmanın yanı sıra sarsıcı bir kapitalizm eleştirisi yapıyor.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Fuminori Nakamura
25 books641 followersHis debut novel Jū (The Gun) won the Shinchō New Author Prize in 2002. Also received the Noma Prize for New Writers in 2004 for Shakō [The Shade]. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2005 for Tsuchi no naka no kodomo (Child in the Ground). Suri (Pickpocket) won the Ōe Kenzaburō Prize in 2010. His other works include Sekai no Hate (The Far End of the World), Ōkoku (Kingdom), and Meikyū (Labyrinth).
See also 中村 文則.
See also 中村 文則.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
June 10, 2019
"Happiness is a fortress."
When Fumihiro Kuki is eleven years old, his father revealed a secret to him. He has many hopes for his son, but not in the way most fathers do. "I created you to be a cancer on the world," he tells him, and he means it. He wanted a child for the sole purpose of making the world a worse place. He wants to show him hell, and then set him loose upon the world. What follows is a story that alternates between Fumihiro’s childhood and the present, as we find out what he’s been through and how he intends to proceed.
This is a book where the plot cannot be discussed, as almost everything beyond the first couple of pages leads to twists and turns which will undoubtedly be considered a spoiler. All I can say is that whatever you think will come from that plot description above, you’re probably wrong. I know I was.
This is the fourth of Fuminori Nakamura’s novels I’ve read. It is easily his most ambitious, his most polished and the longest of what I’ve read (and judging from my brief research, there’s only one that is longer and that is Cult X). It is shockingly, given the plot description above, the least bleak of all of his novels. I’m not sure if that says more about this one, or more about how absolutely nihilistic his other books were. Nakamura has been called a master of "Zen Noir" and I find this to be a great example of this, as it is both the least noir (stylistically) of his books I've read, and yet it uses the most noir tropes (taking on false identities, private detectives, sinister businessmen, and early on alternating between present and flashbacks). It's a fascinating juggling act, and for the most part, he pulls it off.
The book is enjoyable, and a mostly excellent read. My only real complaint is that I think it ties up a bit too neatly and quickly. It’s a fairly minor one, but despite the longer length in comparison to Nakamura’s other books, it feels like he’s piling on a bit too much.
I debated on the rating between three and four stars, as it is enjoyable, but honestly doesn’t rank up with The Thief or Last Winter We Parted for me, but as I read on, I noticed something that I found fascinating and which does need a spoiler warning.
So yes, all in all it is worth a read. I personally do not find it to be the best Nakamura’s novel, but it is certainly an interesting an ambitious work. A solid 4 stars.
When Fumihiro Kuki is eleven years old, his father revealed a secret to him. He has many hopes for his son, but not in the way most fathers do. "I created you to be a cancer on the world," he tells him, and he means it. He wanted a child for the sole purpose of making the world a worse place. He wants to show him hell, and then set him loose upon the world. What follows is a story that alternates between Fumihiro’s childhood and the present, as we find out what he’s been through and how he intends to proceed.
This is a book where the plot cannot be discussed, as almost everything beyond the first couple of pages leads to twists and turns which will undoubtedly be considered a spoiler. All I can say is that whatever you think will come from that plot description above, you’re probably wrong. I know I was.
This is the fourth of Fuminori Nakamura’s novels I’ve read. It is easily his most ambitious, his most polished and the longest of what I’ve read (and judging from my brief research, there’s only one that is longer and that is Cult X). It is shockingly, given the plot description above, the least bleak of all of his novels. I’m not sure if that says more about this one, or more about how absolutely nihilistic his other books were. Nakamura has been called a master of "Zen Noir" and I find this to be a great example of this, as it is both the least noir (stylistically) of his books I've read, and yet it uses the most noir tropes (taking on false identities, private detectives, sinister businessmen, and early on alternating between present and flashbacks). It's a fascinating juggling act, and for the most part, he pulls it off.
The book is enjoyable, and a mostly excellent read. My only real complaint is that I think it ties up a bit too neatly and quickly. It’s a fairly minor one, but despite the longer length in comparison to Nakamura’s other books, it feels like he’s piling on a bit too much.
I debated on the rating between three and four stars, as it is enjoyable, but honestly doesn’t rank up with The Thief or Last Winter We Parted for me, but as I read on, I noticed something that I found fascinating and which does need a spoiler warning.
So yes, all in all it is worth a read. I personally do not find it to be the best Nakamura’s novel, but it is certainly an interesting an ambitious work. A solid 4 stars.
July 7, 2020
So...at the end of the day, this book is a less annoying, less long-winded version of Journey Under the Midnight Sun I guess?
A dying rich man revealed to his teenage son that the boy was bred and born for the sole purpose of being an Evil entity which sole purposes were to bring suffering and pain to the world and the people around him. Shocked by his father's cruel statement, the boy (later a young man) did everything he could to escape from his fate, but when the girl he loved was under threats, he had hard choices to make...
I'll admit it's not Mr. Nakamura's best novel. I guess it's a story about redemption and how a sad lonely man struggling to escape from his cruel father's dark curse. The story also questions the nature of happiness, the breaking of rules and morale, and how far a person is willing to go to protect what they treasured the most/the one thing they can't live without.
The whole novel plays out like a character's case study than a novel driven by external events and crisis. Don't get me wrong, there are events and crisis and plot development in the story but it might not be as important as you might think. I do like the MC's journey through darkness and how he tried to seek redemption, I enjoy the story and the description of the shady underworld of organized crime, cult and political corruption, but I understand some readers might find the story underwhelming.
My review for Last Winter, We Parted: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Happiness is a fortress. Because happiness is an enclosed space only a lucky few can enjoy, the lucky few who can turn a blind eye to people like you, people with pain and sorrow, who can turn a blind eye to poverty and hunger.”
A dying rich man revealed to his teenage son that the boy was bred and born for the sole purpose of being an Evil entity which sole purposes were to bring suffering and pain to the world and the people around him. Shocked by his father's cruel statement, the boy (later a young man) did everything he could to escape from his fate, but when the girl he loved was under threats, he had hard choices to make...
I'll admit it's not Mr. Nakamura's best novel. I guess it's a story about redemption and how a sad lonely man struggling to escape from his cruel father's dark curse. The story also questions the nature of happiness, the breaking of rules and morale, and how far a person is willing to go to protect what they treasured the most/the one thing they can't live without.
The whole novel plays out like a character's case study than a novel driven by external events and crisis. Don't get me wrong, there are events and crisis and plot development in the story but it might not be as important as you might think. I do like the MC's journey through darkness and how he tried to seek redemption, I enjoy the story and the description of the shady underworld of organized crime, cult and political corruption, but I understand some readers might find the story underwhelming.
My review for Last Winter, We Parted: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 15, 2018
More than anything this is a novel of introspection and philosophy, not terrorism or murder or sabotage. It started out making me believe it would be a novel about a killer—a man who kills when and where he wants without any preamble.
Instead, it was way more of our main character thinking about how he might be bad, and then the only truly bad things he does are to protect the woman he loves. Perhaps I wasn’t in the mood for an introspective novel; it’s October and I wanted bloodshed. I didn’t love the novel but I didn’t hate it either.
Instead, it was way more of our main character thinking about how he might be bad, and then the only truly bad things he does are to protect the woman he loves. Perhaps I wasn’t in the mood for an introspective novel; it’s October and I wanted bloodshed. I didn’t love the novel but I didn’t hate it either.
June 7, 2013
I was able to read an advance copy of the book. It is one of those wonderful books that either pulls you in immediately or repulses you. The book begins with a very dark tone, so dark you aren't sure there is any sort of light at the end of the tunnel. The story is heavy with monologue and you'll get a fair idea individual character's personal philosophies but the story moves forward at a solid pace.
Since others have touched on the story I won't. It did begin as a mystery novel in a sense and I felt that the ending it delivered was very satisfying. There is not much explicit violence or action, in that sense it is more of a psychological thriller. As such I can see myself adding this book to my collection and reading it again.
Since others have touched on the story I won't. It did begin as a mystery novel in a sense and I felt that the ending it delivered was very satisfying. There is not much explicit violence or action, in that sense it is more of a psychological thriller. As such I can see myself adding this book to my collection and reading it again.
November 21, 2021
Yazar bu romanında da ilk romanı Hırsız’daki gibi temel ilkeleri ve etik değerleri tartışıyor. Oldukça ilginç bir konusu, akıcı anlatımı ve güzel bir kurgusu var.
İlk romanı Hırsız gibi bu romanı da etkileyici ve bir o kadar da dikkatle okunması gereken bir roman.
Sanırım yıllar sonra, Hırsız romanını ‘aydınlık’ bir roman, bu romanını da ‘karanlık’ bir roman olarak hatırlayacağım.
Beğendim.
“… Bu dünyada Zaman ve uzayın ötesinde pekçok anlaşılamaz kader bağlantısı olduğuna inanıyorum. Bu bağlantıların, farklı yer ve zamanlarda aynı olayı tekrar ederek neyi amaçladığını bilmiyorum.”, sf; 232,
“-…Eğer bir ülkenin etikten ve ahlaktan yoksun hükümdarı olsan, hangi vatandaşlarını en çok severdin?
…
-Kullanılmaya en müsait olanlarını sanırım.
-Tam isabet.
…
-Başlarındaki adam ne yaparsa yapsın bir çocuk gibi ona inanacak, Savaşta tek vücut olup onun için kendilerini ateşe atacak, yolsuzluğu görmezden gelecek, her söylenene boyun eğecek ve hiçbir şeyden şüphe duymayacak vatandaşlar. Basit insanlar da diyebilirsin.”, sf; 234.
İlk romanı Hırsız gibi bu romanı da etkileyici ve bir o kadar da dikkatle okunması gereken bir roman.
Sanırım yıllar sonra, Hırsız romanını ‘aydınlık’ bir roman, bu romanını da ‘karanlık’ bir roman olarak hatırlayacağım.
Beğendim.
“… Bu dünyada Zaman ve uzayın ötesinde pekçok anlaşılamaz kader bağlantısı olduğuna inanıyorum. Bu bağlantıların, farklı yer ve zamanlarda aynı olayı tekrar ederek neyi amaçladığını bilmiyorum.”, sf; 232,
“-…Eğer bir ülkenin etikten ve ahlaktan yoksun hükümdarı olsan, hangi vatandaşlarını en çok severdin?
…
-Kullanılmaya en müsait olanlarını sanırım.
-Tam isabet.
…
-Başlarındaki adam ne yaparsa yapsın bir çocuk gibi ona inanacak, Savaşta tek vücut olup onun için kendilerini ateşe atacak, yolsuzluğu görmezden gelecek, her söylenene boyun eğecek ve hiçbir şeyden şüphe duymayacak vatandaşlar. Basit insanlar da diyebilirsin.”, sf; 234.
June 18, 2019
“Mutluluk kaledir.
Çünkü mutluluk, senin gibi üzgün ve acı çekenleri görmezden gelebilen, açlığa ve yoksulluğa sırt çevirebilen şanslı azınlığın tadını çıkarabildiği kapalı bir alandır.”
ve bu kapalı alanda debelenmeye mahkum edilebilirsin.
Bunu yaptıklarının karşılığı olarak da düşünme sakın.
Doğumun bile buna sebep olabilir.
Daha konuşamazken, sesleri dahi ayırt edemezken,yürüyemezken de bu kalede olabilirsin.
Bir ‘lanet’ için dünyaya getirebilirler seni, duygularını tatmin etmek için, ‘benim eserim’ deyip sana ait tüm noktaları işgal altına alabilirler.
Çoğunlukla o kaleden çıkmayı bile akıl edemezsin, dışarda ne var göremediğinden,hatta işlerin ters gittiğini anlaman da zor..
Ama mucizeler hep olur değil mi? Az da olsa..
Bu yadsınamaz, değil mi?
O kalenin surları içten yıkılabilir, her şeyin farkında olan biri çıkıp gelebilir..
Mutsuzluk,mutluluğa dönüşebilir..
.
Fumihiro Kuki, henüz 11 yaşında.
Bir gün babası,ona dünyaya getiriliş sebebini anlatıyor. Dünyaya sefalet ve acı getirmesi için,kötülük yayıp bundan beslenmesi için. Bu bir aile geleceği diyor babası ve sen benim ‘bu dünyaya lanetimsin’.
.
Hırsız’da şöyle bir cümle beni derinden sarsmıştı:
“Dünyada açlık çeken tek bir çocuk olduğu müddetçe her türlü servet çalıntıdır.”
Fuminori Nakamura,Hırsız’da olduğu gibi sistemin yüzüne bir tokat atıyor. Savaş ve beden ticaretini, duyguların sömürülmesini geçmiş ve bugüne bölerek anlatıyor.
Öncesi ve sonrası.
Hareketli bir olay örgüsü. Şaşırtıcı bir kurgu olduğunu da söylemek gerek. Ancak beni en çok etkileyen Fumihiro karakterinin maskeler arasındaki duruşuydu.Ruhuna sinmiş ölümü, ona vaadedilen kötülüğü ufak bedeninden itibaren taşımasıydı..
.
Hemen her Japon edebiyatına dair okumamda hissettiğim çıplaklık,Fuminori Nakamura’yı okurken de benimleydi. Kendini dahi eşelemekten çekinmemek..işte çıplaklıktan kastım bu~
.
Japonca aslından çevirisinde Sinan Ceylan yer alırken (ki Tanizaki ve Soseki çevirilerini de çok sevmiştim,umarım nice çevirileri ile tanışırız); kapak tasarımı Geray Gençer çalışması~
Çünkü mutluluk, senin gibi üzgün ve acı çekenleri görmezden gelebilen, açlığa ve yoksulluğa sırt çevirebilen şanslı azınlığın tadını çıkarabildiği kapalı bir alandır.”
ve bu kapalı alanda debelenmeye mahkum edilebilirsin.
Bunu yaptıklarının karşılığı olarak da düşünme sakın.
Doğumun bile buna sebep olabilir.
Daha konuşamazken, sesleri dahi ayırt edemezken,yürüyemezken de bu kalede olabilirsin.
Bir ‘lanet’ için dünyaya getirebilirler seni, duygularını tatmin etmek için, ‘benim eserim’ deyip sana ait tüm noktaları işgal altına alabilirler.
Çoğunlukla o kaleden çıkmayı bile akıl edemezsin, dışarda ne var göremediğinden,hatta işlerin ters gittiğini anlaman da zor..
Ama mucizeler hep olur değil mi? Az da olsa..
Bu yadsınamaz, değil mi?
O kalenin surları içten yıkılabilir, her şeyin farkında olan biri çıkıp gelebilir..
Mutsuzluk,mutluluğa dönüşebilir..
.
Fumihiro Kuki, henüz 11 yaşında.
Bir gün babası,ona dünyaya getiriliş sebebini anlatıyor. Dünyaya sefalet ve acı getirmesi için,kötülük yayıp bundan beslenmesi için. Bu bir aile geleceği diyor babası ve sen benim ‘bu dünyaya lanetimsin’.
.
Hırsız’da şöyle bir cümle beni derinden sarsmıştı:
“Dünyada açlık çeken tek bir çocuk olduğu müddetçe her türlü servet çalıntıdır.”
Fuminori Nakamura,Hırsız’da olduğu gibi sistemin yüzüne bir tokat atıyor. Savaş ve beden ticaretini, duyguların sömürülmesini geçmiş ve bugüne bölerek anlatıyor.
Öncesi ve sonrası.
Hareketli bir olay örgüsü. Şaşırtıcı bir kurgu olduğunu da söylemek gerek. Ancak beni en çok etkileyen Fumihiro karakterinin maskeler arasındaki duruşuydu.Ruhuna sinmiş ölümü, ona vaadedilen kötülüğü ufak bedeninden itibaren taşımasıydı..
.
Hemen her Japon edebiyatına dair okumamda hissettiğim çıplaklık,Fuminori Nakamura’yı okurken de benimleydi. Kendini dahi eşelemekten çekinmemek..işte çıplaklıktan kastım bu~
.
Japonca aslından çevirisinde Sinan Ceylan yer alırken (ki Tanizaki ve Soseki çevirilerini de çok sevmiştim,umarım nice çevirileri ile tanışırız); kapak tasarımı Geray Gençer çalışması~
February 14, 2024
Book 6 January in Japan
I understand why this is so great. Its mindblowingly good with complex intense psychological games that wowed me from the beginning until the end. The end left a bittersweet note, a touch of hope at the end of a dark time or aptly said a new beginning for Fumihiro/Shintani. 🥺🥺
My 6th read for #januaryinjapan. I started this a year ago and i decided to reread it from the beginning. Maybe at the time when i read this last year, I wasnt in a great state of mind. This time around I finally understand why. Fuminori was known widely for his incredibly graphic and disturbing his books are, they are more psychologically affective, nihilistic in nature with philosophical arguments on the darkness and nihilism. To me, and I agree with the other reviewer' perspective on this story is the bleakness of the story can be interpreted as the depiction of depression itself.
Happiness is a fortress.
A phrase that is very familiar to Fumihiro Kuki, the youngest son of Shozo Kuki, the conglomerate of Japan whom had a long line of '"cancers" they brought up to bring evil to the world. A breeding custom with the intention to raise their child to become the evil cancer, the disgraced, the heinous monster that brought destruction & chaos to the world. Fumihiro's mother conceived him with his father whom at the age of 64 intentionally following the generational curse of the Kuki of making a child the seed of evil in the society. He's been brainwashed since small, imprinted in his mind that he will become the most evil person in the world. By bringing in Aya into the family, a bond was formed between the young ones and soon romance & love becomes too intense for Fumihiro as the need to protect the only person he ever love from his monstrous fathet become too hard to handle.
The nihilistic approach to the story was both psychologically disturbing & thought provoking in the sense you are appalled by the heinous acts and also struck by how some of the words hits too close to home. Its the concept of evilness as being the extreme of evil in the darkness of all. The whole story was separated into 2 timeline, the history of Fumihiro and his father, his denial of coming to terms with the subjugation of being a cancer perpetrated by his father on him to he finding hope in the girl he love and wanting to set her free. Then, skip forward to the time where face changed, life abandoned for a new identity and now is the struggle to fit into this new life you make and to start afresh yet stuck in the past for one girl. Fumihiro as Shintani was compelling to read, the conversations between him and another man of the Kuki's lineage was one of the best conversation on death, forgiveness and trauma i have ever read. Its heartbreaking, filled with rages yet its astounding and overwhelmingly true in nature that may be missed in real world if not confronted heads on.
I understand why this is so great. Its mindblowingly good with complex intense psychological games that wowed me from the beginning until the end. The end left a bittersweet note, a touch of hope at the end of a dark time or aptly said a new beginning for Fumihiro/Shintani. 🥺🥺
My 6th read for #januaryinjapan. I started this a year ago and i decided to reread it from the beginning. Maybe at the time when i read this last year, I wasnt in a great state of mind. This time around I finally understand why. Fuminori was known widely for his incredibly graphic and disturbing his books are, they are more psychologically affective, nihilistic in nature with philosophical arguments on the darkness and nihilism. To me, and I agree with the other reviewer' perspective on this story is the bleakness of the story can be interpreted as the depiction of depression itself.
Happiness is a fortress.
A phrase that is very familiar to Fumihiro Kuki, the youngest son of Shozo Kuki, the conglomerate of Japan whom had a long line of '"cancers" they brought up to bring evil to the world. A breeding custom with the intention to raise their child to become the evil cancer, the disgraced, the heinous monster that brought destruction & chaos to the world. Fumihiro's mother conceived him with his father whom at the age of 64 intentionally following the generational curse of the Kuki of making a child the seed of evil in the society. He's been brainwashed since small, imprinted in his mind that he will become the most evil person in the world. By bringing in Aya into the family, a bond was formed between the young ones and soon romance & love becomes too intense for Fumihiro as the need to protect the only person he ever love from his monstrous fathet become too hard to handle.
The nihilistic approach to the story was both psychologically disturbing & thought provoking in the sense you are appalled by the heinous acts and also struck by how some of the words hits too close to home. Its the concept of evilness as being the extreme of evil in the darkness of all. The whole story was separated into 2 timeline, the history of Fumihiro and his father, his denial of coming to terms with the subjugation of being a cancer perpetrated by his father on him to he finding hope in the girl he love and wanting to set her free. Then, skip forward to the time where face changed, life abandoned for a new identity and now is the struggle to fit into this new life you make and to start afresh yet stuck in the past for one girl. Fumihiro as Shintani was compelling to read, the conversations between him and another man of the Kuki's lineage was one of the best conversation on death, forgiveness and trauma i have ever read. Its heartbreaking, filled with rages yet its astounding and overwhelmingly true in nature that may be missed in real world if not confronted heads on.
February 2, 2014
This review was originally published to Bookish Ardour.
Evil and the Mask turned out to be one of those stories I was far from expecting. I was expecting a suspenseful atmosphere with in-depth, unsettling thrills to make you question humanity and the darkness inside us. Instead I was presented with idealistic theories of humanity’s deep-seated insecurities, laziness derived obedience, and selective ignorance.
I warmed up to the characters quite quickly and the idea of a family’s insane custom; to create a child to be a cancer in the world. When you first begin the story, it’s difficult not be swept away by the creepiness of Fumihiro’s father calling his son into his study and revealing the reason his son exists. The atmosphere is fantastic in that scene and I couldn’t help questioning the sheer audacity Fumihiro’s father had when it came to believing he could procreate expressly to cause havoc in the world.
What type of sick and twisted individual could believe such a thing? It’s arrogant, it’s conceited, and extremely narcissistic. The idea, the questions it creates, sets up the atmosphere and your expectations for the rest of the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and reading about Fumihiro’s early life, as well as the foundations for how he will turn out as a character. I found myself wanting nothing bad to happen to either Fumihiro his adopted sister.
The story took a turn I wasn’t expecting. I don’t believe the protagonist ever really had to struggle with his inner darkness in the way the synopsis portrays, but there is definitely a struggle present. With the turn in the story it only amplifies the process we all go through of trying to understand ourselves.
Unfortunately I felt Evil and the Mask began to drag after the halfway mark. Each dialogue exchange began to sound like every other one and none of the characters gave an impression of differentiation when they spoke. You were able to look into Fumihiro’s head and read his ideas. These ideas and thoughts were echoed in dialogue and then again when another character shared their thoughts with Fumihiro.
By the end of Evil and the Mask I felt I was reading a platform for the author to share their speculations rather than creating questions via character and story. It’s a shame really. I was thoroughly looking forward to reading something to question morals, ethics, and human depravity. Unfortunately I’m not quite sure what the story ended up questioning and I don’t feel Fumihiro grew as a character.
Evil and the Mask is one of those stories where you’re not reading for the action, the emotion, or the pull, but more for ideas on human self-conditioning, self awareness, and finally self acceptance.
Evil and the Mask turned out to be one of those stories I was far from expecting. I was expecting a suspenseful atmosphere with in-depth, unsettling thrills to make you question humanity and the darkness inside us. Instead I was presented with idealistic theories of humanity’s deep-seated insecurities, laziness derived obedience, and selective ignorance.
I warmed up to the characters quite quickly and the idea of a family’s insane custom; to create a child to be a cancer in the world. When you first begin the story, it’s difficult not be swept away by the creepiness of Fumihiro’s father calling his son into his study and revealing the reason his son exists. The atmosphere is fantastic in that scene and I couldn’t help questioning the sheer audacity Fumihiro’s father had when it came to believing he could procreate expressly to cause havoc in the world.
What type of sick and twisted individual could believe such a thing? It’s arrogant, it’s conceited, and extremely narcissistic. The idea, the questions it creates, sets up the atmosphere and your expectations for the rest of the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and reading about Fumihiro’s early life, as well as the foundations for how he will turn out as a character. I found myself wanting nothing bad to happen to either Fumihiro his adopted sister.
The story took a turn I wasn’t expecting. I don’t believe the protagonist ever really had to struggle with his inner darkness in the way the synopsis portrays, but there is definitely a struggle present. With the turn in the story it only amplifies the process we all go through of trying to understand ourselves.
Unfortunately I felt Evil and the Mask began to drag after the halfway mark. Each dialogue exchange began to sound like every other one and none of the characters gave an impression of differentiation when they spoke. You were able to look into Fumihiro’s head and read his ideas. These ideas and thoughts were echoed in dialogue and then again when another character shared their thoughts with Fumihiro.
By the end of Evil and the Mask I felt I was reading a platform for the author to share their speculations rather than creating questions via character and story. It’s a shame really. I was thoroughly looking forward to reading something to question morals, ethics, and human depravity. Unfortunately I’m not quite sure what the story ended up questioning and I don’t feel Fumihiro grew as a character.
Evil and the Mask is one of those stories where you’re not reading for the action, the emotion, or the pull, but more for ideas on human self-conditioning, self awareness, and finally self acceptance.
June 14, 2013
I set this book down about a third of the way through for previously-unencountered reasons. The flow of events was somewhat intriguing, and the main character was unique, but I couldn't get over the questions the translations raised. Many sentences were clumsy and cliched, while others had a subtle dark artistry. I found myself distracted wondering which was the true voice and which were mistakes of translation. The writing style didn't add up to a whole that I could continue reading. I really do wish I could read this book in its original form, because I do think that the author's voice and style could be beautiful.
Read
August 28, 2013How does one unleash maximum evil? The novel by the young Japanese writer Nakamura Fuminori, 36, provides many avenues to explore the filthy black nature of murder, impersonation, wars, more wars, terrorism, copycat terrorism. It features an antihero (Fumihiro Kuki) who was chosen by his father to succeed him as a "cancer" in the world, as the embodiment of pure evil. The family business is in fact the very instrument of evil as it built upon destructive, anarchic aims through the trade of war materiel and ammunition. Here's the long-term plan of Fumihiro's elder brother, also destined to be another malignant tumor in society.
Most of the companies of which I'm the major shareholder deal with war in one form or another, from brokering arms deals overseas to rebuilding after the wars are over.... I'm putting all of my efforts into abolishing the article in the constitution that says that Japan can't export weapons. If we can repeal that we'll be able to sell locally produced weapons to other countries, then whenever a war breaks out we can reap vast profits. The arms business is a gold mine, because weapons are consumables. The longer the war drags on—in other words, the more people are killed—the more money we make. Japan's superior technology will take the world by storm. Imagine we develop a fighter plane. We can include the maintenance in the contract, the whole works. It's a gravy train with no end. Obviously it's not the money I'm interested in. What I'm looking at, as an end in itself, is hundreds of thousands of people dying in those economic currents.
War as the modern industrial complex of evil—an efficient machine ran by capitalists, workers, and soldiers of atrocities, fed by the sustainable energy of constant warmongering. War as the ubiquitous laboratory for inhumanity.
This is a topical novel, inevitably invoking the two world wars, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War on Terror, the many wars we seem to never tire of making. It is a novel of its time, particularly relevant given the recent pronouncement of Japanese officials bent on amending the country's pacifist constitution (embodied in Article 9 of Japanese constitution).
Fumihiro, shaken by his father's plans for him, set into motion a sequence of events that give readers a peek into the twisted minds of warlords and terrorists. Billed as a Japanese noir detective story, this novel avoids the excesses of the genre by being restrained in its presentation of violence. Sometimes it's too restrained, too understated, as to become more and more creepy with its slow resolution of the plot. All the celebrated murders and wars in the novel are not described as they happen but only indirectly, either told in conversation by the characters or reported on television and newspapers. The reader may be privy to the planning of a murder or terrorist act but he does not witness its full execution. All we get are accounts of the crimes.
"There's this group doing strange things recently, isn't there? Like simultaneous explosions in different places. The ones calling themselves JL? They’re on the news all the time. The media are condemning them, calling them 'The Invisible Terrorists,' but that's just spurring them on. It looks like there have already been copycats as well."
…
"And now they’ve made a threat. 'We're going to assassinate all the politicians, starting with the baldest. If you want to stop us, the Prime Minister has to hold a press conference and do a perfect impression of the singer Hiromi Go.' Wouldn’t that be hysterical?"
The Prime Minister channeling Hiromi Go? How bad can that be? See Goldfinger 99 for reference.
The noir detective aspect of Evil and the Mask is apparent from various devices: brooding, angsty protagonist, bleak atmosphere, femme fatale figure, and, well, a detective. The novel opens with an extract from the diary of a detective who accidentally got involved in the case. This, however, turns out to be not so much about detection and problem-solving as about the timeless superhero story of good versus evil. Important questions are raised. Is evil encoded in genes, embedded in tissues like a cancer? Where is the place of personal/private transactions of evil within the larger context of public/wholesale wars?
Evil and the Mask turns out to be a novel of ideas, with the evildoing characters speaking in the dialectical manner of Plato. By the end of the book, philosophical exchanges with cold-blooded murderers, corrupt businessmen, and budding terrorists lead to some plausible ideas about how evil spreads like a happy virus. No talking cats or leeches falling from the sky in this book. The novel turns out be well-grounded in reality. That probably makes it more uncanny.
In his preface to The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares—via Alain Robbe-Grillet's Paris Review interview—Borges said that all great novels of the twentieth century are detective novels. His examples: The Turn of the Screw, William Faulkner's Sanctuary, The Castle. Unlike the traditional detective novel, the specific detective novel he had in mind are those that are not concerned about the solution to the crime but to the investigation itself. Robbe-Grillet continues his reading of Borges:
Detective novels are consumer products, sold by millions, and are made in the following way: there are clues to an event, say a murder, and someone comes along and puts the pieces together in order that truth may be revealed. Then it all makes sense. In our novels what is missing is “sense.” There is a constant appeal to sense, but it remains unfulfilled, because the pieces keep moving and shifting and when “sense” appears it is transitory. Therefore, what is important is not to discover the truth at the end of the investigation, but the process itself.
The process is all that matters. The process is the novel itself. Given the definition of Borges, I would say that Evil and the Mask can be considered a traditional detective novel. The truth is discovered in the end; all clues are accounted for. Still, the novelist Nakamura defies some expectations of the detective novel through an unusual approach to the determination of crime. The crime is already determined from the start. What the rest of the novel does is unfold the investigation process of the criminals' investigation into their own selves, how they determine the extent of their guilt and punishment. To some extent, it is an investigation not of the crimes which are transparently presented but of the criminal intents. If that makes sense. In addition, the detection in the novel is not really undertaken by the detective ("someone [who] comes along and puts the pieces together in order that truth may be revealed") in the book. The detection is made by the criminals themselves. In the end, the detective scratches his head, just as puzzled as he was when he entered the picture halfway through the story. He may have a theory about the crime but he is as clueless as ever.
This is only Nakamura's second novel to appear in English translation. He is a prolific writer and appears to be a critical favorite, having won prestigious prizes in Japan like the Akutagawa Prize and the Kenzaburō Ōe Prize.
In Evil and the Mask, it’s not only terrorists and detectives who appear to be almost invisible. The book's translators, Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates, seem to be peripheral too as they have produced a version that is almost invisible, save for some cultural references, in the target language. It captures what must have been Nakamura’s clean and spare diction and his appeal to universal and timeless themes.
I received a review copy from the publisher. Borges/Robbe-Grillet on the detective novel is borrowed from Mala's review of Robbe-Grillet's The Eraser.
May 26, 2020
❝That's how humans have been since the very beginning, creatures with the potential for evil. Even though they are fundamentally designed not to kill their own kind, they are also able to contemplate entering that forbidden territory, to possess passions of all kinds.❞
One night, a patriarch of an influential Japanese family talked to his son whom he treated less of a person and more of an extension and eventual fulfillment of his most malevolent ambition. He told the boy Fumihiro that his fate is to become a 'disease' which meant he will commit heinous things that aim towards tainting humanity. Nihilism is a family tradition, apparently. It was a legacy that has fallen on the shoulders of all the men sired in their family, going back as far as a few generations. It simply must be done, for that is the purpose of the boy's birth to begin with.
The boy Fumihiro would remember this conversation years later during his adolescence. In fact, it understandably consumed him as he tries to make sense of these seeds of darkness that, according to his father, were genetically implanted. His formative years were comparably average, given that ominous prophecy, as he navigated the usual struggles of identity, budding romantic feelings for a girl he grew up alongside with, and plans for the future beyond what his cruel father wanted for him.
What I find very fascinating in Evil and the Mask's narrative was how its premise was almost a subversion of the nature vs. nurture argument. In a few of the stories that resembled this set-up somewhat (notable popular examples are Darkly Dreaming Dexter and We Need to Talk about Kevin), the parent does his or her best to raise a damaged child by incorporating morally driven guidelines or at least helping the child curb the latent sadistic and/or homicidal tendencies. The story for this book is on the opposite end of that spectrum since it deals with the fact that a parent actually wants the child to be evil, to perpetuate crimes against humanity which was why the patriarch here normalizes deviant behaviors that he hopes his son would manifest.
Told in the first-person perspective of the astute and intelligent Fumihiro, the book jumped back and forth between the present and the past in which certain key events fleshed out and enriched the protagonist's inner world and how often he rebelled against this macabre path that his father wanted him to succeed in. The readers also uncovered clues and secrets with Fumihiro regarding his awful family, all while he portrayed himself (both intentionally and not) as a hybrid individual torn between binary moral constrictions yet also seeing past such limitations in order to form a sense of control over the turbulence his life became the more the decay that has plagued his soul worsens. The one person who anchors him to his humanity was Kaori, his childhood friend and highschool sweetheart. They became estranged later on, however, though his connection with her meant that she's bound to get into trouble one way or another, due to people who would exploit her relationship with Fumihiro's family as a means to an end.
The book dealt with the subtle complexities of trauma, and how long-lasting psychological effects can create this bottomless loss of control in a person on top of a shaky identity and self-worth. Fumihiro was insightful and earnest over the course of the narrative; his sheer understanding of human nature and people's predilections towards misdeeds make him anticipate the behaviors of others, although the real mystery he desperately wants to solve was the enigma that made up his own conflict. There were times in the book, squeezed into pages of tension and suspense, that readers will glimpse a sympathetic side to Fumihiro, though more often than not these moments are immediately undercut by the disconcerting actions he is capable of for the sake of outmaneuvering bigger monsters. He plays the game well, even though he's also aware that winning such a thing would only turn him darker.
❝When people believe they have a good cause, the violence within them bursts forth unrestrained, as if their good angel has given permission for it to escape. Basically, that's how wars are started.❞
There were a few more subplots going on in this book aside from the character study of its protagonist, and the author deserves to be commended for managing to make a coherent picture out of such pieces that don't truly fit well enough to make sense either way. At certain points the momentum of the storytelling will stall, almost like an amateur cinematographer zooming in and out and panning left and right to gloss over details that seemed cumbersome. It does pick up eventually when the story needs to unravel some more, but these tiny pauses hover uncomfortably nevertheless, a bleak reminder that even the ordinary and commonplace can be a breeding ground for pain and cruelty.
Indeed there were more than a few passages that sent a chill down the spine, particularly in how Fumihiro conveyed his understanding of evil, in context of how his father opened his eyes to it and, later on, one of his brothers will reinforce its brutality. Melancholia was something the author was prone to indulge in, but he does so in careful doses that such an emotion only highlights the hollow desire of the wicked men portrayed in this book, so besotted they are with their own distorted version of reality in which violence seemed to be the only way they can communicate and even love.
On the other hand, Fumihiro's yearning for something other than a path of destruction is a turmoil we had all felt and gone through. He's been twisted into this version of monster the men in his family wanted, but he wrestled with that time and time again, even if the price was to become constantly vigilant of the darkness that threatens to turn him worse. I think Evil and the Mask's existential scope was complex but not too difficult to understand. Its elegant prose managed to address issues concerning moral relativity and the debatable definitions and aspects surrounding a sociopath that make such individuals in its spectrum a considerably intriguing study. Fumihiro, to me, is one, but there's more to his person than just simply evil.
My only gripe was possibly the way the female characters were written overall. Kaori was functional as Fumihiro's muse and moral foil. She didn't feel fully realized as her own person outside this sphere of relevance, though I cannot entirely accuse her as a mere plot device either. Perhaps the usage of first person simply limited her characterization this way, because Fumihiro was the reader's gateway to this world foremost, and we all know that unreliable narrators tend to happen when it comes to most character studies. It would have been interesting to learn more about her since she was a victim herself, physically and psychologically abused by Fumihiro's father, and readers can only speculate how that shaped her individuality from girl to woman.
❝People would probably tell me I still had a lot to look forward to. But my youthful heart, which had experienced great joy and the torments of hell, couldn't untangle the events and order them neatly. They settled inside me, and as I grew old, they would warp me even more.❞
In summary, I believe that Evil and the Mask is a memorable exploration of the complex tapestry that makes up people's flaws and triumphs, particularly the limiting scope of what is defined collectively as good and evil. It featured a character struggling endlessly with his dark compulsions in favor of finding a glimmer of light and beauty. The canvas that is the human experience is always painted with a burst of unexpected colors, alongside shades of gray, and yes, even the inevitable black that we often focus more on, in exclusion of everything else.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
Read more of my review in:
One night, a patriarch of an influential Japanese family talked to his son whom he treated less of a person and more of an extension and eventual fulfillment of his most malevolent ambition. He told the boy Fumihiro that his fate is to become a 'disease' which meant he will commit heinous things that aim towards tainting humanity. Nihilism is a family tradition, apparently. It was a legacy that has fallen on the shoulders of all the men sired in their family, going back as far as a few generations. It simply must be done, for that is the purpose of the boy's birth to begin with.
The boy Fumihiro would remember this conversation years later during his adolescence. In fact, it understandably consumed him as he tries to make sense of these seeds of darkness that, according to his father, were genetically implanted. His formative years were comparably average, given that ominous prophecy, as he navigated the usual struggles of identity, budding romantic feelings for a girl he grew up alongside with, and plans for the future beyond what his cruel father wanted for him.
What I find very fascinating in Evil and the Mask's narrative was how its premise was almost a subversion of the nature vs. nurture argument. In a few of the stories that resembled this set-up somewhat (notable popular examples are Darkly Dreaming Dexter and We Need to Talk about Kevin), the parent does his or her best to raise a damaged child by incorporating morally driven guidelines or at least helping the child curb the latent sadistic and/or homicidal tendencies. The story for this book is on the opposite end of that spectrum since it deals with the fact that a parent actually wants the child to be evil, to perpetuate crimes against humanity which was why the patriarch here normalizes deviant behaviors that he hopes his son would manifest.
Told in the first-person perspective of the astute and intelligent Fumihiro, the book jumped back and forth between the present and the past in which certain key events fleshed out and enriched the protagonist's inner world and how often he rebelled against this macabre path that his father wanted him to succeed in. The readers also uncovered clues and secrets with Fumihiro regarding his awful family, all while he portrayed himself (both intentionally and not) as a hybrid individual torn between binary moral constrictions yet also seeing past such limitations in order to form a sense of control over the turbulence his life became the more the decay that has plagued his soul worsens. The one person who anchors him to his humanity was Kaori, his childhood friend and highschool sweetheart. They became estranged later on, however, though his connection with her meant that she's bound to get into trouble one way or another, due to people who would exploit her relationship with Fumihiro's family as a means to an end.
The book dealt with the subtle complexities of trauma, and how long-lasting psychological effects can create this bottomless loss of control in a person on top of a shaky identity and self-worth. Fumihiro was insightful and earnest over the course of the narrative; his sheer understanding of human nature and people's predilections towards misdeeds make him anticipate the behaviors of others, although the real mystery he desperately wants to solve was the enigma that made up his own conflict. There were times in the book, squeezed into pages of tension and suspense, that readers will glimpse a sympathetic side to Fumihiro, though more often than not these moments are immediately undercut by the disconcerting actions he is capable of for the sake of outmaneuvering bigger monsters. He plays the game well, even though he's also aware that winning such a thing would only turn him darker.
❝When people believe they have a good cause, the violence within them bursts forth unrestrained, as if their good angel has given permission for it to escape. Basically, that's how wars are started.❞
There were a few more subplots going on in this book aside from the character study of its protagonist, and the author deserves to be commended for managing to make a coherent picture out of such pieces that don't truly fit well enough to make sense either way. At certain points the momentum of the storytelling will stall, almost like an amateur cinematographer zooming in and out and panning left and right to gloss over details that seemed cumbersome. It does pick up eventually when the story needs to unravel some more, but these tiny pauses hover uncomfortably nevertheless, a bleak reminder that even the ordinary and commonplace can be a breeding ground for pain and cruelty.
Indeed there were more than a few passages that sent a chill down the spine, particularly in how Fumihiro conveyed his understanding of evil, in context of how his father opened his eyes to it and, later on, one of his brothers will reinforce its brutality. Melancholia was something the author was prone to indulge in, but he does so in careful doses that such an emotion only highlights the hollow desire of the wicked men portrayed in this book, so besotted they are with their own distorted version of reality in which violence seemed to be the only way they can communicate and even love.
On the other hand, Fumihiro's yearning for something other than a path of destruction is a turmoil we had all felt and gone through. He's been twisted into this version of monster the men in his family wanted, but he wrestled with that time and time again, even if the price was to become constantly vigilant of the darkness that threatens to turn him worse. I think Evil and the Mask's existential scope was complex but not too difficult to understand. Its elegant prose managed to address issues concerning moral relativity and the debatable definitions and aspects surrounding a sociopath that make such individuals in its spectrum a considerably intriguing study. Fumihiro, to me, is one, but there's more to his person than just simply evil.
My only gripe was possibly the way the female characters were written overall. Kaori was functional as Fumihiro's muse and moral foil. She didn't feel fully realized as her own person outside this sphere of relevance, though I cannot entirely accuse her as a mere plot device either. Perhaps the usage of first person simply limited her characterization this way, because Fumihiro was the reader's gateway to this world foremost, and we all know that unreliable narrators tend to happen when it comes to most character studies. It would have been interesting to learn more about her since she was a victim herself, physically and psychologically abused by Fumihiro's father, and readers can only speculate how that shaped her individuality from girl to woman.
❝People would probably tell me I still had a lot to look forward to. But my youthful heart, which had experienced great joy and the torments of hell, couldn't untangle the events and order them neatly. They settled inside me, and as I grew old, they would warp me even more.❞
In summary, I believe that Evil and the Mask is a memorable exploration of the complex tapestry that makes up people's flaws and triumphs, particularly the limiting scope of what is defined collectively as good and evil. It featured a character struggling endlessly with his dark compulsions in favor of finding a glimmer of light and beauty. The canvas that is the human experience is always painted with a burst of unexpected colors, alongside shades of gray, and yes, even the inevitable black that we often focus more on, in exclusion of everything else.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
Read more of my review in:
Read
January 30, 2014The ideas—concerning the efficacy of chaos vs the Problem of Evil as an axiomatic choice on the level of the individual, family, corporation, and to a lesser extent, the state—contained in this book would perhaps have been more successful intellectually as a series of essays than a novel.
As a novel, it reads rather quickly. There are occasional lines of near-insight ("Happiness is a fortress") which tempt one to reach for pad and pen to make note of, but the suspense was thicker and quicker than the distance between me and my writing implements. There's a line in here somewhere about "shallow books" doing a disservice to their readers by imparting their shite ideas upon them. I will shy away from addressing the question as to whether or not "Evil and the Mask" is a "shallow book" but will simply state the obvious, that it is dark. Very very dark. Do not read this book if you have any sort of aversion or sensitivity to extreme violence or cruelty. That being said, while the book is not inundated with such evils, the protagonist's search for exoneration ends up making him out to be a bit like Dexter from that fucking tee vee show. Because with an unlimited amount of money, a young man with personal vendettas can pretty much do whatever he wants.
This is the first piece of Japanese literature I've read that addresses WWII, and it does so only in brief without sugarcoating that country's lack of sufficient resources for their own soldiers. Unsurprisingly, no mention is made of either the atomic bomb or Pearl Harbor though a very general refresher on the US's involvement with Japan's reconstruction is given.
The depiction of a terrorist organization is very very good, but sadly a minor note in the plot. The terrorists want the nation's leaders to impersonate celebrities or else be subjected to assassination, starting with the most bald. The terrorists rank somewhere in between those of Mao II and Infinite Jest, on the deadly/hilarity scale.
One of the more salient points social criticism herein was the treatment of intellectual property rights in our digital age. Rather than attempt to summarize/analyze the novel's thought on that, I will simply post a long quote (because doing so expresses my view on the matter better than any words of my own ever could :)
I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone with a penchant for noir or contemporary Japan. The back of the book states that Nakamura is reminiscent of Camus and Doestoevsky, to which I will say yes, and also Highsmith, Mishima and Michael Connelly, of whom I know nothing.
This is a book for which there is more not to like than to like. Because it is easier to hate and be eville than to look for the good.
(my review copy provided courtesy of the publisher acting in conjunction with the goodreads First Reads pogrom).
As a novel, it reads rather quickly. There are occasional lines of near-insight ("Happiness is a fortress") which tempt one to reach for pad and pen to make note of, but the suspense was thicker and quicker than the distance between me and my writing implements. There's a line in here somewhere about "shallow books" doing a disservice to their readers by imparting their shite ideas upon them. I will shy away from addressing the question as to whether or not "Evil and the Mask" is a "shallow book" but will simply state the obvious, that it is dark. Very very dark. Do not read this book if you have any sort of aversion or sensitivity to extreme violence or cruelty. That being said, while the book is not inundated with such evils, the protagonist's search for exoneration ends up making him out to be a bit like Dexter from that fucking tee vee show. Because with an unlimited amount of money, a young man with personal vendettas can pretty much do whatever he wants.
This is the first piece of Japanese literature I've read that addresses WWII, and it does so only in brief without sugarcoating that country's lack of sufficient resources for their own soldiers. Unsurprisingly, no mention is made of either the atomic bomb or Pearl Harbor though a very general refresher on the US's involvement with Japan's reconstruction is given.
The depiction of a terrorist organization is very very good, but sadly a minor note in the plot. The terrorists want the nation's leaders to impersonate celebrities or else be subjected to assassination, starting with the most bald. The terrorists rank somewhere in between those of Mao II and Infinite Jest, on the deadly/hilarity scale.
One of the more salient points social criticism herein was the treatment of intellectual property rights in our digital age. Rather than attempt to summarize/analyze the novel's thought on that, I will simply post a long quote (because doing so expresses my view on the matter better than any words of my own ever could :)
If everyone can get their hands on whatever they want for nothing, the people who provide the culture will lose their source of income and the culture will decline. ... Traditional culture, underground culture, he wanted everything to collapse, everything to be done by amateurs. Enjoying things that non-professionals had created themselves in their spare time, enjoying them for free on the net, that would be cool. . . Deep down, people who deliberately distribute other people's music and stuff feel contempt for professionals. And it's not just culture—these days lots of people are contemptuous of everything. Without realizing it, they're searching for things to despise."The above monologue on copyright and an exegesis on how war yields more monies for the already-rich are worthy of anthologization.
I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone with a penchant for noir or contemporary Japan. The back of the book states that Nakamura is reminiscent of Camus and Doestoevsky, to which I will say yes, and also Highsmith, Mishima and Michael Connelly, of whom I know nothing.
This is a book for which there is more not to like than to like. Because it is easier to hate and be eville than to look for the good.
(my review copy provided courtesy of the publisher acting in conjunction with the goodreads First Reads pogrom).
March 5, 2021
Mein drittes Buch von F. Nakamura - und auch dieses hat mich größtenteils überzeugt.
„Glück ist eine Festung. Ein abgeschotteter Raum für ein paar Auserwählte, die sich um Menschen wie dich, die Leid und Schmerz ertragen, nicht scheren; die sich auch um arme, hungernde Menschen nicht scheren. Verfluche das Glück“
Der kleine Fumihiro Kuki wird im Alter von 11 Jahren von seinem schon gebrechlichen Vater herbeigerufen und über dessen Pläne mit ihm und seinem weiteren Lebensweg aufgeklärt - er ist als sogenanntes Geschwür geboren worden, soll Böses und Unglück über die Welt bringen. Im Zuge dessen wird ihm ein gleichaltriges Waisenmädchen, Kaori, zu Seite gestellt. Sie soll seinem Vater zufolge eine große Rolle auf Fumihoris Weg zum vollkommenen Geschwür spielen.
Nun freundet sich Fumihori aber mit Kaori an, aus Freundschaft entwickelt sich Liebe - was wohl nicht im Sinne seines Vaters sein kann. Fumihori will Kaori vor Übergriffen seines Vaters schützen und fasst dazu einen Plan mit großen Auswirkungen ...
Mit einer recht reduzierten und auf dem Punkt gebrachten Sprache schafft es F. Nakamura gut, anhand der Familiendynastie Kuki ein stimmungsvolles und erschütterndes Bild der organisierten Kriminalität in Japan zu zeichnen. Kriminelle Verstrickungen der Politik kommen zur Sprache, ebenso die Verzweiflung einiger Akteure, die in diesem Kreislauf - unverschuldet, nur durch ihre Familienzugehörigkeit - geraten sind. Einige haben resigniert und sich aufgegeben, andere feuern den Kreislauf durch immer größere und menschenverachtende Taten weiter an.
„Ich bin unberührbar, leider. Nichts kann mich mehr berühren. Letztlich bleibt sich alles gleich. Ich werde einfach so weiterleben, ob es mir gefällt oder nicht, gefangen in meiner Abscheu vor der Welt.“
Auch Fumihori scheint in diesem System gefangen, zumal er durch eine Veränderung als Erwachsener weitere Verantwortung und Schuld auf sich lädt - zumindest in den Augen anderer. Dafür ermöglicht ihm diese Veränderung aber auch, seinen in der Kindheit gefassten Plan weiterzuverfolgen.
Teilweise fatalistisch, leuchtet doch immer ein Licht am Ende des Tunnels - wenn auch nicht immer besonders hell. Ich hoffe auf deutsche Übersetzungen weitere Werke von Fuminori Nakamura.
„Glück ist eine Festung. Ein abgeschotteter Raum für ein paar Auserwählte, die sich um Menschen wie dich, die Leid und Schmerz ertragen, nicht scheren; die sich auch um arme, hungernde Menschen nicht scheren. Verfluche das Glück“
Der kleine Fumihiro Kuki wird im Alter von 11 Jahren von seinem schon gebrechlichen Vater herbeigerufen und über dessen Pläne mit ihm und seinem weiteren Lebensweg aufgeklärt - er ist als sogenanntes Geschwür geboren worden, soll Böses und Unglück über die Welt bringen. Im Zuge dessen wird ihm ein gleichaltriges Waisenmädchen, Kaori, zu Seite gestellt. Sie soll seinem Vater zufolge eine große Rolle auf Fumihoris Weg zum vollkommenen Geschwür spielen.
Nun freundet sich Fumihori aber mit Kaori an, aus Freundschaft entwickelt sich Liebe - was wohl nicht im Sinne seines Vaters sein kann. Fumihori will Kaori vor Übergriffen seines Vaters schützen und fasst dazu einen Plan mit großen Auswirkungen ...
Mit einer recht reduzierten und auf dem Punkt gebrachten Sprache schafft es F. Nakamura gut, anhand der Familiendynastie Kuki ein stimmungsvolles und erschütterndes Bild der organisierten Kriminalität in Japan zu zeichnen. Kriminelle Verstrickungen der Politik kommen zur Sprache, ebenso die Verzweiflung einiger Akteure, die in diesem Kreislauf - unverschuldet, nur durch ihre Familienzugehörigkeit - geraten sind. Einige haben resigniert und sich aufgegeben, andere feuern den Kreislauf durch immer größere und menschenverachtende Taten weiter an.
„Ich bin unberührbar, leider. Nichts kann mich mehr berühren. Letztlich bleibt sich alles gleich. Ich werde einfach so weiterleben, ob es mir gefällt oder nicht, gefangen in meiner Abscheu vor der Welt.“
Auch Fumihori scheint in diesem System gefangen, zumal er durch eine Veränderung als Erwachsener weitere Verantwortung und Schuld auf sich lädt - zumindest in den Augen anderer. Dafür ermöglicht ihm diese Veränderung aber auch, seinen in der Kindheit gefassten Plan weiterzuverfolgen.
Teilweise fatalistisch, leuchtet doch immer ein Licht am Ende des Tunnels - wenn auch nicht immer besonders hell. Ich hoffe auf deutsche Übersetzungen weitere Werke von Fuminori Nakamura.
July 20, 2017
I received this book from a book exchange partner in Japan. She wanted to send me a book from a Japanese author. I loved this book. It has a storyline, but also reads like a meditation on good and evil.
When he is a child, Fumihiro Kuki told by his father that he was created to be "a cancer on the world." His father feels the world is not worthy, and wants his son to create as much destruction as possible. This is to be his legacy.
Fumihiro rebels against his upbringing. His father adopts a young girl, Kaori, and Fumihiro falls in love with her. But his father has plans for Kaori that Fumihiro does not agree with. These feelings set Fumihiro on the course of his life.
I felt the writing in this book is beautiful. I enjoyed reading it and found beauty in the prose. Fumihiro's story is compelling and I found myself rooting for him the whole time. But his entire family is so screwed up that it feels he can never escape the evil.
Many of the ideas presented in the book are depraved, yet I never felt like the descriptions were too graphic. Instead, it leaves much to the imagination, which may be even more effective. I have read many books by Asian authors, and I like the writing styles I have encountered. I enjoyed this book very much and would definitely read more from this author.
When he is a child, Fumihiro Kuki told by his father that he was created to be "a cancer on the world." His father feels the world is not worthy, and wants his son to create as much destruction as possible. This is to be his legacy.
Fumihiro rebels against his upbringing. His father adopts a young girl, Kaori, and Fumihiro falls in love with her. But his father has plans for Kaori that Fumihiro does not agree with. These feelings set Fumihiro on the course of his life.
I felt the writing in this book is beautiful. I enjoyed reading it and found beauty in the prose. Fumihiro's story is compelling and I found myself rooting for him the whole time. But his entire family is so screwed up that it feels he can never escape the evil.
Many of the ideas presented in the book are depraved, yet I never felt like the descriptions were too graphic. Instead, it leaves much to the imagination, which may be even more effective. I have read many books by Asian authors, and I like the writing styles I have encountered. I enjoyed this book very much and would definitely read more from this author.
July 9, 2018
It was hard to put this one down. Psychotic and unpredictable. It begins with a dark tale of the past about Fumihiro and Kaori. All the family mess and how it was all started. Quite compelling and somehow tragic.
The 'Shintani era' was one of my favorite plot from the book. I was stunned with the change but it was getting interesting-- the detective stuff, about Kaori, even Ito and the Kuki's mess. I love how Shintani handles everything (okay minus the killing part but I take that as you gotta do what you gotta do). I know how he was not quite 'well' inside but the way he thinks and cares was somehow looking lovely to me. That chapter of him and Kaori having the last moment together was my favorite-- tense but sincere.
The writing was proper and well, I love the author's style in explaining stuff-- about the cult and the WW2 story. Even with switchbacks plot still it was easy to understand the flow. Character's intro and development was just nice-- loving Mr Detective a lot. And Kaori was lovely and pure, even Aida was okay to me though he was a bit annoying.
So in love with the ending-- from quite a thrilled evil plot to lovable and melancholic sort of. I should get another Fuminori Nakamura later!
The 'Shintani era' was one of my favorite plot from the book. I was stunned with the change but it was getting interesting-- the detective stuff, about Kaori, even Ito and the Kuki's mess. I love how Shintani handles everything (okay minus the killing part but I take that as you gotta do what you gotta do). I know how he was not quite 'well' inside but the way he thinks and cares was somehow looking lovely to me. That chapter of him and Kaori having the last moment together was my favorite-- tense but sincere.
The writing was proper and well, I love the author's style in explaining stuff-- about the cult and the WW2 story. Even with switchbacks plot still it was easy to understand the flow. Character's intro and development was just nice-- loving Mr Detective a lot. And Kaori was lovely and pure, even Aida was okay to me though he was a bit annoying.
So in love with the ending-- from quite a thrilled evil plot to lovable and melancholic sort of. I should get another Fuminori Nakamura later!
April 3, 2022
Başıma ağrı girdi kitabın saçmalığından. Çok sinirliyim dkmdksmdmslmd.
May 5, 2018
Ich muss meine Gedanken zu diesem Buch noch etwas ordnen, aber es hat mir definitiv gefallen.
Vom Klappentext her habe ich etwas vollkommen anderes erwartet, dennoch konnte mich die teilweise schon philosophische Handlung überzeugen.
Vom Klappentext her habe ich etwas vollkommen anderes erwartet, dennoch konnte mich die teilweise schon philosophische Handlung überzeugen.
March 29, 2018
The audio version of the Japanese novel, Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura, and read by Kirby Heyborne (who, incidentally was also the narrator for the audio version of Gone Girl and Heft), is probably the creepiest love story I've ever heard, made all the more creepy by the stunning audio performance. Yes, I said "love story" because beneath all the murder, suffering, sickness, depression, familial abuse, and philosophical waxing is a young boy's love for a young girl.
Fumihiro is raised by his icky old pervy father, who subscribes to a wacky family tradition of child-raising that mandates men who sire a son after age 60 must groom the boy into a sick, evil dude and release him as a cancer to the world (and you thought your family was crazy?). To this end, Fumihiro's dad adopts a beautiful orphan girl and facilitates an abnormal attachment between her and his young son. As they bond, he screws with their heads in an effort to turn Fumi into as sick a f#%ck as he is. The plan backfires when, as his first act of evil, young Fumihiro makes a little plan of his own - to get rid of his father. He distances himself from Kaori, the beautiful orphan, to protect her from residual evil spillage.
But he loses track of Kaori as the plot twists and turns in bizarre directions which involve changing identities, terrorist activity, Sam Spade-ish detective noir, and even more familial nuttiness in the form of Fumi's older brother, Mikihiko, who was originally raised to be the cancer of the family but was set free when Fumihiro was born. Throughout the book, Nakamura maintains a delicate balance between good and evil, driven mainly by Fumi's pining for the long lost Kaori.
Although the novel temporarily lost it's stronghold on me in several places, especially during each set up for a plot twist, it brought me back time and time again with its astute philosophical observations, strong political commentaries on society and culture, and of course Fumi's poignant longing for love.
At times the tone reminded me of famous Japanese author Haruke Murakami's 1Q84 but without the mega-wordiness. Listening to the audio version is especially entertaining when the reader is as versatile and talented as Heyborne. For a real performance treat at the end, pay attention to the monologue by Fumihiro's deranged older brother, Mikihiko. His voice traveling through my earbuds made me shudder down the length of my spine!
Fumihiro is raised by his icky old pervy father, who subscribes to a wacky family tradition of child-raising that mandates men who sire a son after age 60 must groom the boy into a sick, evil dude and release him as a cancer to the world (and you thought your family was crazy?). To this end, Fumihiro's dad adopts a beautiful orphan girl and facilitates an abnormal attachment between her and his young son. As they bond, he screws with their heads in an effort to turn Fumi into as sick a f#%ck as he is. The plan backfires when, as his first act of evil, young Fumihiro makes a little plan of his own - to get rid of his father. He distances himself from Kaori, the beautiful orphan, to protect her from residual evil spillage.
But he loses track of Kaori as the plot twists and turns in bizarre directions which involve changing identities, terrorist activity, Sam Spade-ish detective noir, and even more familial nuttiness in the form of Fumi's older brother, Mikihiko, who was originally raised to be the cancer of the family but was set free when Fumihiro was born. Throughout the book, Nakamura maintains a delicate balance between good and evil, driven mainly by Fumi's pining for the long lost Kaori.
Although the novel temporarily lost it's stronghold on me in several places, especially during each set up for a plot twist, it brought me back time and time again with its astute philosophical observations, strong political commentaries on society and culture, and of course Fumi's poignant longing for love.
At times the tone reminded me of famous Japanese author Haruke Murakami's 1Q84 but without the mega-wordiness. Listening to the audio version is especially entertaining when the reader is as versatile and talented as Heyborne. For a real performance treat at the end, pay attention to the monologue by Fumihiro's deranged older brother, Mikihiko. His voice traveling through my earbuds made me shudder down the length of my spine!
July 26, 2013
When I read this from the product description, I figured I pretty much had to read the book:
Note on the Kindle Edition: I read this in Kindle format, and I must offer here some praise to the publisher, Soho Crime. The eBook formatting on this novel was top-notch. It nearly recreates the admiration one feels for a finely crafted interior design for a physical book.
When Fumihiro Kuki is eleven years old, his elderly, enigmatic father calls him into his study for a meeting. "I created you to be a cancer on the world," his father tells him. It is a tradition in their wealthy family: a patriarch, when reaching the end of his life, will beget one last child to dedicate to causing misery in a world that cannot be controlled or saved. From this point on, Fumihiro will be specially educated to learn to create as much destruction and unhappiness in the world around him as a single person can.Does Nakamura write a novel equal to this premise? Well, he comes pretty darn close. The first chapter of this book is dynamite, a textbook example of how to hook a reader. This book is relentlessly grim throughout, but it doesn't finish on the note I’d been anticipating. Some of the dialog is a bit overdone, especially when the characters are waxing philosophical. But that shouldn't deter the reader who doesn't mind reading noir where almost every character is a sociopath.
Note on the Kindle Edition: I read this in Kindle format, and I must offer here some praise to the publisher, Soho Crime. The eBook formatting on this novel was top-notch. It nearly recreates the admiration one feels for a finely crafted interior design for a physical book.
July 1, 2023
I loved his other book "The Thieve", so I wanted to read this one.
And I really liked this one also.
I did not want to put this book down.
I just wished that I could read Japanese because I am sure some things just got lost in translation.
I’m looking forward to reading another novel by this author.
PS. the update of this review posted back in 2013 was only to correct some spellings. It’s been too long to add anything else, but a 5 stars rating is enough for me.
And I really liked this one also.
I did not want to put this book down.
I just wished that I could read Japanese because I am sure some things just got lost in translation.
I’m looking forward to reading another novel by this author.
PS. the update of this review posted back in 2013 was only to correct some spellings. It’s been too long to add anything else, but a 5 stars rating is enough for me.
June 9, 2019
I loved this book. It certainly is one with quite a dark tone and a tragic story, so it may not be for everyone, but it is just so well-written.
From the very beginning, we are witnessing the birth of a psychopath. Animal cruelty, then fire setting...those are the beginnings of the homicidal triad. But the author gives us such a good insight into Fumihiro’s inner thoughts and feelings, that you can’t help but feel for him.
There’s a scene when he’s just a toddler and he runs into his father. His father literally sweeps him away with his foot, “as if it was a nuisance even to kick me”. This poor kid was literally “bred” to be a “cancer” on society. But all the way through, you also see him actively fight against this very thing. When he’s young, he takes stickers or toys with him when he’s called into his father’s study, for the sole purpose of appearing more childlike. Perhaps with the hope that this will make his father think he’s too young to fully understand what is expected of him. And it’s just tragic that a child of that age has to try to protect himself from trauma like that.
The “countdown to hell” was also well written. In the flashbacks (labelled as “past”), you’ve got this sort of coming of age, slice of life type story where you watch the two protagonists grow up and get closer, but always at the back of your mind is this time limit. Fumihiro’s father promised to show him hell at numerous points in his life, and each time you’re reminded of that, it makes you anxious. Especially when you see how close he gets to Kaori, and the metamorphosis that happens to him as a consequence of one of his actions.
And then the book brings you back to the present, which is very noir. You’ve got private detectives, sinister plots, people changing their faces using shady plastic surgeons. You often see the protagonist fighting against the destructive urges which well up inside of him, and it’s the old question of whether you are born evil or raised to be evil.
The way it ended was bitter-sweet. It wasn’t the happy ending some people may be looking for, but it is also exactly the ending I expected, and I have no complaints over it. There’s this concept in Japanese literature and film called “mono no aware”, i.e. “the sadness of things”. The idea is that stories don’t always have happy endings, and that the transience of things like love and happiness are far more realistic. This was the perfect example of where mono no aware applies.
I did find the intimate scenes between the protagonists at the start of the book uncomfortable reading. I know the age of consent in Japan is 13, but that’s just way too low for me, and I don’t particularly want to read about two teens doing it. I can see why it was included in this book, as it did have a purpose in the coming of age story. But it was still something I could have done without.
Having said that, overall, I really did enjoy this book. It wasn’t what I expected, but it is definitely one which I would read again.
From the very beginning, we are witnessing the birth of a psychopath. Animal cruelty, then fire setting...those are the beginnings of the homicidal triad. But the author gives us such a good insight into Fumihiro’s inner thoughts and feelings, that you can’t help but feel for him.
There’s a scene when he’s just a toddler and he runs into his father. His father literally sweeps him away with his foot, “as if it was a nuisance even to kick me”. This poor kid was literally “bred” to be a “cancer” on society. But all the way through, you also see him actively fight against this very thing. When he’s young, he takes stickers or toys with him when he’s called into his father’s study, for the sole purpose of appearing more childlike. Perhaps with the hope that this will make his father think he’s too young to fully understand what is expected of him. And it’s just tragic that a child of that age has to try to protect himself from trauma like that.
The “countdown to hell” was also well written. In the flashbacks (labelled as “past”), you’ve got this sort of coming of age, slice of life type story where you watch the two protagonists grow up and get closer, but always at the back of your mind is this time limit. Fumihiro’s father promised to show him hell at numerous points in his life, and each time you’re reminded of that, it makes you anxious. Especially when you see how close he gets to Kaori, and the metamorphosis that happens to him as a consequence of one of his actions.
And then the book brings you back to the present, which is very noir. You’ve got private detectives, sinister plots, people changing their faces using shady plastic surgeons. You often see the protagonist fighting against the destructive urges which well up inside of him, and it’s the old question of whether you are born evil or raised to be evil.
The way it ended was bitter-sweet. It wasn’t the happy ending some people may be looking for, but it is also exactly the ending I expected, and I have no complaints over it. There’s this concept in Japanese literature and film called “mono no aware”, i.e. “the sadness of things”. The idea is that stories don’t always have happy endings, and that the transience of things like love and happiness are far more realistic. This was the perfect example of where mono no aware applies.
I did find the intimate scenes between the protagonists at the start of the book uncomfortable reading. I know the age of consent in Japan is 13, but that’s just way too low for me, and I don’t particularly want to read about two teens doing it. I can see why it was included in this book, as it did have a purpose in the coming of age story. But it was still something I could have done without.
Having said that, overall, I really did enjoy this book. It wasn’t what I expected, but it is definitely one which I would read again.
October 1, 2019
2.5
Puuuuh... Wenn ich dieses Buch nicht geschenkt bekommen hätte, hätte ich es wohl abgebrochen 😅.
In "Die Maske" gibt es eine mächtige japanische Familie, die jeweils den jüngsten Sohn als "Geschwür" erzieht (sie sollen quasi Zerstörung, Chaos und Unglück über die Menschheit bringen). Der Protagonist wird als ein eben solches Geschwür erzogen und wir begleiten seine Geschichte von seiner Kindheit bis ins Erwachsenenalter.
An sich klingt diese Grundidee ja ganz interessant, obwohl der Gedanke natürlich ziemlich krank ist, aber "Die Maske" konnte mich einfach nicht fesseln. Logischerweise waren mir die Charaktere nicht sehr sympathisch 🙈, aber selbst damit wäre ich klar gekommen, wenn die Handlung mich mitgerissen hätte. Nur leider war dies überhaupt nicht der Fall... Neben der Grundidee hat mich einfach nichts von der Geschichte angesprochen oder begeistern können 🙈.
Vielleicht war es auch der falsche Zeitpunkt und ich hätte das Buch nicht 2 Monate pausieren sollen 😅, aber daran kann ich jetzt nichts ändern 🤷🏻♀️.
Insgesamt war das Buch ok, aber leider bei weitem nicht so gut wie es der Klappentext verspricht (ist natürlich nur meine Meinung 😄).
Puuuuh... Wenn ich dieses Buch nicht geschenkt bekommen hätte, hätte ich es wohl abgebrochen 😅.
In "Die Maske" gibt es eine mächtige japanische Familie, die jeweils den jüngsten Sohn als "Geschwür" erzieht (sie sollen quasi Zerstörung, Chaos und Unglück über die Menschheit bringen). Der Protagonist wird als ein eben solches Geschwür erzogen und wir begleiten seine Geschichte von seiner Kindheit bis ins Erwachsenenalter.
An sich klingt diese Grundidee ja ganz interessant, obwohl der Gedanke natürlich ziemlich krank ist, aber "Die Maske" konnte mich einfach nicht fesseln. Logischerweise waren mir die Charaktere nicht sehr sympathisch 🙈, aber selbst damit wäre ich klar gekommen, wenn die Handlung mich mitgerissen hätte. Nur leider war dies überhaupt nicht der Fall... Neben der Grundidee hat mich einfach nichts von der Geschichte angesprochen oder begeistern können 🙈.
Vielleicht war es auch der falsche Zeitpunkt und ich hätte das Buch nicht 2 Monate pausieren sollen 😅, aber daran kann ich jetzt nichts ändern 🤷🏻♀️.
Insgesamt war das Buch ok, aber leider bei weitem nicht so gut wie es der Klappentext verspricht (ist natürlich nur meine Meinung 😄).
May 31, 2018
A unique novel! The main character doesn't become the typical killer caricature that often happens when this concept of "nature vs. nurture" in the "how do people become evil" debate. This, and the unexpected direction the tale takes, highly impressed me.
My book is filled with so many tabs because there were so many amazing lines and discussion on the nature of human beings and their ability to balance and weigh the actions of evil, both from others and themselves.
My book is filled with so many tabs because there were so many amazing lines and discussion on the nature of human beings and their ability to balance and weigh the actions of evil, both from others and themselves.
May 15, 2020
Been saving this one since it’s the last of Fuminori Nakamura’s books available in English that I haven’t read. Surprisingly! It is an extremely optimistic book about life passing through hell and still being able to continue on. A wonderful message delivered in an intelligent and selfless manner that considers all angles. The story is about a boy who is programmed from birth to be a cancer to society and how he chooses to break away from that. It’s great! It’s also the perfect book for someone who feels guilty for having killed someone...just so you know
March 27, 2021
خداوکیلی این چه مزخرفی بود من خوندم؟!
June 13, 2013
As always, you can be content with this short version, or you can click on over here for a wordier one.
My thanks to Soho for my advanced reading copy -- I liked it so much I bought a real copy for my home library. I don't know that I'd classify it as a crime fiction novel -- while there are certainly some smoky, seedy bars and private investigators that conjure up visions of the darkest noir, and although there are a number of crimes committed during the course of this book, it's the philosophical that ultimately takes center stage. It's very dark in nature, so if you're looking to this novel as a leisurely beach read over the summer -- forget about it.
The main character of this novel is Fumihiro Kuki, who the reader first meets at the age of eleven. His elderly father clues him in on a secret -- Fumihiro was born for the special purpose of becoming a "cancer," "a personification of evil" who will "make the world miserable ... make everyone wish they had never been born ... and "make everyone think that the light of virtue does not shine in this world." The family has its own line of cancers, born to "spread a stain over the light of the world," a tradition that Kuki's father has revived. Fumihiro never knew his mother; he lives alone in the big Kuki mansion with a housekeeper, his father (who is often away for business) and Kaori, a young girl his father adopted from an orphanage. Fumihiro detests his father, and suffers from serious depression, which he covers with a "mask of cheerfulness." His situation is untenable, but Kaori is the shining light in his life. He has been told by his father that when he turns 14, he will show him hell. As Fumihiro moves into his thirteenth year, he and Kaori have become very close, but when Fumihiro realizes that his father has been using her to satisfy some perverted desire, it becomes clear to him that the hell he promises Fumihiro for his fourteenth birthday has to do with Kaori. It also becomes clear that the only way he can prevent his father from going ahead with his vile plan is to get rid of him.
Looking back from adult life, Fumihiro tells of being plagued by several questions about acting on what he knows he must do and what society would say about his actions. After weighing what he knows the outside world would tell him against his need to protect Kaori, he is more determined than ever. They might think he was "the evil one," but Fumihiro doesn't care. As he sets his plan in motion, his father tells him that he's "got what it takes to be a cancer," and that he has "all the makings of a real monster." Was his father right? By killing his father would he be stepping into his predestined role? Is he truly his father's son? The story is narrated by the adult Fumihiro, plagued by ambiguity, looking back over his past and relating his present, all the while trying to get a grip on understanding himself and the effects of his "rule-breaking" acts in the bigger, wider world around him. Is his rational examination of his life and deeds a means of confronting the truth or a way to avoid facing it?
Evil and the Mask is an outstanding novel, extremely well written, and I haven't read it in Japanese but the narrative is never halting or awkward so I'd imagine that as a translation it's quite good. There is a lot to this novel and I've pretty much just skimmed the surface here, but from my own casual reader perspective, it's an amazing book that throws out conundrum after conundrum to Fumihiro and to Nakamura's readers as well.
*****************************************************************
If you would like my advanced reading copy, just be the first to leave a comment here (US only, please, sorry!) and I'll send it to you, free of charge on your part. If you could also leave an email at [email protected] with a mailing address after you leave your comment, I can get it out to you shortly.
My thanks to Soho for my advanced reading copy -- I liked it so much I bought a real copy for my home library. I don't know that I'd classify it as a crime fiction novel -- while there are certainly some smoky, seedy bars and private investigators that conjure up visions of the darkest noir, and although there are a number of crimes committed during the course of this book, it's the philosophical that ultimately takes center stage. It's very dark in nature, so if you're looking to this novel as a leisurely beach read over the summer -- forget about it.
The main character of this novel is Fumihiro Kuki, who the reader first meets at the age of eleven. His elderly father clues him in on a secret -- Fumihiro was born for the special purpose of becoming a "cancer," "a personification of evil" who will "make the world miserable ... make everyone wish they had never been born ... and "make everyone think that the light of virtue does not shine in this world." The family has its own line of cancers, born to "spread a stain over the light of the world," a tradition that Kuki's father has revived. Fumihiro never knew his mother; he lives alone in the big Kuki mansion with a housekeeper, his father (who is often away for business) and Kaori, a young girl his father adopted from an orphanage. Fumihiro detests his father, and suffers from serious depression, which he covers with a "mask of cheerfulness." His situation is untenable, but Kaori is the shining light in his life. He has been told by his father that when he turns 14, he will show him hell. As Fumihiro moves into his thirteenth year, he and Kaori have become very close, but when Fumihiro realizes that his father has been using her to satisfy some perverted desire, it becomes clear to him that the hell he promises Fumihiro for his fourteenth birthday has to do with Kaori. It also becomes clear that the only way he can prevent his father from going ahead with his vile plan is to get rid of him.
Looking back from adult life, Fumihiro tells of being plagued by several questions about acting on what he knows he must do and what society would say about his actions. After weighing what he knows the outside world would tell him against his need to protect Kaori, he is more determined than ever. They might think he was "the evil one," but Fumihiro doesn't care. As he sets his plan in motion, his father tells him that he's "got what it takes to be a cancer," and that he has "all the makings of a real monster." Was his father right? By killing his father would he be stepping into his predestined role? Is he truly his father's son? The story is narrated by the adult Fumihiro, plagued by ambiguity, looking back over his past and relating his present, all the while trying to get a grip on understanding himself and the effects of his "rule-breaking" acts in the bigger, wider world around him. Is his rational examination of his life and deeds a means of confronting the truth or a way to avoid facing it?
Evil and the Mask is an outstanding novel, extremely well written, and I haven't read it in Japanese but the narrative is never halting or awkward so I'd imagine that as a translation it's quite good. There is a lot to this novel and I've pretty much just skimmed the surface here, but from my own casual reader perspective, it's an amazing book that throws out conundrum after conundrum to Fumihiro and to Nakamura's readers as well.
*****************************************************************
If you would like my advanced reading copy, just be the first to leave a comment here (US only, please, sorry!) and I'll send it to you, free of charge on your part. If you could also leave an email at [email protected] with a mailing address after you leave your comment, I can get it out to you shortly.
August 8, 2018
Bösartig, düster, hoffnungslos! Lesetipp!
Tradition wird in Japan groß geschrieben. Ganz besonders dann, wenn man zum Kuki-Clan gehört. Fumihiro ist gefangen, denn sein Vater hat etwas ganz Besonderes mit dem Jungen vor. Er will der Welt ein Geschwür des Bösen geben. Dieses Geschwür hat einen Namen: Fumihiro.
Der Clanpatriach verspricht den Jungen, dass er zum vierzehnten Geburtstag die Hölle kennen lernen wird. Dass bei diesem Plan seine Adoptivschwester Kaori eine große Rolle spielen ahnt er noch nicht. Grausam setzt der Patriach seine Familientradtion fort. Dann rückt der Geburtstag näher und so nach und nach tut sich das Grauen des Bösen auf.
Fuminori Nakamura ist wohl auch so ein Japaner mit zwei Gesichtern. Sein erstes übersetztes Buch „Der Dieb“ liest sich nämlich ganz anders, das ist so eine Geschichte, die den Schalk im Nacken hat. In „Die Maske“ geht es auch um die Unterwelt Tokios, aber viel bösartiger, dunkler, hoffnungsloser.
Beim Lesen war ich von der ersten Seite an gefesselt und tastete mich mit Beklemmungsgefühlen voran. Denn dieser alte böse Mann, Fumihiros Vater, lässt dem Jungen keine Chance. Und man ahnt: Das kann nur böse enden und überhaupt, diesen Traditionen entkommt man nicht. So ergeht es auch Fumihiro, der eigentlich ein guter Junge ist, dem aber keine Chance bleibt, sein Leben im Guten zu führen. In so einer Familie ist einfach kein Platz für Gutes, und genau das beweist Nakamura auf jeder Seite. Gut ist es nur für den Leser: Denn der verfolgt das fortschreitende Grauen und weiß: Das wird böse enden.
Wieder einmal hat mich Fuminori Nakamura fesseln können. Und zwar von Anfang an. Denn auch sein zweites, sein richtig böses, Gesicht steht dem japanischen Autor richtig gut. Wer sich auf eine hoffnungslose Familientradition einlassen möchte, kommt um dieses Buch nicht rum. Bei all dem Bösen ist es nämlich verdammt gut zu lesen. Lesetipp!
Tradition wird in Japan groß geschrieben. Ganz besonders dann, wenn man zum Kuki-Clan gehört. Fumihiro ist gefangen, denn sein Vater hat etwas ganz Besonderes mit dem Jungen vor. Er will der Welt ein Geschwür des Bösen geben. Dieses Geschwür hat einen Namen: Fumihiro.
Der Clanpatriach verspricht den Jungen, dass er zum vierzehnten Geburtstag die Hölle kennen lernen wird. Dass bei diesem Plan seine Adoptivschwester Kaori eine große Rolle spielen ahnt er noch nicht. Grausam setzt der Patriach seine Familientradtion fort. Dann rückt der Geburtstag näher und so nach und nach tut sich das Grauen des Bösen auf.
Fuminori Nakamura ist wohl auch so ein Japaner mit zwei Gesichtern. Sein erstes übersetztes Buch „Der Dieb“ liest sich nämlich ganz anders, das ist so eine Geschichte, die den Schalk im Nacken hat. In „Die Maske“ geht es auch um die Unterwelt Tokios, aber viel bösartiger, dunkler, hoffnungsloser.
Beim Lesen war ich von der ersten Seite an gefesselt und tastete mich mit Beklemmungsgefühlen voran. Denn dieser alte böse Mann, Fumihiros Vater, lässt dem Jungen keine Chance. Und man ahnt: Das kann nur böse enden und überhaupt, diesen Traditionen entkommt man nicht. So ergeht es auch Fumihiro, der eigentlich ein guter Junge ist, dem aber keine Chance bleibt, sein Leben im Guten zu führen. In so einer Familie ist einfach kein Platz für Gutes, und genau das beweist Nakamura auf jeder Seite. Gut ist es nur für den Leser: Denn der verfolgt das fortschreitende Grauen und weiß: Das wird böse enden.
Wieder einmal hat mich Fuminori Nakamura fesseln können. Und zwar von Anfang an. Denn auch sein zweites, sein richtig böses, Gesicht steht dem japanischen Autor richtig gut. Wer sich auf eine hoffnungslose Familientradition einlassen möchte, kommt um dieses Buch nicht rum. Bei all dem Bösen ist es nämlich verdammt gut zu lesen. Lesetipp!
March 29, 2013
I won this book as part of Goodreads' first read program.
The book has an intriguing plot: a boy is raised by his father to be a cancer on the world, thus carrying on the family tradition. It starts off well enough as the father plots to sink his son into moral depravity through a cruel education. There is definitely a darker tone to the novel that at one point is just awkward for the reader (a sex scene between 13 year olds is tough to stomach).
Then the story ventures into the present day where our antihero struggles with his place in the world between what he wants and loves and what he was raised to be. A lot is written without a lot happening in the story. Long stretches of paragraphs go by where the characters philosophize about life, death, good, and evil. When something actually happens, it's good, but there are too many stretches of introspection that really strangle the plot at points.
A fun plot with enough happening to make up for too much talking at points makes this a three star book for me. I'm glad I read it, but have no desire to reread the book or revisit it's characters.
The book has an intriguing plot: a boy is raised by his father to be a cancer on the world, thus carrying on the family tradition. It starts off well enough as the father plots to sink his son into moral depravity through a cruel education. There is definitely a darker tone to the novel that at one point is just awkward for the reader (a sex scene between 13 year olds is tough to stomach).
Then the story ventures into the present day where our antihero struggles with his place in the world between what he wants and loves and what he was raised to be. A lot is written without a lot happening in the story. Long stretches of paragraphs go by where the characters philosophize about life, death, good, and evil. When something actually happens, it's good, but there are too many stretches of introspection that really strangle the plot at points.
A fun plot with enough happening to make up for too much talking at points makes this a three star book for me. I'm glad I read it, but have no desire to reread the book or revisit it's characters.
March 25, 2020
Baştan uyarmak gerekir ki bu kitap ya sizi tamamen içine çekip saracak ya da itecek. Benim için ilk seçenek gerçekleşti. Son dönemde okuduğum en başarılı roman olduğunu çekinmeden söyleyebilirim.
Kitabın kapağına ve arka kapak yazısına aldanıp da dünyaya inip görünür hale gelen şeytanın insanları birşeylere zorladığı yönünde, biraz da ABD'nin kültür alanındaki emperyalizminden kaynaklanan, bir önyargıyla kitaba baslamamak lazım.
Konudan bahsedip "spoiler" vermek istemiyorum. Buna karşın, karanlık ve kasvetli bir hikayesi olsa da ilerledikçe daha iyimser hale geldiğini söyleyebilirim. Kitaptaki varoluşsal tartışmalar, iyilik/kötülük sorgulaması gibi felsefi yaklaşımlar; son 20-30 yılda yaşanan savaşlara ve güncel olaylara ilişkin değerlendirmeler kitabı daha da ilgi çekici hale getiriyor.
Çağdaş Japon edebiyatının önde gelen isimlerinden Fuminori Nakamura'nin ilk kitabı Hırsız ve (yanılmıyorsam) 2013'te yazdığı bu kitap arasında konunun ele alınışı ve yaklaşım açısından hayli fark olduğuna da belirmek lazım.
Son olarak, olağanüstü çevirinin kitabın Türkçe okuyanlar üzerindeki etkisini arttıracağı da bir gerçek.
Kitabın kapağına ve arka kapak yazısına aldanıp da dünyaya inip görünür hale gelen şeytanın insanları birşeylere zorladığı yönünde, biraz da ABD'nin kültür alanındaki emperyalizminden kaynaklanan, bir önyargıyla kitaba baslamamak lazım.
Konudan bahsedip "spoiler" vermek istemiyorum. Buna karşın, karanlık ve kasvetli bir hikayesi olsa da ilerledikçe daha iyimser hale geldiğini söyleyebilirim. Kitaptaki varoluşsal tartışmalar, iyilik/kötülük sorgulaması gibi felsefi yaklaşımlar; son 20-30 yılda yaşanan savaşlara ve güncel olaylara ilişkin değerlendirmeler kitabı daha da ilgi çekici hale getiriyor.
Çağdaş Japon edebiyatının önde gelen isimlerinden Fuminori Nakamura'nin ilk kitabı Hırsız ve (yanılmıyorsam) 2013'te yazdığı bu kitap arasında konunun ele alınışı ve yaklaşım açısından hayli fark olduğuna da belirmek lazım.
Son olarak, olağanüstü çevirinin kitabın Türkçe okuyanlar üzerindeki etkisini arttıracağı da bir gerçek.
March 29, 2018
1,5 Sterne, die 0,5 sind für das Ende.
Ich konnte die Prämisse des Buches nicht nachvollziehen: Ein Vater, der sein Kind zum Bösen erzieht (selbst mit der Hintergrundgeschichte, die man später im Buch erfährt).
Gestört haben mich außerdem die Dialoge, die teilweise einfach nur Monologe waren und das Buch doch arg in die Länge gezogen haben. Außerdem konnte ich nicht verstehen, warum Fumihiro nun eigentlich in Kaori verliebt war - seine Gefühle schienen doch sehr auf Äußerlichkeiten (und ihre Brüste) fixiert zu sein. Ich hätte gerne mehr über ihre Persönlichkeit erfahren, abgesehen davon, dass sie Kassenzettel aufhebt. Und was bitte war diese seltsame Szene, in der Fumihiro's Freundin es toll findet, so zu tun, als ob sie vergewaltigt wird???
Kein Buch für mich.
Ich konnte die Prämisse des Buches nicht nachvollziehen: Ein Vater, der sein Kind zum Bösen erzieht (selbst mit der Hintergrundgeschichte, die man später im Buch erfährt).
Gestört haben mich außerdem die Dialoge, die teilweise einfach nur Monologe waren und das Buch doch arg in die Länge gezogen haben. Außerdem konnte ich nicht verstehen, warum Fumihiro nun eigentlich in Kaori verliebt war - seine Gefühle schienen doch sehr auf Äußerlichkeiten (und ihre Brüste) fixiert zu sein. Ich hätte gerne mehr über ihre Persönlichkeit erfahren, abgesehen davon, dass sie Kassenzettel aufhebt. Und was bitte war diese seltsame Szene, in der Fumihiro's Freundin es toll findet, so zu tun, als ob sie vergewaltigt wird???
Kein Buch für mich.
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