Helpful Score: 2
Yoko Ogawa, probably best known in the English-speaking world for The Housekeeper and the Professor, tackles the same themes in Hotel Iris but in a darker, more disturbing way. Seventeen-year-old Mari works in her family's crumbling seaside inn when a middle aged man and a prostitute are thrown out for an altercation. The man, a reclusive Russian translator, captures her attention and they begin an intense affair with BDSM overtones. In addition to their substantial age difference, Mari's domineering mother and rumors that the translator killed his wife complicate the relationship. The prose is sparse, elegant, beautiful, and focused on how Mari, the first person narrator, experiences intimacy and relates to another human being. However, the ending is abrupt and it's harder to sympathize with the characters than the more wholesome ones in The Housekeeper and the Professor. This book would probably suit readers who want their books to make them feel and think, rather than have a well-developed story laid out for them.
Helpful Score: 1
One of the most bizarre and disturbing books I have ever read. Yet, it was like a train wreck. I could not look away. I can't decide if I loved the book because it is beautifully written and pulls you in or if I hated the book because of the story and characters itself. I know I will be thinking about it for a while.
