Incredibly, Maki was still on her feet and still alive, her eyeballs swiveling wildly and her lips quivering as she wheezed foam-flecked blood from the wound in her throat. she seemed to be trying to say something....

It is just before New Year's. Frank, an overweight American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's sleazy nightlife. But Frank's behavior is so strange that Kenji begins to entertain the suspicion-that his new client is in fact the serial killer currently terrorizing the city. It is not until later, however, that Kenji learns exactly how much he has to fear and how irrevocably his encounter with this great whale of an American will change his life.


Opinion:

I've never read any other Ryu Murakami books before. What I can say is that it is very very graphic. I'd compare it to the level of violence in "American Psycho". Even in all of this, it brings a hypnotic feeling along with that of unease. I felt like my soul need a little scrubbing after reading this....I think that's the only way I can describe it. Still, I feel in a literary sense, that it was quite good.

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"In the Miso Soup" is a story about a Japanese man named Kenji who works as a "nightlife tour guide" for visiting tourists. He specializes in sex tours and helps tourists get into clubs that are normally not very friendly to the "gaijin" or foreigner. He advertises in only one magazine which a friend produces and that is a rather sleazy publication. Frank, an American man, on business in Japan calls Kenji with the intent to hire him. Frank plans to be in Japan for 3-4 days and wants to hire Kenji for the entire time. When Kenji first meets Frank, he feels as if Frank may not be what he claims to be, but, hey, money is money and if Frank wants to pretend, that's his perogative. He asks Kenji to take him to some peep shows to "warm up" or get aroused before fulfilling his needs. Things go along rather smoothly at first. But as the night goes on and he observes Frank, he becomes a bit troubled. So Kenji calls his girlfriend, Jin, and they discuss his observations and misgivings once he goes home. By the next day, still unsure of Frank, as the night progresses, he begins to wonder if Frank is capable of some horrendous acts that have taken place when Kenji is not with Frank. Kenji would like to end his employment but Frank is adamant and so he stays. But by then, he really learns about Frank and the true story unwinds in a tale of horror. This is most definitely NOT a cozy mystery.

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