Journal Entry 1 by LeishaCamden from Alna bydel, Oslo fylke Norway on Monday, March 23, 2009

From the back cover:

'In a suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo, four teenage girls drift through a hot smoggy August and tedious summer school classes. There's dependable Toshi, brainy Terauchi, Yuzan, grief-stricken and confused, and Kirarin, whose late nights and reckless behaviour remain a secret from those around her.

Then Toshi's next-door neighbour is found brutally murdered and the girls suspect Worm, the neighbour's son and a high-school misfit. But when he disappears (having stolen Toshi's bike and mobile) the four girls become irresistibly drawn into a treacherous vortex of brutality and seduction which rises from within themselves as well as the world around them.'

This is a paperback edition from Vintage Books, ie Random House, published in 2008. The book was originally published in Japanese in 2003.

I've read one other book by this author, Out, which I thought was a great read ... so I'm definitely interested in other titles by her. Like this one. :-)

I bought this book at The American Bookstore in Arkadia mall in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, March 16th, 2009. It cost 29 zlotys. :-) 

Journal Entry 2 by LeishaCamden from Alna bydel, Oslo fylke Norway on Sunday, June 21, 2009

I've read this book now, read it last month. It was a pretty good read, although IMO did not come up to the level of the other book of Kirino's that I've read, Out. This was a simpler story, shorter and less complicated. I liked it less than the other one but am not sure I can say exactly why. :-) The characters weren't as credible and the story also seemed much less likely, to the point where I at times found it hard to maintain my suspension of disbelief.

I don't know how much of this is down to cultural differences, that I don't properly understand the Japanese mindset, which I will readily acknowledge that I don't, having never been to Japan and only having one Japanese friend, whom I have only communicated with through letters. But generally I found the conversations between the characters to be very abrupt, the shifts in mood the same, in ways that I did not find entirely believable.

It was an intriguing story though and I found it hard to put down sometimes. It was definitely an entertaining read and quite thrilling at times. Certainly a book worth reading ... although not the title I would recommend to anyone looking into this author.

The book is now available to other readers. Not sure what I will do with it, but I'm sure I'll think of something. :-)