Helpful Score: 3
A very dark, sad, lonely read. This book won a prestigious award in Japan.(I'm not sure what the criteria is for this award, but I thought it fell short of an award winning book, IMO)
Helpful Score: 2
Dark, twisted book that I couldn't put down. (I'm not even going to analyze that!!!)
Helpful Score: 2
International bestseller from Japan. An underground world. A murder. An international phenomenon. This is a quick yet powerful read.
Helpful Score: 2
I have begun to believe that it is impossible to find any Japanese books published in English translation that are not deeply bizarre. This is one of the more disturbing that I have read.
Helpful Score: 2
Japanese novelist Hitomi Kanehara wrote Snakes and Earrings when she was just twenty one years old. The novella sold over a million copies, won the Akutagawa Prize in 2003, and was adapted to film in 2008. Snakes and Earrings is gritty, unflinching and raw. The parts about body modification are cringeworthy, but affective. Kanehara does a masterful job capturing the essences of self-destructive, sadistic youths engulfed in a world of darkness. The protagonist, a nineteen year old named Lui, is especially convincing as a nihilistic young woman spiraling out of control. Snakes and Earrings is definitely not for everyone; however, it is an intriguing trip into another state of mind.
Helpful Score: 1
This short novel/novella is a dark snapshot into the young adult world of modern Japan. Its 120 pages is jam-packed with gritty and disturbing imagery. The orginal Japanese title is "Hebi ni piasu," translated to Piercing of the Snake.
Helpful Score: 1
Story from modern Japanese youth culture. Fascinating but not at all what I had expected. Very different and interesting.
