Customer Reviews

Audition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished this book, and it was a refreshing, page-turning thriller. This was the first book I have read by Ryu Murakami, but I will definitely be reading more. Before reading this book though, you should know that Murakami lavishly describes every single detail of the intense scenes, whether that be of sex or extreme violence. If you cannot handle that, don't read this book. If on the other hand you love that sort of thing, I also recommended to you Natsuo Kirino's "OUT."

The key to getting the most out of this emotional roller coaster of a book is reading it in one sitting. It is pretty short, and I read it in about 5 hours. The rhythm and building of the story is of vital importance, so taking breaks makes it hard to appreciate it.

A movie was made out of this novel, so I am very excited to see it!

This 190 page novel tells the story of a middle aged widower looking to remarry. A film maker friend proposes that they do a casting call for a movie that they never intend to film. In this manner, they hope to find a perfect wife for Aoyama. What follows is a very slow but a gradual, suspenseful build up toward a horrific conclusion. I normally don't watch horror films or read horror novels, now I remember why..at least in the movies I can cover my eyes...not true with a book. I recommend this story to those who are ok with a few pages of "horror," otherwise it was a good, interesting short read and I was pretty absorbed in the story from start to finish. I had to keep reading to find out what danger lies beneath beautiful Yamasaki. A bit gruesome for my taste at the end however...

Audition is at first a romance. Aoyama, a widower, decides get remarried after many years of being alone and raising his son. His friend comes up with the idea of creating a movie that will probably never be made to host an audition. Then Aoyama can specify what kind of woman he wants and have his choice in that group. It's a bit misogynistic, but sounds like a typical sweet romance set up. Aoyama meets Asami, a former ballerina with a melancholy air about her. They go on a few dates and then she disappears. This is also when the novel descends into madness.

I love Takashi Miike's film adaptation of Audition, so I was really excited when I found out it was finally translated into English. I thought it was interesting that the book excelled where the movie failed and vice versa. In the first fifteen pages in the book, the reader knows more about Aoyama and his family than in the entire movie. Giving Aoyama a realistic background endeared him to me and made me forgive his shortcomings more than in the film. The courtship between Asami and Aoyama was much more interesting and believable in the novel. There were many more dates than in the film and it involved more normal conversation, plus Aoyama fussing about what to do like a teenage boy. The first three quarters of the film were extremely boring, but provided a great contrast to the last quarter of the film. The only thing I'm going to say about the ending of the story is that the film was much better and much more effective. I wish I could combine the good parts of both versions of the story.

Overall, the book was very good. The crazy ending seems pretty out of the blue and abrupt, unlike the film, which has more of a lead into it. I loved the fleshing out of all the characters into people I can relate to and care about. I would especially recommend this book to fans of the film.

im glad this book is finally in english print. like most books by ryu murakami its short but that shouldnt deter you from reading it. if you liked the movie, the book is even better.

Ryu Murakami, <strong>Audition</strong> (Norton, 1997)

Takashi Miike adapted <em>Audition</em> into a film in 1999. It was, to put it mildly, a cult sensation; it's the movie that put Miike on the map outside Asia and paved the way for his success in Europe and America. Ryu Murakami (who is also a film director, though not nearly as widely known outside Japan as is Miike, despite being equally talented) started getting talked up in the west at roughly the same time, when Whitehouse frontman William Bennett started talking up Murakami's <em>Coin Locker Babies</em>, which is just as excellent as Bennett would have it, and serial killer freaks started discovering <em>In the Miso Soup</em>. And yet despite this convergence, the Murakami novel that inspired the Miike film would not be published in English translation until 2010--and when it happened, it wasn't Murakami's usual distributor, Kodansha, who handled it, but W. W. Norton, a company better-known for turning out critical editions of classic works and those huge anthologies you probably used in English class than they are for publishing cutting-edge novels. And needless to say, the first people who snatched it up were the movie's diehard fans, and the early word on the street was that the book is nowhere near as good as the movie. You know how often that happens, right? Well, let's face it, Miike's film is a romantic comedy with heart-stopping gore. People just seem to forget about the romantic comedy bit. Murakami's novel is less romantic comedy than it is earnest romance, and way less gore. But if you're a Murakami fan, I will tell you this: you will not be disappointed one little bit, anymore than you were by <em>Coin Locker Babies</em> or <em>In the Miso Soup</em>.

Aoyama is a successful producer of videos. Not movies, but industrial safety, corporate training, you know the ones. (One of the novels' few weaknesses, in my view, is that Murakami doesn't go into more details about Aoyama's working life, which is intrinsically fascinating.) His wife died seven years ago, and his teenaged son, Shige, accuses Aoyama of moping around the house. He asks what seems a simple question: "why don't you get married again?" Aoyama kicks the idea around with his old pal Yoshizaki, who's in the movie end of the video business, and one drunken night, the two of them hatch a plan: hold auditions for a movie, and have Aoyama secretly be auditioning the candidates for the role of Mrs. Aoyama #2 as well. Yoshizaki's plan quickly goes a little crazy, turning into a reality-radio-style weekly show designed to hook as many applicants as possible. But when it comes right down to it, Aoyama takes one look at Asami Yamasaki, a former ballet dancer who had to leave the profession after an injury, and falls head over heels. The rest of the book details their courtship, and Aoyama couldn't be happier, though both Yoshizaki and Shige try to warn Aoyama that something seems rather off about this otherwise lovely young woman.

If it sounds like chick lit, well, it kinda is. Murakami could easily have played this as slapstick, and given the Publisher's Weekly review, he might have come off better if he had. PW states that "the uneven pacing and ineffective dialogue provide the only hint of horror this book has to offer." You missed the point, guys, just as much as most of the diehard fans of the movie (of which, I should point out, I am one) did--this is in no way a horror novel in the way we in the west think of horror novels, in the same way the slow pace of the courtship fits Japanese sensibilities better than Western ones (in fact, from what I know of Japanese courtship--which is admittedly little--Aoyama and Asami could be accused of rushing headlong into a relationship with a pretty straight face). I say again: this is a romance novel, albeit one where the romance goes horrendously wrong. What is there about it, other than a film adaptation and advance press, that tells you anything other than "this is a romance novel"? I mean, it's even around the average length of a Harlequin romance, clocking in at 190 pages (Harlequins in general run 192, or used to).

In short: if you're going in expecting the movie, know before you do that Miike changed the ending somewhat, though much of the rest is rather faithful to the source material. (I haven't seen the movie in a couple of years, but the only other change I can think of is that Miike's version of Asami's accident is a great deal more graphic in the film.) On the other hand, if you look at the book and the movie as two completely separate works from a common ancestor (and this is far from the only place where you have to do this to appreciate both; my classic example is <em>'Salem's Lot</em> King's '74 novel and Hooper's '78 miniseries), you will probably appreciate it a great deal more.

Given that, if you're looking for a first read in the wold and wonderful world of Murakami, this is not your book. Were I you, I'd start by getting your head blown off with <em>Coin Locker Babies</em>, then delve into the gentle-comedy side of Murakami with <em>Sixty-nine</em>, a historical novel about a slacker student's plan to arrange a military takeover of his school. Once you've got a handle on the contradictions Murakami builds into his works, then tackle <em>Audition</em> and the rest of his output. ****

The book audition is almost exactly identical to the movie itself. If you have seen the movie and are the type of person who likes to read the book, definately check this one out. The book is pretty short and an extremely easy read, and is a great guilty pleasure.

The book starts out slow, looking like a love story.. you know how it goes, wife dies, old guy wants to re-marry, and of course meet a young girl. So he holds a fake audition, they fall in love, and live happily ever after... yea not this time around, the consequence of lying to this girl are intense, and brutal, but she still gains her elegance and poise.. I am not going to ruin it, but definately read it and more importantly definately see the movie! If you have a queasy stomach the book is better.

Definately get this one. Also I have read In The Miso Soup as well as Piercing, this author is a great writer. He blends the dark human psyche, with criminality, and toss in some black humor and social commentaries for good mesure!

READ IT!

The novel begins as a romance. Aoyama's wife died seven years earlier and his teenage son suggests that his father finally start looking for another wife. During a conversation with his close friend, a film maker, about the difficulties of meeting the right kind of woman, they decide to stage an audition for a movie that will never be made. With thousands of applicants to go through, Aoyama fixates on one woman. He starts to date the stunningly beautiful Yamasaki Asami and falls madly in love with her.

Aoyama is so blinded by his love for Yamasaki Asami that he completely ignores his friends and his son's warnings that something about her doesn't seem right. And they're correct. Yamasaki Asami is not who and what she seems to be.

I was sucked in by this thriller. The story is so short and the ending so intense that I almost feel out of breath reading it. Besides the goose-bump raising story, I enjoyed the brief introduction to the culture of a Japanese city. The food at the various cafes Aoyama and Yamasaki Asami visit is described so well, that it made me hungry. Until the ending. Not hungry any more. Just saying.

There were a few moments when the language seems stunted and not quite right. It might be a problem with the translation from the original Japanese or possibly just a cultural difference.

This novel and the movie it spawned (I think I will skip it) were big hits in Japan and now it is available to scare the pants off the English speaking world.

Audition tells the story of the protagonist, a widower, who hopes to find a new wife by auditioning applicants for a fictitious movie he proports to be making. The narrative proceeds grindingly to its gratuitously gory conclusion.

So, what are the merits of Audition?

Suspense? No, the outcome is telegraphed transparently from the outset, and would be of no interest even if it has been withheld for a paragraph or two.
Captivating writing? No, this fails to even qualify as pulp.
Interesting characters? No, unless you find cardboard cut-outs of the naiive or monstrous fascinating.
Profound Messages? Certainly not.
Interesting Descriptive Prose? No. Attention is only given to descriptions the author seems to think will shock. Graphic as they are, this fails, too.

Don't look for the tiniest fraction the quality of Haruki Murakami's work here. Audition was written by RYU Murakami, who couldn't sharpen pencils for the real Murakami.

I was quite excited to read this book since the movie has been discussed in a few horror circles I frequent. I am a firm believer in reading and judging the book before seeing the film and, that being said, this is a case in which the book has compelled me to give the movie adaptation a try.

Audition is about a widowed man, Aoyama, searching for a new wife. Unfortunately, he hasn't pursued a relationship in so long that he isn't sure how to put himself back in the dating ring. Enter the whirlwind idea of a close friend: why not hold an audition for a new wife? Out of thousands of applications only one manages to catches his eye: Yamasaki Asami. But this mesmerizing woman isn't all that she claims to be.

The story itself is thrilling and it's the sort of book you would finish in one sitting. Despite it's 190 pages, it draws you in and unveils a weighty story. For the most part, it's precise, which is something most readers can appreciate.

The characters came off as a bit archetypal at times but they were crafted in such a way so that the readers were given insight to their personalities by what they said in did rather than being told by the author. So A+ for showing rather than telling. For the record, my favorite character was Shige. I expected to like Asami more than I did. She is meant to be a character shrouded in mystery but some of the events leading up to the climax don't leave much to be guessed at. So while Murakami gets an A+ for implications, he's a bit too heavy-handed with them at times.

That being said, the writing was smooth, as mentioned above, but it was overly verbose at times. On one hand, I can see how Aoyama's total infatuation with Asami was relevant to the story, but I found the endless descriptions of his obsession to be wearing. Less is more in this case, since I'm so fond of old writing adages.

There was only one thing about the book that truly annoyed me. I don't want to spoil so I won't provide specific examples--suffice it to say that they're there. A few times throughout the book Aoyama finds himself befuddled by something and seconds later, without any sort of rational reasoning, he will have magically figured out the reason for the way events have transpired. The sudden jumps in logic were jarring since you don't just start at point A, skip points B, C, and D, and then arrive safely to the conclusion. I assume that the author couldn't think of a way to the tie the lose ends together and, not wanting to leave the readers hanging, he slipped the knowledge so that we wouldn't be hung up on the technicalities.

Recommended for horror fans. If the movie is anything like the book then I can see why it has achieved cult status.

I saw Audition movie several years ago, and recently, when I started reading Ryu`s Murakami bibliography I was intrigued when I realized than Audition book was written by Murakami. I had alreday read Almost Transparent Blue, In the Miso Soup and 69. Altought Audition is not the best book from Murakami, it is a nice book.