Mr. Foreigner [Paperback]

Matthew Kneale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Daniel Thayne, a young Englishman, finds himself trapped in Tokyo. Working illegally in a ramshackle language school, his passport lost, he is hustled towards marriage with Keiko, his Japanese girlfriend. In the gloom of the rainy season, Daniel's life takes on a nightmarish quality—his devious boss, Mrs. Chiba, refuses to pay him any money, a stranger accosts him with a mysterious special offer, a foul Australian takes him to an unspeakable whores' meeting place, and Samuel Echtbein, an American, is a constant thorn in Daniel's side. But most threatening of all are the Haradas, Keiko's family, who take control of his life. This title was originally published as Whore Banquets.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A small gem…an author destined to go places.” -- Entertainment Weekly

From the Publisher

Daniel Thayne, a young Englishman, finds himself trapped in Tokyo. His passport lost, he’s working illegally in a ramshackle language school, and his boss refuses to pay his salary. He’s in a dead–end relationship with Keiko, his Japanese girlfriend, whose apartment is packed with stuffed toys. But his troubles are only beginning. As the hot, stormy rainy season descends, Keiko’s family appears on his doorstep, determined to pressure him into marriage with their daughter. Owners of their own mysterious and threatening “company business,” they set about taking over his life. As Daniel resists, or tries to, he will learn a great deal about Japan—and about his own culture. Winner of the Somerset Maugham Prize, Mr Foreigner is the deliciously funny debut of one of Britain’s finest contemporary novelists.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753813068
• ISBN-13: 978-0753813065
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,073,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Foreign Worker beri beri enjoy book., January 2, 2004

By 

Evan Vella "Librarian" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr Foreigner (Hardcover)

After living as a foreigner in rural Japan (Shikoku) for over 2 years, I found this book hilarious. It is definitely satire and full of grotesques. However, the characterization of Daniel's Japanese girlfriend is SPOT ON. Not to say all young Japanese women are like this, but gaijin-o-philes ARE typically older women finally edging out of their cutesy adolescence (This usually lasts until about 27) when they are finally putting away their Mickey Mouse socks.

The subtle nuances, such as many Japanese furtively attempting to hide their surprise at seeing a foreigner in their midst is ingeniously correct. I jump at seeing other foreigners too and try to hide it. Everyone is usually so homogenic that it is surprising to see someone new and different. And many people often call me "Foreigner" and "Alien" to my face and suggest I go meet other foreigners like myself and do "foreigner things together."

It is one thing to read books about Japan and visit as a tourist. The experience is completely different living and working here. Foreign workers soon realize that the Japanese cannot be wacky and polite all the time, and that the enormous strain that the Japanese put themselves under for long hours and company loyalty, is demanded of foreign workers as well. Behaviors that are known as "cruel" are considered "acts of dedication" here.

The Japanese give many gifts and are gracious to tourists, and initially to foreign workers, but then demand to be paid in kind with much sacrifice in terms of family, salary, choice, independence, loyalty, etc.

The characterization of Daniel's ESL School boss had me and my friends in stitches. Her character is not grotesque. I have met several owners of small private English schools that are like her or worse. Whenever I interview with someone like Chiba-san, I quickly run for the hills and make sure I do not sign anything or leave any information about myself.

On the other hand, Daniel was in a terrible situation, did all the wrong things, and put himself in harm's way repeatedly in a very doltish manner. This was done, I believe, to maximize the comedic effect. Daniel knew very well about Japanese behavior as viewed from a very English perspective. Yet, he knew next to nothing about the culture, i.e. he had no idea who he was tangling with.

This is a good book, serving up a side of Japan that is rarely seen in novels or academic texts. It should be taken with a grain of salt, but it serves as a decent counterpoint to books on shrine-ettique and Ikibana.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in Translation, March 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mr. Foreigner (Paperback)

Atmospheric and ominous, this short novel reads like a cross between a Raymond Chandler detective story and a Haruki Murakami romp. It also recalls elements from recent films "Lost in Translation" and "Shall We Dance?", though the book is much darker than either. The mood is lightened by the well-observed, broken-English dialogue spoken by the Japanese--truly a hoot--but it must be pointed out that the Japanese, or at least the ones depicted in this book, do not come off well at all.

3.0 out of 5 stars In trouble in Tokyo, January 21, 2012

By 

ADAM (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Foreigner (Paperback)

Daniel, teaching English in Japan without a proper visa, loses his passport, and has an affair with Keiko. Later, her dodgy family family become involved, and problems begin to multiply for Daniel.

This short, fast paced novel, is not nearly as good as the author's "English Passengers", but still provide's a good hour or two of easy reading.

See also: Aliwal