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Despite its hypermodern setting in the world of English expatriates in present-day Tokyo, this slim novel is somewhat old-fashioned in it's contained tale of the arrival of an English lawyer and his subsequent undoing. It's the kind of story that used to be written about a newcomer to colonial Africa who eventually has a nervous breakdown due to his inability to cope with the new culture. Here, the story is narrated by a English Japophile who fancies himself superior to almost all other expatriates due to his superior knowledge of Japanese language and culture and "takes an interest in" an obscure Japanese poet. When a gangly, socially inept newcomer arrives from England, he is befriended by the narrator, who introduces him to the mysteries of Japanese culture. This newcomer falls in with a social climbing Japanese high-school girl who uses him to fulfill all her high-priced shopping needs (in exchange for what is never reliably established). The story follows as the lawyer becomes more and more obsessed with the girl and has a breakdown. Along the way, the narrator interjects a number of vignettes about Japanese culture which, although interesting in and of themselves, come across as somewhat forced as they are entirely unrelated to the main story. To a certain degree the book is trying to say something about the globalization of culture and economies and how that interacts with consumption and personal senses of the self, but it works better as an old-fashioned tale of the Englishman abroad.

...yet inevitably unable to let go of the traditions bestowed on them. Supposedly in the new world order of hypercapitalism (in which shopping is the ultimate mode of expression), capital in the monetary form is the great equalizer. But as Kramer shows us, more than just money is used in negotiating; in this story it is also sex and sophistication that are used as bargaining tools. This is basically an English novel set in Japan, and despite the Asiaphile point of view that starts off the book, Kramer seems to get Japan right and even turns the narrator's (and possibly the author's as well) own fetishization inside out. A great read that explores the clash of tradition and unabashed contemporary consumerism in Japan, as well as the Englishman's need to overthrow icons through extreme and rebellious actions. There are great scenes of the well known parts of Tokyo, like Roponggi and Shibuya, but keep in mind that this is more a story of the English in Tokyo than of Tokyo itself. A confident, well-executed, and entertaining debut.