Audrey Hepburns Neck (Paperback)

by Alan Brown (Author) "ACCORDING TO ITS BROCHURE, THE VERY ROMANTIC English Academy occupies the third and fourth floors of the Hysteric Glamour Building, upstairs from My Charming Home..." (more)
Key Phrases: noodle shop, Audrey Heyburn, Audrey Hepburn, Chocolate Girl (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Alan Brown's first novel is a comic tale of sexual desire and bad manners set in contemporary Tokyo. Twenty-three-year-old cartoonist Toshi is obsessed with slim American women, and his best friend, an American named Paul, is obsessed with Japanese men. Toshi begins having an affair with Jane, his English teacher, who turns out to be insane; Paul has an endless stream of Japanese boyfriends all of whom leave him. Audrey Hepburn's Neck is slyly funny and very observant. Brown is equally concerned with sex as an obsession and the erotics of cultural differences, but his comic masterstrokes are in being able to conjure up the humor in looking for sex and the sometimes tragedy in getting it. Audrey Hepburn's Neck is resonant, charming and very witty. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Writing with the assurance of a born novelist, Brown has produced a witty, touching coming-of-age story that is a keenly observed, diverting depiction of Japanese-American culture clash. Ever since his ninth birthday, when he saw his first Audrey Hepburn film, narrator Toshi Okamoto has fantasized about foreign women. When Toshi, now a young commercial artist in Tokyo, is seduced by Jane, his teacher at the Very Romantic English Academy, he finds the aggressively sexy, self-dramatizing American woman confusing, without realizing that she is psychotic. Not only Americans are unknowable, however; so are Toshi's parents. It was difficult growing up in the small northern town of Hokkaido after his mother left his father, to move not far away across the peninsula, and Toshi has always felt socially uncomfortable and embarrassed because of his parents' estrangement. Theirs had been a household ruled by silence, and one of the secrets Toshi unlocks in the course of this narrative is the reason for his family's sadness and isolation. Meanwhile, however, he undergoes a series of adventures with other Americans: his gay friend, Paul, and the composer Lucy, both of whom teach him some essential truths. These events take place against a backdrop of daily events in postwar Japan, from the 1960s to the 1980s, a society that is changing almost as fast as Toshi's perceptions of life. The Emperor is dying; women are auditioning to become the wife of the Crown Prince; anti-American riots are sweeping the country. Brown tells his tale in spare but vigorous prose, energized by dazzling visual images and haunting metaphors. The reader is caught up in Toshi's fear, excitement and frustration as he encounters strange and amazing Western concepts, and as his notion of himself changes. This captivating first novel is delightfully buoyant and full of surprises. BOMC and QPB selections; film rights to Wayne Wang; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671526723
• ISBN-13: 978-0671526726
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #396,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Audrey Hepburn's Neck by Alan Brown-excellent,,fascinating, January 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Audrey Hepburn's Neck: A Novel (Hardcover)

I took a gamble when this intriguing title caught my eye since I had not read any review or heard any recommendations from friends. I found myself drawn into this book, captivated by its magic which compelled me to finish it in a 24 hour period.This American author looks at the westernization of Japanese culture and shows us American characters from a Japanese viewpoint. His writing style provides a witty perspective, imbued with subtle and ironic humor. The nuances of human emotional interactions and interrelationships are not lost, even with characters so far fetched they border on the absurd. They are astonishing and unusual,a strange and motley mix. They transport the reader to fascinating and unexpected places and times. The plot intertwines past and present.The intriguing title is appropriate,linking geographically separate settings and times with a unifying theme , the Japanese fascination with the West.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sentences as beautiful as Audrey Hepburn's neck., October 21, 1997

By A Customer

Depressing as it is to agree with the Kirkus Review, I do. This is an elegant take on an uncomplicated, emotional story. A young man learns to forgive his parents their frailities and, in the process, understands his attraction to white chicks. A gutsy move for the author, since according to the jacket photo, he himself is a white guy, choosing to write from the point-of-view of a young Japanese artist with a troubled family history. Nonetheless, Alan Brown uses humor and beautiful descriptive sentences to make it work. Does he stereotype the Japanese? I think a more important question is: Do we care about Toshi or do we put the book down? I did... and I didn't. Plus, the "Epilogue" is perfect. (But then, I'm white and own my own copy of "Breakfast at Tiffanys".)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, funny, quirky, totally modern!, November 25, 2004

By	Ladyce West "Ladyce West" (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This is a very nice, different novel that is difficult to put down and in its course illustrates some of modern Japan. There are two parallel stories going on, all centered around a young man finding his place in society. One of the stories shows the manner in which young Japanese, reared still in a very traditional manner, adjust and adapt their lives to a Global modernity, and particularly an American-influenced world. The other story shows how despite the long shadow of WWII the Japanese are slowly coping and dealing with their past, their losses, and their own prejudices. So our hero stands in fact at a turning point. He and his generation by extension are the link between these two worlds.

The world of Toshi, our hero, an exceedingly creative guy, is the source for much amazement to the Western reader, from the loneliness of the mega city, to the megaphone messages in the subway. Pets and coffee houses are also the source for much wonder.

The book deals overtly and covertly on prejudices. Prejudices the Japanese have about Americans and those that Americans have about the Japanese. Prejudices against homosexuals, against Koreans. But all of it is done deftly, with amazing humor.

Alan Brown's observations on how others can perceive Americans, in Japan or out are very keen, funny and true. But he is a master in finding quirky juxtapositions, and more than that in making all his characters three-dimensional and believable.

This is certainly a novel worth reading. If you have a weekend coming up and would like something offbeat, occasionally hilarious, and fascinating to read, give this one a try, you will not regret it.