野性的证明

by [日]森村诚一

《野性的证明》是日本当代著名作家森村诚一的长篇小说代表作。在这部小说中，森村诚一为读者描述了一个被独裁者统治的现代城市——羽代市。虽然它所处的时代是战后的日本，享受着民主、自由的现代社会制度，却由于种种历史的和现实的原因，实际上却成为了一个专制王国，在这里，大场一成便是实际上的国王，他不但是大场家族的族长、羽代市的市长，而且还通过自己的手下控制着羽代市的议会、警察、报纸、电台、银行、学校、医院等各个要害部门，从而使自己的权利远远超过了自己的职权。由此，虽然作为读者看不到大场一成本人如何作恶，然而，羽代市里发生的一切罪恶，却莫不与他息息相关。因此，当主人公味泽岳史为了一件简单的骗保案而四处忙碌时，便已在不经意间成为了整个羽代市的敌人。保险公司宁愿息事宁人，也不愿意招惹骗子背后的势力；警察本身便是骗保案的同谋，自然恨他多管闲事；而普通的市民们呢？在大场一成的独裁统治下，整个羽代市的特权阶层与平民间达成了一种“不稳定的平衡”：表面上，羽代市里的人们安居乐业；而表面下，却暗流涌动，无数的罪恶在不断地侵蚀着大众所创造的财富。可是，大多数的人们却被蒙在鼓里，或者是视而不见，浑浑噩噩地享受着特权者丢给他们的残羹冷炙，并自以为得计地欣欣然着。

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess it's a 3. 75 read, it's fast paced, the story is interesting and the murder mystery is well developed enough to keep you entertained. Plus underdog-strikes-back theme is always a favorite of mine. And I really like how the author, Seiichi Morimura, expresses his distaste toward the large enterprises and their exploitative nature through his writing. (Oh, the guy expressed exploitation so well without having to utter one Marx-related word)

However, I think the author had idolized his underdog male lead too much. Although I can admire the guy for snapping out of his role as an 'enterprise slave' and recovering his instinct for survival and then fight back, and I like the description of how the guy ends up blackmailing his former boss for his own reasons, still I can't overlook how cliched and wish fulfilling it is for the male lead to capture the fancy of not one, but two beautiful young women. *sighs*

[Zenoliu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's easy to break down, and it's not failure that really shapes the breakdown, it's false hope. The choices that Aizawa didn't make wrong are blurred by Yoriko's blood ties, and does the Elvinia fungus really exist? Whether it exists or not may not even change the ending.