Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa

by Benjamin Constable

A new and enticing voice in fiction draws readers through the streets of Paris and New York on an intricate adventure. It’s twisting, contemplative, playful and darkly entertaining.

What writer Benjamin Constable needs is a real-life adventure wilder than his rampant imagination. And who better to shake up his comfortable Englishman-in-Paris routine than the enigmatic Tomomi “Butterfly” Ishikawa, who has just sent a cryptic suicide note?

She’s planted a slew of clues—in the pages of her journal, on the hard drive of her computer, tucked away in public places, under flowerpots, and behind statues. Heartbroken, confused, and accompanied by an imaginary cat, Ben embarks upon a scavenger hunt leading to charming and unexpected spaces, from the hidden alleys of Paris to the cobblestone streets of New York City.

But Butterfly’s posthumous messages are surprisingly well informed for the words of a dead person, and they’re full of confessions of a past darkened by insanity, betrayal, and murder. The treasures Ben is unearthing are installments of a gruesome memoir. Now he must draw a clear line between the real and surreal if he is to save himself, Butterfly, and what remains of their crazy and amazing friendship.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Fantasy

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ben bekommt von seiner guten Freundin Tomomi einen Brief, in dem sie ihren Selbstmord ankündigt und gleichzeitig Ben auf eine Art Schnitzeljagd schickt. Diese führt Ben gemeinsam mit einem imaginären Kater von Paris nach New York. Immer wieder bekommt er auf seiner Reise neue Briefe und Instruktionen von Tomomi und lernt sie von einer ihm bis dahin unbekannten Seite kennen.

Mein Leseeindruck:

Ich glaube, dieses Buch ist das schrägste und verrückteste Buch, das ich in den letzten Jahren gelesen habe. Im Prinzip habe ich nichts gegen verrückte Geschichten; im Gegenteil. Doch mit diesem Buch konnte ich leider nicht warmwerden.
*
Stellenweise war es so langweilig (besonders die Briefe von Tomomi), dass ich das Buch mehrmals fast abgebrochen hätte. Ich musste mich dann richtig zum Weiterlesen zwingen, und so macht das Lesen natürlich keinen Spaß.
*
Vielleicht war es einfach die falsche Zeit für mich, dieses Buch zu lesen. Wenn ich es in einem oder zwei Jahren noch mal lese, gefällt es mir vielleicht viel besser!? Wer weiß!?
Momentan ist es jedenfalls nicht mein Buch.

[Lars Jerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa by Ben Constable we are treated to a rather dark and twisted psychological story of the protagonist Ben Constable, who follows a series of clues left by his friend Tomomi (Butterfly) Ishikawa that leads him on a treasure hunt through the streets of Paris and later on through New York City.

The novel, engaging, exciting, romantic, disturbing, and above all enigmatic, could read like a mystery or a psychological thriller, but there are simply too many diversions in the language and in the narrative to make it fit into that narrow a category. In fact the tonality of the language often strangely reminded me of Murakami and sometimes even of Calvino, as the author effortlessly tied the past conversations, letters and phone calls into a present narrative that never gave everything away, but always kept the reader guessing about its validity.

Constable’s language is generally unpretentious and flows extremely well. It naturally grounds the dialogue and helps in making his characters likable, dimensional and vivid, and though some are deeply disturbed, and have a series of traits that are bordering on psychotic, they are always believable.
Perhaps I am biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed the spilt narrative between the 'present reality' and the letters from Ishikawa, and especially the addition of the ‘fictional fictional’ ‘Cat’ that often premeditatedly, but apparently disengaged, followed the protagonist around the city in his search for clues. There’s something auspicious in 'Cat's' presence that gives a lightness to the otherwise tragic circumstances in which the protagonist often finds himself. The cat and his ambiguous aloofness also succinctly connects the overlap between reality and fantasy making the reader further question the validity of Ben Constable’s words.

In fact the reader is throughout the story urged to ask questions, not necessarily about the tangible search for clues, but about the authenticity of the imagined or real life of Tomomi Ishikawa. Is she indeed a real person, and is the exchange between her and Ben Constable in very beginning of the novel the only genuine element, and is everything that follows the promise to her to write a fictional story about them and their relationship? Or is she merely a figment of the author’s imagination?
Can we even trust that the letters from Butterfly in the opening chapter is indeed the voice of Ishikawa as told by the protagonist in the novel and not by the author Ben Constable or perhaps even by Ishikawa herself? (She does in the beginning of the book suggest that she herself might one day write a book). Of course the reader can always choose to make the ‘easy’ assumption and take the story at face value, thereby making everything constructed by the author ‘real’ within the framework of a fictional tale.

However, no matter what is true or imagined it is implied throughout the novel that not only Butterfly, but Ben Constable himself may have tweaked the narrative to successfully blend truth with fiction.

In my humble opinion he has done an excellent job.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

So....I have no idea what to say about this book. I'm not even sure I know what it's about, and I damn sure don't know what happened. You ever see a movie that was sooo good and then somebody asks you what it's about and what happened and you're like "well, there's this girl, and she's in the woods, and then she goes swimming in the lake....well, I don't really know, but you gotta see it."

So here goes:

There's this guy, and he's friends with this girl, and then she leaves him a letter telling him she committed suicide, but she leaves him these clues for a treasure hunt, but it's not clear what the treasure is, and somewhere along the way he realizes he might have been crazy and then he starts thinking she might not even be dead but he keeps following the clues anyway and so, yeah, I don't really know, but you gotta read it.

And yet

In hindsight, I guess it's closest to a psychological thriller. However for most of the novel, despite the fact that our protagonist Ben is mourning the loss of his friend, it carries a lightweight feel. Perhaps it's because of the treasure hunt, but the story feels like an adventure, with Ben running all over Paris collecting clues and funny notes from his recently-deceased friend. Tomomi is a rambler, and most of the notes she leaves for him make little to no sense, but they're cute, and you get an idea of the relationship that she and Ben had.

Until the note she leaves him which seems to suggest she killed someone (don't worry, I'm not giving away anything that isn't in the blurb). It's so crazy you think you missed something. It's like "blah blah blah, I was wandering around NY and I met this guy, blah blah he took me back to his crib, blah blah blah I killed him (for absolutely no reason y'all!), blah blah his apartment was really nice and so anyway I'm gonna miss you when I'm gone Ben, later!" Umm, what? It gets weirder from there...Ben is obviously concerned and disturbed, but despite himself he continues to let himself be sucked into this weird crazy goose chase that Tomomi has set up from beyond the grave.

I can't really say much more than that. I'm not sure if this book had a real plot or a message, or even a point. It is like the print version of a Christopher Nolan movie. You can try and reread every three pages to see if you can piece together what is going on, or you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I highly recommend the latter.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give 5-star reviews lightly. In my 200+ reviews I have only given out 10 and even fewer are for new lit. And definitely not for first novels.

So I wasn't expecting to pick up a 5-star book when I started TOMOMI ISHIKAWA. But it managed to be so many things. Enchanting. Enthralling. Disturbing. Troubling. It is a bit of a puzzle book, always a favorite. But the answers only create more questions. It reminds me of the best bits of some other books I've read recently (like the obsessive answer-seeking in NIGHT FILM, the dreamy detachment of THE MAN IN THE EMPTY SUIT, the postmodern meta-ness of IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT A TRAVELER).

Sometimes when a major character is a mystery, it's hard to feel connected to a book. But the prose of Butterfly and Benjamin is grounded enough to keep your feet on the ground even as your head is pulled up high into the clouds. The mix of realism and surrealism works. You stop asking too many questions. You stop trying to explain everything. You just let yourself be transported on Ben Constable's strange treasure hunt.

The book has a reading group guide, I think it's an interesting pick for a book club, but if you've got an ambitious group I would definitely give it a try. It's not hard to read and it's really a trip.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa manages to be melancholy and clever and ominous and fun all at the same time. It is unputdownable. It is somewhat unexplainable.

In the simplest terms, it's about two friends, Butterfly and Ben Constable, who have the type of long-winded, desperately witty and poignant types of conversations that I've always wished I could be a part of. One day, Ben comes home to a letter from Butterfly explaining that by the time he has read the letter, she will have killed herself, and that she wants him to follow the clues she's left for him around Paris (and eventually New York) to uncover a hidden treasure. This treasure is the deep dark secrets of her past, which get more and more grisly and sinister as the story goes on. Oh, and Ben does all of this with the help of his imaginary cat. Named Cat, of course.

I have been to Paris and I have been to New York, but I've never explored them in this way, and this book is packed to the brim with secret city treasures and cozy, out-of-the-way nooks and crannies. Ben Constable (yes, he is both the author and the main character, and I can't say I really saw the point in that) takes you on a whirlwind adventure with elaborate clues (long-winded letters and emails from Butterfly, buried notebooks) along the way. And when all of the clues start to unravel and things stop making sense, the story gets even better.

Again, I was too wrapped up to bother bookmarking the particularly good passages, but trust me - the writing is excellent. And the characters manage to be very developed and very vague at the same time. For example, you know some of their innermost thoughts and darkest deeds, but never once is there a physical description of any of them.

Was it all real? I like to think that it was. But maybe I'm too much like Ben - inclined to believe anything that anyone tells me, no matter how fantastical.

[Caroline Roquigny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I go any further I ought to mention that Benjamin Constable is my boyfriend which might make you think I’m biased (and, of course, I am). But I don’t think that exempts me from having a valid opinion of this book. I saw so much stuff in the comments that I totally agree with but I couldn’t resist adding a few of my own.

The book was signed a couple of weeks after I met Ben, but I didn’t start reading it until well after a year because I was seriously worried I wouldn’t like it. A treasure hunt, a suicide note, an imaginary cat… Yawn.

It’s difficult to explain how and why the first pages drew me in. The words are simple and so is the style but there’s something else going on. The tone is like he was whispering in my ear, taking me by the hand pulling me into his adventure. There was something intimate (other people say similar things) that it’s hard to resist following. And we discover this world that is at once accessible and poetically simple. Paris and New York suddenly become small, secret places that belong to you and no one else.

Then there’s the structure. He holds the suspense all the way through but it’s not the kind of suspense you’re used to. Yes, there are riddles and mysteries, but more than that there is something uneasy, something troubling and yet at the same time delicious. He juggles with lightness, naivety, poetry and dark, dark thoughts.

To be honest it was slightly disturbing reading a character who uses exactly the same words and with the same thoughts as my boyfriend in real life. But fortunately, the character and author are not the same.

This book doesn’t attempt any bold life judgments and there is nothing really to conclude, but there’s a kind of everyday philosophy that holds a mirror up to the reader – an observation of our humanity, its innocence, flaws and unexplored underside.

[Feminerd Charm · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked about the novel: There is no putting this book down. You open the first page and you're confused. You read more and you're still confused, but now curious. By the time you get to the premise of the novel, you realize the next several hours will be lost to these chapters. I like the humor between the lines, and the dark in the character's minds, and the light in their intentions. I like Benjamin Constable the character and I even enjoy Tomomi Ishikawa. In fact, it is Tomomi Ishikawa who makes you read more. Just like Ben, you are flipping page after page, following along in this scavenger hunt through Paris and NYC, and you're flippin' tired, but you have to see how it ends.

What I didn't like about the novel: There is no putting this book down. Tomomi Ishikawa is an addiction, and you are sucked into her gruesome life along with Ben. By the closure of the book you are clawing for resolution. (I guess I should go back up and add under the "likes" that Benjamin Constable the writer does not disappoint when it comes to resolution). The only real negative thing I have to say is that every setting in books feels foreign to me, whether I know the place or not, and I don't know the streets of Paris or NYC to relate. So here I admit, I skimmed the directions and locations quite a bit because I couldn't place them and they belong to people who know them. For me, they remain confusing and maze-like and served their purpose for getting lost with Ben.

Would I recommend the novel: Yes, abso-friggin-lutely. I have never read a book quite like this -- as frustrating, as honest, as thought-provoking. Maybe it has been done before, but I've never found one, making it the only one like it in the world to me. It is exquisite, and exciting, and several other adjectives starting in "ex". It leaves you thinking about life and your perspective of it against someone else's. It creates the imprint that you and I, mostly me, know nothing while knowing a lot, and what is real versus what is perceived real is indeterminable. And there's more, there's just few words for more and Mr. Constable the writer is much better at them. What I'm trying to say is: Go buy the freakin' book.

//Review reduced. Full review at FeminerdCharm.wordpress.com

[Jennifer Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Constable has written a book about, well, Ben Constable. In Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa we are treated to a dark and psychologically gripping story of our protagonist, Ben Constable, and his friend Tomomi (who goes by the nickname Butterfly). The novel opens with Ben and Butterfly exchanging letters about a book that Ben plans to write. The rest of the novel details the experiences of Ben after he is notified of Tomomi's death. The dialogue is clever and draws the reader in to the heart of the suspense and action. The revelation that Tomomi has committed suicide sends Ben off on a wild goose chase of a scavenger hunt that was set in place by Tomomi herself. Soon it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems and that Ben never really knew Tomomi or what she was capable of. As Ben questions his relationship with Tomomi and asks himself what kind of darkness may have been hidden in her heart, he begins to realize, as does the reader, that he may be in grave danger. Will he unravel the mysteries Tomomi has left behind for him? Is each clue leading him toward his own death? And can we ever really know our friends? These are the questions we ask ourselves as we move toward the end of Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa.

By the time we reach the conclusion, we start to ask different questions. Is Tomomi a real person known to the author and is the exchange in the beginning of the novel perhaps genuine? Is the rest of the novel his fulfillment of a promise to write a fictional novel about their relationship? Or are the letters in the opening chapter the voice of not Ben the author but Ben the protagonist and the rest of the novel his `fictional' story (story within a story for the win). It's also hinted at that perhaps the letter exchange belongs to the protagonist but that the story that follows is Tomomi's (the character) fictional account as she too suggests at the beginning that she might write a novel. And of course the other possibilities include that the letters and the rest of the novel are "real" within the universe constructed by the author (i.e. a "true" tale of what transpired between those that wrote the letters that open the novel), and either recounted by the protagonist or Tomomi. If Tomomi is indeed the writer of the ensuing "true" story instead of Ben, it is implied that she may have tweaked the story to blend truth with fiction (just as her character does within the story). Confused yet?

Turning over these questions would be a great intellectual exercise for any book group - especially over a bottle of French wine to fit one of the more delicious plot points of the novel.

Getting to the end of this novel is a bit of a mind game like getting to the end of The Matrix. Likewise I think Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa would make an excellent screenplay and Hollywood drama that would leave the audience asking thoughtful questions as they left the theatre.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do if you received a letter from a friend telling you that they are dead and that they have planted clues all over for you to find? Well that is exactly what happened to Mr. Constable. He received that said letter from his friend, Tomomi “Butterfly” Ishikawa. Mr. Constable goes on this treasure hunt accompanied by his imaginary cat.

Where to start with my review of this book? How about…Be warned as you just might need to book an appointment with a psychologist after reading this book!

It is not that I have anything bad to say about it but it is just that this is the type of book that you have to digest for a while after finishing it before attempting to put your thought down on paper. This is because this is exactly the type of book that Mr. Constable wrote. One that gets into your mind and plays tricks on you. It will have you feeling both confused but intrigued at the same time. I know I was but in a good way.

Mr. Constable is the real talent here with his genius mind. Although reading this book I also thought that Butterfly was a good storyteller as well. It takes a creative mind to lead someone on an elaborative treasure hunt across Paris and spanning to New York City. Also, there was one last star in this book and that was Cat. Yes, he may be imaginary but he had personality.

[Musings of the Moonchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon and Schuster provided an ARC for me to review. This book was a very loaded read. The story goes is quite heavy, and has a significant impact on the readers emotions.

I loved the twists and turns crafted into the storyline. Just when I had predicted how something would unfold, I was completely in awe over what developed.

To go into detail would reveal too much. This is a book that must be experienced by the reader to truly understand its dynamics. It is written beautifully. It is tragic, lovely, inspiring, depressing and mesmerizing.

A great read. This is the sort of book you need to read twice just to see if you missed anything the first time around. Perhaps in knowing how the story unfolds, smaller details will be more significant to the storyline in the second reading.
Brilliant.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still debating in my mind whether or not I really enjoyed this book. There were loads of messed up actions and events. It kind of reminded me of Gone Girl with all of the delusions. I sit scratching my head on this one. It is most intriguing.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stimmt, das sind wirklich viele Zufälle. Aber Zufälle sind was ganz Normales. Merkwürdig wäre es, wenn es keine Zufälle gäbe. Das würde bedeuten, dass es irgend eine höhere Macht gibt, die gleichartige Dinge voneinander getrennt hält. Und das wäre dann wirklich schräg." Seite 177

Meine Gedanken zu dem Buch:

Der 1968 in Bristol geborene Benjamin Constable ist nicht nur Autor dieses Buches, nein - er ist auch gleichzeitig der männliche Hautprotagonist! Allein dies fand ich schon äußerst interessant, als ich zum ersten mal auf dieses Buch aufmerksam wurde und ich besorgte mid die Leseprobe. Schon nach den ersten Seiten war klar: Dieses Buch muss ich unbedingt weiterlesen, hier wartet ein wahrer Schatz auf mich! Und ich irrte mich tatsächlich in keiner Weise. Ben Constable und Tomomi Ishikawa sind gute Freunde, die gerne miteinander bei einem Bier oder auch mehr plaudern, fachsimpeln, philosophieren und versuchen, die Welt zu verstehen. Ben ist angehender Schriftsteller, nur die rechten Ideen sind Ihm noch nicht zugeflogen. Nur eine Idee beschäftigt ihn, er würde gerne eine Bauch über seine Gespräche mit Tomomi Ishikawa, die von den meisten nur Butterfly genannt wird, schreiben. Doch dann liegt da plötzlich ein Brief auf seinem Wohnungsboden, durchgeschoben durch die Türe. Ein Brief von Tomomi, ein Brief der alles verändert und der die Welt auf den Topf zu stellen vermag. Es ist zwanzig nach drei - wie immer auf der stehengebliebenen Uhr - und Tomomi Ishikawa teilt ihm ihren geplanten Selbstmord mit. Ein Selbstmord, der zur Zeit, als er diesen Brief liest, schon stattgefunden hat...
Mit diesem sprachlich schon schon sehr poetisch klingenden Brief beginnt für Ben Constable ein neuer Lebensabschnitt. Tomomi spricht in Rätseln, schwelgt in Erinnerungen und stellt ihn zuletzt vor eine große Aufgabe, die es zu lösen gilt. Ein Spiel, könnte man fast sagen ... oder besser noch: Butterfly hat sich eine Schnitzeljagd für Ben ausgedacht. Eine Schnitzeljagd, die Ben Tomomis Vergangenheit offenbaren soll, die ihm die Möglichkeit geben soll, sie nach ihrem Tode besser kennenzulernen und zu verstehen. Tomomi Ishikawa ist ein nahezu unbeschreiblicher Charakter, ein Freigeist, eine Frau voller skurriler Ideen und Gedanken und doch voller Einfallsreichtum und auch in gewisser Weise voller innerer Stärke, auch wenn man dies auf den ersten Blick nicht wahrnehmen mag. Denn der Selbstmord spricht dagegen. Oder spricht er gerade deshalb dafür? Ben findet mit Tomomis äußerst skurrilen und doch unglaublich raffinierten Wegweisern versteckte Notizbücher, die jeweils einen Lebensabschnitt aus ihrer Vergangenheit preisgeben. Hier wurden Begebenheiten niedergeschrieben, die schockieren, wütend machen, traurig stimmen und doch faszinieren. Denn als Leser selbst steckt man mittlerweile in der großen Spirale der verworrenen Geschichte fest und es ein scheint fast unmöglich, Wahrheit von Lüge, Realität von Fiktion zu unterscheiden. Hat sie diese Dinge, die sie in den Notizbüchern verewigte, tatsächlich getan und erlebt oder führt sie Ben nur an der Nase herum und serviert ihm schlichtweg Lügen, eine gut inszinierte Story? Ben weiß es nicht - ich als Leser ebenfalls nicht. Aber ich will es wissen! Ich will genau wie Ben mit aller Gewalt herausfinden, was in Butterfly vorging, was die tatsächliche Wahrheit ist, wie diese faszinierende Schnitzeljagd durch Paris und New York zuletzt zu Ende geht. Und so lese ich weiter, Seite für Seite, versinke in Straßen und Gärten New Yorks und kann nicht aufhören, mitzurätseln. Tomomi Ishikawa ist eine sehr gute Beobachterin und liebt Paris, aber auch New York, wo sie aufgewachsen ist. Sie kennt sie schönsten Plätze, kleine Schätze der Natur, Oasen der Entspannung und Meditation, sieht die alltäglichen Dinge oft mit einem anderen Auge und schafft es, diese Eindrücke an Ben und somit auch an mich als Leser zu vermitteln. Die Umfeldbeschreibungen sind so detailreich und bildhaft beschrieben, dass ich mich fast selbst durch die Strassen wandern sah und Skulpturen, Gebäude und Gärten vor meinem inneren Auge bewunderte. Mich begeisterte dies so sehr, dass ich während des Lesens dieses Buches die Website des Autoren besuchte und dort zu meiner großen Überraschung und Freude eine Bildergalerie zu vielen der im Buch erwähnten Orte vorfand. (* Siehe Link - http://benjamin-constable.net/Places.... ). Und als ich mir diese Bilder anschaute, stellte mich fest, dass ich mir aufgrund der tollen Beschreibungen mache dieser Orte genau so vorstellte, wie ich sie nun hier sah.

Die charakteristische Darstellung der Protagonisten ist faszinierend vielschichtig. Tomomi Ishikawa begeisterte und schockierte mich mich gleichermaßen. Die Art und Weise, wie sie ihren eigenen Tod inszenierte und scheinbar aus dem Jenseits Ben steuert und lenkt. Ich überlegte mir die ganze Zeit, was dies wohl für eine unglaubliche Planung gewesen sein muss. Oder bedurfte es gar keiner solchen Planung? Ging ich ihr womöglich doch auf den Leim? Dachte sich Ben womöglich alles aus? Lebt Tomomi eventuell sogar noch? Und wer ist diese Beatrice, die seit New York immer an Bens Seite zu sein scheint, wirklich? Hat sie etwas damit zu tun? Kannte sie Butterfly? Fragen über Fragen über Fragen und doch so wenige Antworten. Als kleines I-tüpfelchen in Sachen Irrealismus und Fiktion empfand ich Cat, Bens imaginäre Katze, die immer an seiner Seite auftauchte, wenn er mentale Unterstützung brauchte. Wenn Ben ein wenig entscheidungsunfreudig war, stupste Cat ihn auf den richtigen Weg, sie fungierte beinahe als sein siebter Sinn, nahm Dinge wahr, die seinem Auge entgingen. Aber sie erschien nie albern, ihr Vorhandensein passte einfach hervorragend. An diesem Punkt beschließe ich nun, nicht weiter über die Geschichte und die Personen zu sprechen, denn die Story muss einfach selbst erlebt werden und es ist in der Tat gerade eine große Gratwanderung für mich, nicht zu viel zu verraten und somit die Spannung dieser ganz besondere Leseerfahrung zu rauben.

"Geschichten gehen ja normalerweise nicht so lange, bis alle tot sind, obwohl dann alles schön klar definiert wäre. Wir erzählen sie einfach bis zu einem bestimmten Moment und dann sagen wir plötzlich Ende, aber das heißt eben nicht, dass nicht auch danach noch irgendetwas Interessantes passiert; es heißt lediglich, dass wir an dem Punkt aufhören, die Geschichte zu erzählen. Vielleicht sollte unsere einfach hier und jetzt aufhören."
Seite 300/ 301

Mein persönliches Fazit

Benjamin Constables Roman hat mich wahrlich vollkommen gefesselt und in vielen Momenten positiv überrascht. Sein Schreib- und Erzählstil begeisterte mich geradezu. Ich liebe es, wenn Geschichten eine gewisse Skurrilität aufweisen und man als Leser gefordert ist herauszufinden, was denn nun Realität und was Fiktion ist. Diese ganze Story ist eine einzige Herausforderung und ich habe sie sehr gerne angenommen. Dieses Buch kann und sollte man auch nicht mal schnell nebenbei lesen. Nein, diesem Buch muss man Zeit geben, damit das Geschriebene auch richtig wirken kann, damit man sich auf die Geschehnisse einlassen kann. In dieser Geschichte steckt mehr Tiefgang, als man vielleicht auf den ersten Blick vermuten möchte und doch beginnt man ganz unbewusst schon während des Lesens, sich über die Dinge wie Mord, Selbstmord, Sterbehilfe, Selbstfindung und Verlust seine ganz eigenen Gedanken zu machen. Tomomi Ishikawa animiert mit ihren Lebenserfahrungen, niedergeschrieben in den Notizbücher, sich damit auseinanderzusetzen. Eine unkonventionelle, liebevoll inszinierte und doch auch stellenweise düstere Geschichte, die clever gestrickt ist und den Leser mitnimmt auf eine faszinierend-skurrile Reise irgendwo zwischen Realität und Fiktion. Aber man muss sich definitiv darauf einlassen können, sich einfach in die Geschichte fallen lassen können. Von mir gibt es eine ganz klare Leseempfehlung! Ich war und bin begeistert!

© Rezension: 2013, Alexandra
buecherkaffee.blogspot.de

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so fucking sick of "quirky" novels. The cute Japanese manic pixie dream girl/possible serial killer (nicknamed "Butterfly," because of course she is). The thirty-eight year old man with propagnosia—which predictably catalyzes a major plot point—and an imaginary cat called "Cat." Re-using the same stupid joke ("a shit of paper!") half a dozen times. Homemade cyanide candies. The protagonist, Ben Constable, being a fictionalized version of the author. And some meta bullshit, the most accurate being "This whole story is just one long string of idiocy" (318).

I feel like this book was trying to be something that it's not. It could've been a third-rate JRPG or a kitschy Japanese horror film, but as a novel, the story is bizarre and unsatisfying. Tomomi Ishikawa commits suicide and with her dying breath sends Ben Constable on a treasure hunt across Paris and New York City. Now, I love trivia, but a good portion of this book is basically a trivia travelogue and it loses its charm fast. Ben realizes that the "treasures" are Tomomi Ishikawa's notebooks that detail how she murdered people. The stories could be real, or they could simply be Tomomi Ishikawa's posthumous attempt to finally become an author. Throughout the novel there's an interesting commentary on truth vs lie vs fiction, but the story is so adolescent and weird that it's hard to take seriously.

There are three basic POVs for the story:
1) Tomomo Ishikawa's cutesy letters to Ben and her sensational journals detailing improbable murders
2) Ben Constable writing about the treasure hunt
3) Ben Constable (?) writing about Ben Constable and Tomomi Ishikawa

Unfortunately, they didn't fit together very well and the structure became predictable after a while, except for the ending which is too much of a mindfuck (SPOILER: Ben learns Tomomi Ishikawa is alive and he searches for her in the catacombs of Paris. She imprisons him there and threatens to kill him. She eventually leads him out of the catacombs and commits suicide by eating her cyanide candy...or did she? She hints that she killed Ben and returned to Paris to write their story under his identity). Some parts of the novel are compelling, most notably Tomomi Ishikawa's struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts, and the ways she tries and fails to cope with her mental illness...but too much of the story is a boring chain of "fetch-quests" and meetings with unlikely "NPCs." It was interesting for a while but became boring and ultimately disappointing.

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to claim this book as a moderate success for myself. Ordinarily, scenarios involving treasure hunts absolutely do not work for me. Making arrangements to leave some secret clue in a public place & expecting it to still be there after the passage of the days, weeks, or months it takes the treasure hunter to figure out its location is one of the most annoying fictional conceits ever. So you would expect that since this is pretty much the plot of this book that I would be ripping my hair out over the whole thing, but pleasantly, this wasn’t the case.

Ever since G decided that the best time to start every single day (even Sunday!) is at 6:30, I’ve been trying to go with the flow in all aspects of life. “Let’s not get irritated, shall we, let’s just maintain” is my new motto, at least until I can start sleeping in a touch past sunrise. As soon as I started to get a little bug-eyed at the thought of some package just taped to the bottom of a park bench that had been waiting there for like a whole month & no one has ever tried to peel the tape off & investigate come on! I’d take a deep breath & I would just let it ride. Every time I’d find myself trying, Baxter-like, to Suspect that maybe it was totally obvious that Tomomi wasn’t really dead & that Beatrice was much more than she seemed, I tried not to get all cranky about it. I didn’t find this to be as mind-boggling or amazing as everyone else seems to have done; as Ben Constable unravels more & more of Tomomi Ishikawa’s deadly past, she beings to slip in his estimation & so too does she in mine. The more people she maybe-murdered, the less I cared about her as a character. I loved the interaction between Ben & Beatrice:
“’. . . the whole thing was turning out to be very expensive, but it was time to put a stop to it all.’
‘I’ll get these drinks.’
‘It’s not about the drinks,’”& I definitely wanted more of her. The ending is pretty lackluster & none of the big questions get answered since Tomomi kills herself before she can answer them – mostnotably, did she really commit all those murders?but Ben does speak a lot about how the reader doesn’t get to decide where a story ends so if I thought all of the bit in the catacombs was kind of rubbish, at least it’s consistent.

[Lourie · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw **

“Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa” will have you guessing until the end.

I found this book hard to put down. I devoured its pages but interestingly I’m not really sure what it was that entranced me so. Maybe it was the over all mystery: is Tomomi Ishikawa really dead or is it all an elaborate ploy to make Benjamin Constable’s life more interesting? As I read I couldn’t help thinking I hope this book pays off in the end and doesn’t just fizzle out. I will be so upset if the ending isn’t brilliant and I have to say I was not disappointed. While the over all plot was predictable the ending is extraordinary!

Tomomi as a character is so full of psychosis, neurosis, quirks and foibles that I just couldn’t wait for the next pronouncement of her heinous past. Not only had I wonder through out the story is she alive but did she do what she confesses to? Don’t worry I will not tell, that is for you to find out.

Reading the pages it was fascinating all the details about Paris and NY City. I have visited both places and it was interesting to live it through the author’s eyes.

Constable’s characters are so vivid and entertaining but I have a special place in my heart for Cat. I was reminded of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I started to read, however this Cat would not fit into that setting at all. Cat has so much confidence and attitude that on many occasions I found myself just laughing out loud.

Being that this is a debut for Benjamin Constable I have to say I am flabbergasted at how much depth there is. This is an amazing first book and I for one can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

[Gaele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book, and then went back to read it again a few days later: it was that good. Constable is a master puppeteer, leading the reader by their emotions on a scavenger-hunt like quest as he seeks clues in the backstreets of Paris and New York with beautifully written prose, intriguing and imaginative hiding places, and a clever presentation of the juxtaposition between dark thoughts against humor and good intentions that are meant to lighten the moment.

What emerges is a complex and layered story of a friendship, and the subtle effect one’s personal interior dialogue and self-awareness will influence the need to know more. When Tomomi disappears yet again from Ben’s life, and all he is left with is a suicide note and a series of clues that may lead to the ‘why’, he immediately starts to unravel the story of her Why.

There is never a moment that doesn’t work in this book, as readers are led through twists and turns both metaphorical and actual, Ben becomes the tour guide and guidepost, The descriptions are lush, while I will admit to being lost in several side streets, I was able to enjoy the wander, not caring that I was lost.

This was a gripping and cleverly crafted story that demanded I read on to the end. If you are looking for something completely different, beautifully written and wholly entertaining – this is the read for you.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

[Jordana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

"I'd like to write a book where the two main characters are me and you."So begins Ben Constable's bizzarre, whimsical, dark, and yet, somehow, humorous novel. Ben Constable has written himself into an adventure in which nothing is quite what it seems, but nothing is ever truly revealed for what it really is.

I sit here, at a complete loss as to what to say about this book. It grabbed me and my curiosity and held on tight. Until the very end. And still has it in its grip. I am not entirely sure what I read or what it was really about. I am left with questions, questions and more questions, and I am not entirely sure that I really gained anything from reading the book other than some eccentric and perplexing entertainment.

While Ben Constable becomes convinced that he is the plaything, I am pretty sure the real Ben Constable is actually the puppeteer, playing with his reader. I can only imagine how much fun he had writing his riddle, and how much he is enjoying watching it all play out among readers around the globe.

I want to tell everyone I know to go read this book just so that I can have people to talk to about this 354-page mind-game. If anything, read it as a group with the specific intention of having some drinks and settling in for a long, late-night conversation (like Ben and Butterfly). I will be waiting for my invitation...

"... because you know that endings do not always come last, and that they are only a question of definition..."

[Jo Dervan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! The author weaves the tale of Ben Constable, a Brit working in Paris, and his friend, Tomomi "Butterfly"Ikishawa, a Japanese-American girl from NYC. The platonic relationship between the two involves many drinks and late night discussions. However Butterfly suffers from depression and sometimes mysteriously disappears for weeks before calling Ben to meet for drinks.

So when Ben comes home one night to find a suicide note from Butterfly, he is very upset. Butterfly leaves her laptop and a series of clues to be found in both Paris and NYC. Ben feels that once he solves all clues, he will understand why she decided to take her own life. As he starts solving the clues, he finds notebooks she leaves in various world famous places as well as places known only to locals in each city. As the secrets are resolved, Ben likes Butterfly less and less. By the end of the story, he doesn't like her much at all.

This story is a well written, first novel and a real page turner. Once I picked it up, I literally could not put it down because I was anxious to find out how this thriller ends.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books that you remember.
For the sublime quality of the actual plot. Perhaps for the quirkyness of the characters. Possibly just for the feeling you get at the end when you realize you have read something quite extraordinary.
The dream of many a bookworm and author, that one book you go back to over and over again. If you're very lucky it will happen with many books, but not everyone has the pleasure of discovering the work of scribes that stay embedded in the depths of your mind.
I can't even tell you exactly why this book is one of those for me.
I also can't tell you whether it will be that way for you.
Towards the end I found myself rushing forwards in thought to the ending I was sure would come, then having to backtrack when it didn't.
To relay any details at all would spoil the twists and turns that are plotted with an almost devious mind-set, so I won't.
What I will say is that it was both playful in its darkness and vast in its depth.
Truly a joy to read.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.

[Tayfun · Rating 2 out of 5]

Die Rätseljagt, war anfangs sehr interessant und ich war heiß darauf, das Geheimnis gemeinsam mit dem Protagonisten und der imaginären Katze „Cat“ zu lüften. Die Geschichte ist aber ein großes hin und her. Der Plot ist ziemlich durchschaubar und ist jeglicher Art von Kreativität aus den Weg gegangen und hat somit leider keinen „Gasp-Effekt“ ausgelöst. Bei den Handlungen gewisser Figuren habe ich teilweise einen Knacks gekriegt und musste kurz das Buch weglegen, aufstehen, an das Fenster gehen und mit einer strengen Vatermine kopfschüttelnd in die Ferne schauen.

Ich wünsche mir, dass niemand, jemals, das „Vergnügen“ haben wird, einen Menschen wie Tomomi Ishikawa kennenzulernen. Umgekehrt aber, wünsche ich, dass jeder eine imaginäre Katze wie „Cat“ hat :)

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin Constable plays himself in this intricately written mystery of tracking down a friend and her unbelievable suicide.

Not a traditional who-done-it and why with a dead body on the first page, but a literary adventure of writer Ben Constable and his imaginary cat following the clues of his “dead” friend Tomomi Butterfly Ishikawa throughout Paris and New York to find out if she is truly dead or still very much alive.

The clues are everywhere: “planted in the pages of her journal, on the hard drive of her computer, tucked away in public places, under flowerpots, and behind statues.” And they tell Ben that his friend was not the person he thought she was, but rather a troubled and disturbed woman taking her own form of revenge and euthanasia on the people in her life.

When he learns she’s not dead, he tries to save her but she’s too far gone into her own story.

[Jacki Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery, a riddle, a scavenger hunt. Just what I love!

When Benjamin's friend, Butterfly, sends him a note telling him of her suicide, he is dumbfounded to discover that she is sending him on a 'treasure hunt', the likes of which I've never read. Totally amazing, I couldn't put this down. Odd, strange, invasive. I loved it.

[Stefanie Hasse hisandherbooks.de · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zitat:
„Ich bin sicher, dir ist zumindest kurz durch den Kopf gegangen, dass die Mühe, die es erfordert, einen Brief zu schreiben und ihn auf den Weg zu schicken, auf einen bedeutenswerteren Anlass hinweist als lediglich auf den Versuch, mir in einer schlaflosen Nacht die Zeit zu vertreiben, auf einen dringlicheren Inhalt als den Wunsch, dir mit einem Beweis dafür zu schmeicheln, dass ich gerade an dich gedacht habe.“
(S. 14)

„Wenn du ein Leben ausgelöscht hast, zerbrichst du entweder an dem Schmerz, sobald dir die Schwere deiner Tat bewusst wird, oder du schlägst eine neue Seite auf und machst einfach weiter. Doch niemals wirst du der neuen Gewissheit entfliehen, dass weder Gott noch die allzu leicht veränderlichen Gesetze der Menschen ein Leben beschützen können; unser Dasein, so fragil, wird durch nichts geschützt als durch unser Vertrauen in das Gute – eine Lage so dünn wie Zellstoff. Der Tod lauert in jedem von uns.“
(S. 223)

Inhalt:
Ein Brief seiner Freundin Tomomi Ishikawa, genannt Butterfly, erreicht Ben Constable. Darin steht, dass Tomomi zu dem Zeitpunkt, in dem Ben diesen Brief liest, bereits tot sein wird.
In Butterflys Wohnung findet Ben eine weitere Nachricht. Er soll sich aus dem Kühlschrank bedienen und ihren Laptop mitnehmen.

Beim Durchsuchen ebenjenem findet Ben allerhand auf den ersten Blick „unnütze“ Dateien, tausende Fotos und Recherchen über Plätze in Paris, sowie einen Ordner mit dem Titel „Meine Toten“, in dem es neben einigen anderen auch ein Unterverzeichnis „Ben Constable“ gibt.

Erst Tomomis E-Mail-Account bringt etwas mehr Klarheit. Sie hat ihm auf diese Weise Häppchen zugeworfen, durch die er sie besser kennenlernen wird. Ein Rätsel, ein Abenteuer und zugleich eine Beichte.

Meinung:
Ein Buch, bei dem Protagonist und Autor denselben Namen tragen? Klingt sehr interessant.
Hin- und hergerissen, ob dieses Buch etwas für mich sein könnte, wartete ich gespannt auf die ersten Rezensionen, die durchweg begeistert waren. So konnte ich natürlich nicht lange warten und musste mich ebenfalls in „Die drei Leben der Tomomi Ishikawa“ stürzen.

Der Einstieg war für mich etwas holprig und überraschend. Denn die Sprache hat mich ziemlich irritiert. Die kurze „Einführung in alles“ ließ mich bereits die Augenbrauen anheben, bei DEM Brief fühlte ich mich anstelle des angegebenen Jahres 2007 eher in der feinen englischen Gesellschaft längst vergangener Jahrhunderte wieder, so „geschwollen“ war die Ausdrucksweise. Schier endlose Sätze und Abschweifungen, nicht gerade alltagsgebräuchliche Wörter und Beschreibungen haben mich fürs erste schockiert zurückgelassen und ich hoffte inständig, dass sich diese „besondere“ Art nicht durch das ganze Buch zieht. Es hat mich so eiskalt erwischt, dass ich sogar kurzfristig an eine Unterbrechung dachte…

Wie bereits erwähnt beginnt alles mit dem Brief von „Butterfly“ Tomomi Ishikawa an Ben Constable, in dem sie ihm mitteilt, dass sie sich das Leben nehmen wird, dass sie für ihn aber eine Überraschung vorbereitet hat, an der sie schon seit ihrer Kindheit arbeitet.
Aber wo genau diese Überraschung steckt, verrät sie nicht. Stattdessen erinnert sie noch einmal an die schönsten gemeinsamen Erlebnisse und Träume.

Im Anschluss schwenken wir zu Bens Sicht, lernen den 38-jährigen ein wenig besser kennen, was bei mir auch kurzfristig für Verwirrung über die Zeitform sorgte. Er erzählt die gesamte Geschichte in Ich-Perspektive. Allgemeine Dinge, Regeln und Verhaltensweisen, die immer Gültigkeit haben, beschreibt er im Präsens, den Rest, die „eigentliche“ Geschichte ist in Vergangenheit verfasst. Diese Mischung schuf eine direkte Verbindung zu Ben, als würde er mir seine Geschichte persönlich erzählen.

Nachdem die Einstiegsprobleme beseitigt waren, erlebte ich, was Ben beim Lesen des Briefes und direkt im Anschluss fühlt und wie er reagiert. Ich wurde direkt in sein Leben gezogen und machte mich gemeinsam mit seiner imaginären Katze Cat (ja, richtig gelesen) auf die Jagd nach Hinweisen, ergründete die Vergangenheit von Tomomi Ishikawa und brachte schockierende Details zutage.

„Die drei Leben der Tomomi Ishikawa“ ist kein Buch für nebenbei. Abgesehen von der Sprache (an die ich mich dann aber erstaunlich schnell gewöhnte) in Butterflys stets kursiv gedruckten Nachrichten, wimmelt es in der Geschichte von kleinen Details, die in Nebensätzen erwähnt, kaum Beachtung erfordern, im Nachhinein aber das Gesamtbild ergänzen. Sei es die imaginäre Katze, Briefe aus Tomomis Ich-Perspektive, die dann aber gleichzeitig in die Gedankenwelt anderer eintauchen, als könne Tomomi Gedankenlesen, oder die vielen stehengebliebenen Uhren, die zu zahlreichen Interpretationen führen können.
Ich sage bewusst Interpretationen, weil ich selbst nur über alles mutmaßen kann. Denn bis kurz vor den letzten Seiten dachte ich noch, ich hätte alles durchschaut, was der Autor mit dem gewählten Ende aber zunichtemachte. So stieß ich oft auf Ungereimtheiten, von denen manche im weiteren Verlauf doch noch Sinn machten, Dinge, die sich erst rückblickend ins rechte Licht rückten.

Auch die Charaktere in „Die drei Leben der Tomomi Ishikawa“ sind alles andere als normal und haben alle ganz besondere Eigenschaften. Beispielsweise kann sich Ben Constable keine Gesichter merken, er leidet an Prosopagnosie. Tomomi hingegen hat eine ganz spezielle Vergangenheit, die ich SO noch nie irgendwo gelesen habe. Und trotz dem Ernst der Lage gibt es durchaus Passagen zum Schmunzeln. Seien es Verständigungsprobleme (Fisch!), die später wieder aufgegriffen und in den „Alltagsgebrauch“ einflossen, oder nüchtern betrachtet „sinnlose“ Gespräche, die vor trockenem Humor nur so strotzen.

Alles in Allem übt dieses Buch eine wahnsinnige Faszination auf einen aus. Ich konnte nicht mit dem Lesen aufhören, wollte mich weiter auf die Jagd nach dem nächsten Hinweis machen, in die Untiefen von Tomomi Ishikawas Vergangenheit abtauchen, erfahren, wie der Autor sich immer weiter verstrickt, mich selbst an anfänglichen „Tatsachen“ zweifeln ließ. Auf diese Weise übte er einen unheimlichen Lesezwang auf mich aus, ehe ich das Buch nicht weniger verwirrt als zwischendurch zuklappte…

Und im Nachhinein macht auch der Titel durchaus Sinn…

Urteil:
Nach den ersten Seiten war ich kurz davor, „Die drei Leben der Tomomi Ishikawa“ auf „später“ zu verschieben. Zum Glück hab ich es nicht getan. Denn ich hätte ein ganz besonderes Buch verpasst, das einen Grübeln und Mitfiebern lässt, für den ein oder anderen Lacher sorgt und Spekulationen über Wahrheit und Fiktion nahezu herausfordert. 4 Bücher für Ben Constable auf der Jagd nach „Butterfly“ Tomomi Ishikawas Vergangenheit.

Wer nach einer etwas „anderen“ und „besonderen“ Geschichte sucht, ist hier an der richtigen Stelle. Euch muss jedoch klar sein, dass ihr vielleicht ebenso ratlos sein könntet wie auch ich, und noch längere Zeit das Bedürfnis habt, über dieses Buch zu sprechen.

©his-and-her-books.blogspot.de

[c · Rating 2 out of 5]

lol i love how in 2013 apparently no one at simon & schuster was like hey buddy do you want to... maybe... not throw around quite so many weird fetishistic tropes re: asian women ...
speaking of 2013, the guy in your MFA twitter was created in march of that same year-- truly a fine vintage for main character syndrome and meta-poisoning, i'd say.
(i'm literally only reviewing this bc i need a way of remembering the title bc i reference it once every year and never can remember the title. but like lmao)

[Schlomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mag total diese Art von Buch. Mit eigentümlichen Charakteren und in denen man in die Story geworfen wird und mit dem Protagonist ein Rätsel löst. Gab mir ähnliche Vibes wie "Extrem laut und unglaublich nah" von Jonathan Foer, oder auch das Spiel "gone home".

[adrianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

part 3 kinda went off track but no notes

[Stefanie Wille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though perhaps slightly macabre, I have to say that I love the storyline in this book. It’s definitely very unique, as is the writing. I really enjoyed how this book gave you some more information about Paris and New York City but about some really lesser known things. But most of all I love the way you really don’t know what is real and what isn’t in this book. I kept thinking I knew which was which but the lines kept getting blurred again and again. This just gave the book an extra dimension and made me want to read it even more.

This story has a very unique premise and it doesn’t disappoint. It definitely was able to pull through all the way to the ending. The mix of narrative and the letters from Tomomi and the “excerpts” from the city guides made this a more interesting story than it would have been if it had only existed in the telling of the main storyline. This mix of different elements really made the book more interesting and the story better. The best part of the story, in my opinion, was that we never knew how much of it is true. It was just a constant guessing game which I really liked, everyone was just able to have their own perception of what is true and what isn’t within the realm of this book. And I guess in a way I also really enjoyed that the ending didn’t give away what the truth was. It didn’t confirm or deny anything.

Benjamin was a special character and at times I had a hard time getting into his frame of mind. But after a couple of chapters this got a lot easier and it made me like him more. Benjamin, however, is nothing compared to Tomomi as a special character. She is definitely not anywhere close to being a run of the mill character. There are a lot of different sides to Tomomi and we get to experience them bit by bit, all the while still pondering the reality of certain events. I really liked her as a character but I liked the friendship that she had with Benjamin most of all. It was such an unconventional friendship where nobody involved really knew where they stood all the time. That was just so great because isn’t that how life usually is? Very uncertain and never the way you imagined it to be?

The writing is this book was just amazing. The letters by Tomomi were always beautifully written and the narrative was very straight forward. I was also a big fan of the conversations Ben and Butterfly (Tomomi) had, they were a bit random but always seeming like something that might actually be discussed. The book is a mix of a road trip/ travel and mystery all the while telling the story of a strange friendship and a quest for the truth. I think it’s definitely unique in that way and I really enjoyed this delicious blend. The story also raises a lot of questions about people in general, or it did for me anyway (this is next to the many questions it made me have about the story and its characters). Are people always who we think they are? Don’t we sometimes get confused about who they are by what we think they are and what we think they should be?

In short: this is a unique book with fun characters. We get all of this packaged in beautiful writing and a gorgeous cover on top. If this synopsis appeals to you, I beg of you to pick it up, it’s such a gem of a book. And who could not like this synopsis? Who doesn’t like a quest involving an imaginary cat and backdrops of NYC and Paris?

I imagine this is a great book to have fun discussions about with friends, so if anyone has read this book and feels like comparing notes: let me know!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

(nb: I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley)

Winston Churchill is credited with the phrase, "A riddle, wrapped up in a mystery, inside an enigma," a phrase that perfectly describes Benjamin Constable's excellent novel, "Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa."

Imagine your best friend kills herself without warning. In her suicide note, you find clues leading you to a place. At that place you discover another clue, leading you further. Then another...then another. And the further you go, the more you doubt everything you know about your friend.

That's what happens to Ben Constable (the author is the narrator). He's shocked one day to receive a suicide note from his friend Tomomi Ishikawa, more commonly known as "Butterfly." He is instructed to go get the laptop computer from her apartment. He returns home to find a letter has been slid under his door. The letter is from her, telling him that she's left him clues in the computer, leading him on a sort of quest.

He retrieves the computer and scours its files. He finds clues, follows them, and--solving cryptic hints and riddles--finds that he's supposed to continue his chase to her hometown, New York City. So, Ben flies from Paris to New York, where he picks up the trail anew.

Via his scavenger hunt, he gets a broad tour of New York City. Indeed, he digs in traffic islands, gropes between folds in a statue's clothing, even destroys a library book on chicken farming. When he solves each clue, he finds a notebook filled with Butterfly's unique scrawl.

Each of these notebooks describes a killing of some varying degree of horror. With each clue--and each notebook--Ben becomes less sure of how well he knew his Butterfly. The deeper he gets into her dark past, the more certain he becomes that he's being followed around New York, and that greater forces are at play.

More worrisome still, he begins to wonder whether his friend Tomomi Ishikawa is really dead at all.

"Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa" is what I would call a snowball novel. It starts out as an interesting-enough character study. We don't really get a sense of Butterfly before her suicide, and from Ben's narration, we see her as somebody who drank and smoked a lot, and who had a propensity toward moodiness. The two weren't romantic, and there were even gaps in their platonic friendship following some drunken snit or another.

We don't know much about Ben at first, either. He really begins to come alive as a character (and a person) once he delves into Butterfly's odd, posthumous scavenger hunt. We sense, though, that she's the one thing that added any sort of real excitement--good or bad--to his life.

The odd thing about Butterfly's mission, is that it doesn't seem like a final gift to Ben to show how much she loved him, but rather a sort of statement that he didn't really know her one damned bit.

Benjamin Constable (the author) has created an engrossing story here. We learn that Butterfly had a tough childhood, during which she was raised to perform some horrifying duties when the time came. This changed her, isolating her from the rest of society. This is why we--like Ben (the character)--are so shocked to learn, not only of the horrors Butterfly may have committed, but at the deep subterfuge she undertakes to reveal them to Ben.

Be forewarned: once it has its hooks in you, "Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa" is a very difficult book to put down.

Highly Recommended

[Meghan McFadyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will forever think about how the author and main character have the same name and just wonder if he really is just a creative writer.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa by Ben Constable is a Simon and Schuster publication. This book was released in June 2013.

Ben receives a rambling note from his friend he usually refers to as butterfly. She informs him she intends to commit suicide and by the time he gets the note she would be dead.
She bequeaths him her laptop computer, which leads him to discover a letter and sets him on a massive "treasure" hunt.
He starts off in Paris and winds up in New York where he meets Beatrice. The two of them continue following the clues Butterfly left Ben, revealing what appears to be the confession of several murders committed by Butterfly. But, are these stories real? Is butterfly really murderer. What is Beatrice's connection to Butterfly? Why is his friend revealing all to him? Is it so he can write a book about her or does she have something more sinister in mind for Ben?
What was the nature of the relationship between Ben and Butterfly? Why all these questions?
Well, these are the questions I was asking as I read the novel. These questions and a lot more. The first thing you may notice is that the author named the protagonist after himself. How interesting.
The next thing that I found curious was his cat- named Cat. Not your normal domesticated pet.
Then we have Ben's response to his friend's suicide. He doesn't ask if this was in character with his friend's personality or anything. He just presumes it's true despite the fact there is no body and nobody even reports her missing. Instead Ben plays the came his friend went to great lengths to plan out for him.
Ben doesn't have any trouble at all finding the clues left for him, and at times is able to think ahead of Butterfly. However, that might not be such a good idea for Ben.
The author lets us get us draw our own conclusions about what ending we want to apply to the book and what was and wasn't real.
As others have stated, this book doesn't really fit into a specific genre. It's a mystery, a psychological thriller, with a well paced build up of suspense. It is hard to review the book as I normally would because I don't want to give too much away. I thing it's one of the most unique and imaginative novels I've read in awhile. I was completely absorbed in it from the very first chapter and read through it in record time. This is a novel you will think about for awhile after you finish it. I think that you could read it a second and a third time and come way with a different perspective each time. A highly recommended puzzle. Overall this one gets an A.