Escape from Amsterdam

by barrie-sherwood

Escape from Amsterdam

Genres: Fiction, Japan

258 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2007

Reviews

[Alex Hogg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... it was certainly a book that someone wrote.. so that's something. To be fair, it was well written and engaging throughout, it's more the plot and characters that I have issues with. This is the first book I've read told exclusively from a male perspective in at least four months and, oh boy, did I get a kick in the teeth with truly how awful the protagonist is. At every point where I thought he might finally have a shred of remorse for the impact of actions on others, he didn't. I kept expecting there to be a moment of hubris, but it never came. The side characters were frankly caricatures of various stock characters, who acted purely in ways that served the plot rather than in a realistic manner for that character. And more than anything else, the idea of rating every woman you come across on a scale of 1-10 based on how similar they are to your ex girlfriend, is so rage-inducing (and misogynistic, like "women are all the same" vibes).

[Nicky Neko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh. I feel bad giving this a low rating, but I just COULDN'T enjoy it, or rate it higher.

I think the author writes well, and at the beginning of the book I enjoyed the fun energy and fizz the prose had to it. But as the first chapter progressed it became quickly apparent that the author knows next to nothing about Japan.

Wait, hold on, I know that sounds pretentious, but bear with me. This book is a parody of what people imagine Japan to be.

I just think if you are setting out to write a book about another culture you have to do it justice. You have to not just do your research, but also attempt to be honest, truthful, and respectful in your representation of that culture. This book is a sloppy, and slapdashed misrepresentation of Japan.

This author has obviously been to Japan, and done a bit of research, but I never felt that they were taking their task of representing Japanese society seriously.

Now I know people might say, "Yes, but this is fiction. This isn't really Japan", and maybe I'm biased, but I couldn't get past the silly things he'd done. I'll give examples:

1. The main character's aunt dies. She leaves him some money. The aunt's name is Aunt Okane. "Okane" means "money" in Japanese. Silly and lazy to just name the thing the character represents using Japanese.

2. The main character is from a small town in the countryside. The town is called Inaka. "Inaka" means "countryside" in Japanese. Again, silly and lazy.

3. Japan Rail (JR) is called Nippon Rail (NR) in this book. Why? If the author is fine with naming real companies such as Mister Donut, why can't they use the proper name for JR? Why use the word "Nippon"? It's to give illusion to a reader unfamiliar with Japan that this author knows his stuff. He knows the word Nippon, and thinks it will sound more authentic, but ultimately it sounds inauthentic.

4. ゴスロリ (Gosurori) Goth-Loli, which is a fashion style that fuses "Gothic" with "Lolita" is referred to as Loli-Goth. Why switch the word order? Why?!

It's little things like this that mean nothing to people who don't speak Japanese (and thereby are completely pointless), but will really, really grate with people who do speak Japanese. So what is the point in them? They are lazy attempts to fool the reader into believing what they are reading is authentic.

Another thing I disliked about this book was the sense that the main character is supposed to be Japanese, but goes through his home country with the same kind of voiced surprise at every little thing as a foreigner who has just arrived. Why? It makes no sense.

I never usually write negative reviews for books, and I feel like an awful stick in the mud for writing this, but I just couldn't recommend this book to people who want to learn more about Japan.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really read like a manga, set in a future where the baser aspects of today's Japan have really taken hold and flourished. I absolutely HATED Sin City, the movie that was based on a graphic novel and was violent and artistic at the same time, and this book did remind me of that... but the writer's hilarious take on Japanese perversion and fantasy and money won me over.

I'm not sure if somebody who didn't live in Japan or study Japanese would get so much out of this book though, it might be too insider-y for them.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok library pick. I wasn't wowed by his prose or anything but the way he tried to combine illustration into the tale was a pleasure. There were some things I didn't quite understand about the attitude of the main character and I wonder if that is because I am not Japanese. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to identify with him or loathe him. I went with loathe. Read in about a day - it doesn't take much out of you this book.

[Addie Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

only a couple pages in, but it is my understanding that this book contains a phony princess, topiary dinosaurs, and high-tech love dolls so I have high hopes.

[Javerend · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't tell you if you'll like this book. I don't know if I entirely liked this book. I can tell you that you've probably never read anything quite like it, though, and that's definitely worth something.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Edgar Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Plot is simple but nice. Some side characters I loved and some could’ve been done better. Wants to be murakami a little too much

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a detailed description of a Japan you couldn’t imagine or wouldn’t believe, this is a great book.
If you’re looking for a plot or even one likeable character, stay far far away.

This story of an odyssey by a Japanese student to find his sister (who is potentially in danger—but is really in a whacky servitude) left me feeling bogged down in detail. The main character, Aozora is beyond unlikeable. He is so unconcerned with his mission (until the last few pages) that I don’t care either. It feels like the loss of anyone, except a monkey feeding do-gooder that appears toward the end, and the father, would be no great loss to the universe.

The rest of the characters were more than one dimensional, they seemed to be the same person showing up in different jobs. They, as well as their roles in this book felt unbelievable.

The detail was compelling, the description sublime, but it was far too much of a good thing. By the end, I wanted to read only the dialogue. And the Manga and photographs scattered throughout felt like not enough to really work, and yet left me with more of a clear picture than the over-detailed descriptions. I admit to being wholly unfamiliar with Manga and I would like to have seen more of it.

It’s possible that it’s only me, but I couldn’t recommend this book.

[Kat Lombard-Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape from Amsterdam is a creative thriller about modern-day Japan. The main character, Aozora, is an apathetic student at Kyoto University, aspiring to do nothing more than fix bids at the Ministry of Construction. He's obsessed with brand-names and just wants to make easy money and retire early. When his Mahjong debts become too much, he's given a gift. An old Aunt left him and his sister a priceless collection of art. The only problem, he must find his sister. She's been non-communicative for the past few weeks, so Aozora must set out to track her down, before his debtors track him down. The characters in this book are quirky, and none of them are black and white. Every person in this book does questionable things, even the "good guys." As the circumstances of his sister become apparent, even Aozora's motivations come into question. Some of the foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed, but the story-line keeps your interest piqued. An interesting feature to the book is the manga and illustrations. Peppered throughout are xeroxes of manga, photographs the main character snapped, and drawings he's made. It's an interesting story filled with yakuza, family amusement parks with sinister underbellies, and families, as strange as they may be.

[Iggy D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I picked it up from the library one day and had to go buy a copy of my own.
Escape from Amsterdam is a fast paced, witty, modern novel that taps into this generation's contradiction: we watch heroes and play heroes in movies, TV, and video games, but in real life we rarely imitate the selfless actions or attitudes of our "role models."
Aozora Fujiwara is the perfect example of this: he's a fairly unassuming, lovelorn, young man who happens to be in trouble with some thugs. This puts him in the perfect position to be an action hero . . . too bad that's harder than the movies make it out to be. With a lot of help on the way Aozora must rescue his sister, shining-knight style, from big time yakuza who run the themepark Amsterdam and not get killed trying.
This novel incorporates graphic elements and disjointed, stream-of-consciousness narration to weave a tongue-in-cheek epic set in modern Japan.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was what it was - a fun romp through Japan, where a nerdy protagonist just won't quit until he's saved his sister from indentured servitude to the Yakuza. A less well-written, faster-paced NumberNineDream, ridiculous at times but never claiming to be anything else. You can very much tell the author ISN'T Japanese, but possesses a lot of esoteric knowledge about Japanese culture and popculture that will reward Otaku like me. Fun times.

[Chilly SavageMelon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars maybe...
A pleasing enough thriller, though some of the action bits are rather wackball. Some of the devices used to pull in the kids ("picture the following unfolding like a video game...") were sort of lame, but for all I know, will appeal to the kids. There was something skill-full at work, despite contrived elements and I'd read future works from Sherwood to see where he goes from here.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japan is so strange even the Japanese don't recognize it anymore. Consequently a Yakuza boss gets the idea to build a theme park, "A new Kyoto. A new old Kyoto, just the way it looked fifty years ago." It'll be called J-Land or maybe Japan City (the name, he admits, still needs work). An unusual novel, and a picaresque peek into a country that seems to reinvent itself with every new generation.

[Tbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite some pretty bad reviews, this book was ok. At least it was worth the $4.50 paid at the SFO bookstore :)

Entertaining...but as many other people said, the end is a little bit rushed, but overall it was a pretty entertaining reading and I loved the graphics…

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly deep tale - deeper than the cover would have you believe. If you've an interest in Japan, in globalisation, the yakuza, familial bonds or the generation gap, there's something in here for you.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some really enjoyable moments and a quirky sense of humour. The narrator was a self-centred creep but that gave the book a lot of its humour. The style and story wore thin about 2/3rds of the way through but it ended quite well.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely weird look at modern Japan. A college student must find his sister who has become embroiled with the Yakuza.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty exciting and fast-paced thriller set in Japan. Had some weird aspects to it and at times a nihilistic tone, but overall a good read.

[Brooke Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character is very pessimistic. Gets a bit irritating. The writing is quite good and the story is interesting.

[Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where's my sandwich?

[Steven Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm looking forward to the next Barrie Sherwood book.