Kōtarō Isaka (伊坂幸太郎, Isaka Koutarou) is a Japanese author of mystery fiction.
Isaka was born in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the law faculty of Tohoku University, he worked as a system engineer. Isaka quit his company job and focused on writing after hearing Kazuyoshi Saito's 1997 song "Kōfuku na Chōshoku Taikutsu na Yūshoku", and the two have collaborated several times. In 2000, Isaka won the Shincho Mystery Club Prize for his debut novel Ōdyubon no Inori, after which he became a full-time writer. In 2002, Isaka's novel Lush Life gained much critical acclaim, but it was his Naoki Prize-nominated work Jūryoku Piero (2003) that brought him popular success. His following work Ahiru to Kamo no Koin Rokkā won the 25th Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers. Jūryoku Piero (2003), Children (2004), Grasshopper (2004), Shinigami no Seido (2005) and Sabaku (2006) were all nominated for the Naoki Prize. Isaka was the only author in Japan to be nominated for the Hon'ya Taishō in each of the award's first four years, finally winning in 2008 with Golden Slumber. The same work also won the 21st Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize.
อีกประเด็นที่ทำให้ฉุกคิดคือเรื่องของความสัมพันธ์ "ครอบครัว" อะไรยิ่งใหญ่กว่ากันระหว่างสายเลือดกับการดูแลให้ความรัก วิธีสื่อในเรื่องมีกลิ่นไอแบบ Like Father, Like Son และทำได้พอดิบพอดี ไม่รู้สึกว่าฟูมฟายหรือบีบคั้นเลย
Défini comme livre policier, c'est le cas typique d'un axe de vente faux : la recherche d'un éventuel pyromane n'est en rien le moteur essentiel du livre, mais la relation des deux frères, très proches. Haru, marginal, attirant est hanté par le viol de sa mère dont il est issu; déchiré entre l'horreur de son origine, et le fait qu'il n'est vivant que grâce à cette horreur. Le frère aîné, Izumi, est plus ordinaire, mais est-ce un hasard si sa carrière se passe dans le milieu de la génétique et des recherches ADN ? Ils vont chacun à sa manière et en même temps en complément l'un de l'autre, trouver un équilibre et s'assumer en créant leurs propres critères et leur propre morale... la fin ambigüe laisse sur une interrogation : peut-on échapper à la gravité ? Au total, ce roman ne passionne pas genre "page turner" mais il a une petite musique entêtante et insinuante qui laisse un écho vibrant la dernière page tournée...
There's something about the title that enthralls me, but that may just be due to my infatuation with Gravity's Rainbow. Gravity, besides the force that binds us to the ground, refers to seriousness, profundity, significance. It also reminds us of the grave, and how human bodies will eventually return to the earth. In Gravity's Rainbow is a lot of death. The book is also heavy, not only in the sense that it is difficult to traverse (horizontally), but in that it is also rich with significance.
Isaka Kotaro's novel is very different from Pynchon's, but it can be similarly thought of as an encyclopedic novel in its constant references to different bits of trivia. (There is even a list of cited works at the end of the book!) It is, however, not a heavy book. It slides lightly over its references and presents just enough to attract the reader's interest without bogging them down with too much information. In this way, it pays attention to the reader's attention, ebbing and flooding in accordance to the wave of reading.
The lightness of Isaka's novel is suggested in a passage where it makes explicit reference to the 'gravity clown' in question. The character's family goes to watch a circus performance, and a clown, in his acrobatics, seemingly defies gravity. If gravity suggests the grave, then the clown is a symbol of life. In this way, those who laugh (and exude the force of life) are all clowns. But the clown itself suggests a certain masking of one's own inner humanity, displaying only a mask distorted by the extremities of emotion. Though this feels absurd, isn't it strange that we stand, jump, and sometimes even soar into the skies (with planes, of course)? The force of living can be felt in the laugh. In our clowning, we live and defy the return to the origin that is death (as demonstrated in Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle).
This is a strange mystery novel. It is also a novel about family beyond blood. Although I generally prefer moments of greater weight, the lightness of this novel, especially in contrast with Gravity's Rainbow, spurs me to think, enjoy, and live.
Các vụ phóng hỏa hàng loạt xảy ra ở thành phố Sendai. Izumi, người làm việc tại một công ty về gen di truyền. Và em trai của Izumi, Haru- người đặc biệt quan tâm đến các vụ phóng hỏa đó, và Haru cho rằng anh ta có thể dự đoán các vụ phóng hỏa qua các bức vẽ Graffity xuất hiện gần hiện trường.
Tác giả tập trung chủ yếu vào mối quan hệ gia đình, tình anh em của Izumi và Haru. Điều mình thích nhất là cách Isaka Kotaro viết về tình cảm gia đình, đặc biệt là tình anh em. Mối quan hệ gia đình của Izumi và Haru rất cảm động, và nó góp phần thú vị cho câu chuyện, và có nhiều thứ đằng sau gia đình này có sự bất ngờ và cảm động, lòng cao thượng của người cha làm mình bất ngờ và ông ấy là một người rất tốt.
Ở cuốn sách này, có rất nhiều thông tin về nghệ thuật, lịch sử, văn học, phim ảnh. Và mình không thích về sinh học về DNA và di truyền, nó liên quan đến vụ án nhưng đến cuối nó làm mình thất vọng. Bên cạnh đó là những ẩn ý về vấn đề hiếp dâm, chấn thương tâm lý của nạn nhân. Về phần trinh thám, mình rất tiếc là tác giả không tập trung vào việc điều tra, nên nó chỉ thú vị ở vài đoạn, tình tiết lại dễ đoán nên mình chẳng ngạc nhiên mấy. Nhưng xét về độ ý nghĩa thì câu chuyện dư sức đem lại những cảm xúc dạt dào.
"Nếu con sống hạnh phúc, con có thể thoát khỏi lực hút của trái đất."
Un Etat de droit ! s’est exclamé Haru en riant, comme si il n’avait jamais entendu d’expression aussi ridicule. Quand on tue une personne, généralement on n’est pas condamné à mort, et quand on en tue un certain nombre ou que l’on commet des attentas, on a droit à un procès qui traîne tellement en longueur qu’on est assuré de vivre encore longtemps. Ce genre de loi, qui est-ce que ça protège ? Et les chiens, vous trouvez qu’ils sont protégés dans ce pays ?
「春が二階から落ちてきた。」 « Spring fell from the second floor. »
Okay, I probably would never have picked this book if it wasn't for the movie adaptation with Okada Masaki and Kase Ryo (plus my beloved Yoshitaka Yuriko as "Natsuko") that I watched about 5 years ago (the movie came out about 2 years prior though). I never really paid attention to the fact that it was adapted from a book, until I was pleasantly surprised to see it in a bookstore last year (a translation that is). Because I loved the movie back then, I immediately added it to my to-read list, but once again, it took me some time to get down to it.
To be honest, I didn't remember much from the movie by the time I started reading, but I did remember enough to be spoiled already.
I was possible biased because I got attached to the characters -and story- long before, but I really enjoyed the book, how the characters go through the events and their interactions with one another. Even if it's a translation (read: I don't know about the writing in its original Japanese version), it was quite easy to read imo. I remember saying once that I felt like Japanese doesn't translate well to French, but it didn't bother me here somehow.
Oh yes. Some people might get bored by the many details about DNA and genetics (as well as many other stuffs, like at one point, Haru talks about Fermat Last Theorem), but -maybe because I'm a scientist at heart- I actually liked those.
I now feel the urge to watch the movie again. Even if I know that a lot of Japanese adaptations are pretty good ones, I kinda want to (be able to) compare them.
ประเด็นของเรื่องนี้คือ “พันธุกรรม vs สภาพแวดล้อม” หากเป็นแฟนของคุโรอีดะจะคุ้นเคยกับเรื่องราวชวนน่าอึดอัดใจนี้เป็นอย่างดี (like father like son,shoplifted,สี่สาวอะไรสักอย่างที่อายาเสะเล่น) แต่เนื่องจากว่า อิซากะก็คืออิซากะ เรามีประเด็นนี้อย่างเดียวไม่ได้ ต้องสืบด้วย!
The Dad in the story really touched me. His love and tolerance, or tolerance because of the love. But I don't really get what Japnese people are thinking in their mind sometimes…