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Cult X
The magnum opus by Japanese literary sensation Fuminori Nakamura, Cult X is a story that dives into the psychology of fringe religion, obsession, and social disaffection.When Toru Narazaki’s girlfriend, Ryoko Tachibana, disappears, he tries to track her down, despite the warnings of the private detective he’s hired to find her. Ryoko’s past is shrouded in mystery, but the one concrete clue to her whereabouts is a previous address in the heart of Tokyo. She lived in a compound with a group that seems to be a cult led by a charismatic guru with a revisionist Buddhist scheme of life, death, and society. Narazaki plunges into the secretive world of the cult, ready to expose himself to any of the guru’s brainwashing tactics if it means he can learn the truth about Ryoko. But the cult isn’t what he expected, and he has no idea of the bubbling violence he is stepping into.Inspired by the 1995 sarin gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, Cult X is an exploration of what draws individuals into extremism. It is a tour de force that captures the connections between astrophysics, neuroscience, and religion; an invective against predatory corporate consumerism and exploitative geopolitics; and a love story about compassion in the face of nihilism.
529 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2014
322 people are currently reading
3514 people want to read
About the author
Fuminori Nakamura
29 books681 followersHis debut novel Jū (The Gun) won the Shinchō New Author Prize in 2002. Also received the Noma Prize for New Writers in 2004 for Shakō [The Shade]. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2005 for Tsuchi no naka no kodomo (Child in the Ground). Suri (Pickpocket) won the Ōe Kenzaburō Prize in 2010. His other works include Sekai no Hate (The Far End of the World), Ōkoku (Kingdom), and Meikyū (Labyrinth).
See also 中村 文則.
See also 中村 文則.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 331 reviews
March 18, 2022
I suspect this novel (which I just upgraded from 1 to 3 stars, as part of my Cult-X rehab) is going to begin to grow on me, for the way it challenges all my assumptions about what fiction should and shouldn't be--in the same way that another shocker, Almanac of the Dead, keeps growing on me, ever since the first reaction I had to it.
In both cases the books left me with a feeling that probably would be listed somewhere beyond "revulsion" in the thesaurus. As such these novels go against my current notion of literature, that even disturbing stories need to find a way to let the reader in, to not make the reader feel attacked.
It was an article in the NYRB that revised my thinking about Cult X. Even though he doesn't mention this novel, John Nathan's review in the 8/16/18 edition of NYRB, of the book The Rise and Fall of Modern Japanese Literature by John Whittier Treat, put the violence and nihilism of Cult-X into Japanese cultural and historical perspective in the way that only great literary criticism can. I could see this novel anew. This is already way too long a review but I'll look forward to reading more reviews of this one as people I follow get around to reading it. I think it is important, even if reading it is something like willingly submitting to being slapped across the face a few times.
=========
original review 8/20/18:
I really liked parts of this novel--the transcripts of a cult leader's speeches, for instance, were persuasive in a disturbing/funny way that roped me into the story, and a lot of the interior monologues come across as fascinating representations of paranoiac thinking. I'm repulsed by the ugliness of this novel, though, and by the sexual violence, and by the passivity of the female characters. Too many scenes read like infantile sadistic incel fantasies. I kept trying to frame these scenes in a literary light. I kept trying to believe these scenes had literary value beyond their face value. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find a scrap of redemptive value in them.
Ok now I'm sitting here trying to come to terms with some very judgmental beliefs I apparently have about fiction and its uses. I find myself thinking that rape, torture, and sexual violence are not entertaining. They are real things that happen to real people. If authors want to write about these things maybe they should try the field of investigative reporting. Or at least they should make the characters they torture in their stories have depth and humanity and tragedy, rather than making them paper-thin characterizations with as much complexity as characters in porn movies.
In both cases the books left me with a feeling that probably would be listed somewhere beyond "revulsion" in the thesaurus. As such these novels go against my current notion of literature, that even disturbing stories need to find a way to let the reader in, to not make the reader feel attacked.
It was an article in the NYRB that revised my thinking about Cult X. Even though he doesn't mention this novel, John Nathan's review in the 8/16/18 edition of NYRB, of the book The Rise and Fall of Modern Japanese Literature by John Whittier Treat, put the violence and nihilism of Cult-X into Japanese cultural and historical perspective in the way that only great literary criticism can. I could see this novel anew. This is already way too long a review but I'll look forward to reading more reviews of this one as people I follow get around to reading it. I think it is important, even if reading it is something like willingly submitting to being slapped across the face a few times.
=========
original review 8/20/18:
I really liked parts of this novel--the transcripts of a cult leader's speeches, for instance, were persuasive in a disturbing/funny way that roped me into the story, and a lot of the interior monologues come across as fascinating representations of paranoiac thinking. I'm repulsed by the ugliness of this novel, though, and by the sexual violence, and by the passivity of the female characters. Too many scenes read like infantile sadistic incel fantasies. I kept trying to frame these scenes in a literary light. I kept trying to believe these scenes had literary value beyond their face value. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find a scrap of redemptive value in them.
Ok now I'm sitting here trying to come to terms with some very judgmental beliefs I apparently have about fiction and its uses. I find myself thinking that rape, torture, and sexual violence are not entertaining. They are real things that happen to real people. If authors want to write about these things maybe they should try the field of investigative reporting. Or at least they should make the characters they torture in their stories have depth and humanity and tragedy, rather than making them paper-thin characterizations with as much complexity as characters in porn movies.
October 4, 2020
1/5stars
Loll this book was LAUGHABLY bad. It attacked so many religions, was incredibly sexist, had the creepiest and most porn-written sex scenes I’ve ever experienced (I’ve never seen the word “pussy” more in my life) and the plot/characters were honestly not interesting enough to warrant such aggressive writing.
Loll this book was LAUGHABLY bad. It attacked so many religions, was incredibly sexist, had the creepiest and most porn-written sex scenes I’ve ever experienced (I’ve never seen the word “pussy” more in my life) and the plot/characters were honestly not interesting enough to warrant such aggressive writing.
Read
June 13, 2018very very tough book to rate so I'll leave it blank. It doesn't mean zero stars it just means I am at a loss for applying a rating at this moment.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2018/06/...
The key word is patience with this novel; my own was sorely tested more than once but in the long run, once you get what's going on underneath all of the action here, it's definitely worth the read. I'm going to just spit this out -- I've enjoyed other books by this author much more than I did this one; for example, his The Thief is the novel that startd me buying books by this author; Evil and the Mask is just plain great, and Last Winter We Parted is both horrific and excellent. Then again, Cult X takes a decidedly different turn than Nakamura's other books, so it's sort of unfair to line it up with its predecessors.
Two very different groups make their appearance throughout this novel -- one led by a teacher (Matsuo) espousing more introspective, quiet-oriented bits of different philosophies and Cult X, which is its opposite. There were a number of things I liked very much about this book,which starts out as a missing persons case and ends up on the brink of madness. For one thing, there are the lectures given by Matsuo , which reflect how his approach to the philosophies he's teaching stem from an earlier period of his life. In contrast with the peaceful, soul-searching approach taken by his group, we also come to understand why the leader of Cult X has chosen his way, with stories also linked to his past. Contrasts also appear in the members of each group, which also lead to an understanding of why people would be so willing to join cults in the first place. All of that is wonderfully done, and weird person that I am (and it also might have something to do with the fact that I had a minor field of religious studies with an emphasis on Asian religions and philosophy), I actually enjoyed the backstories and the lectures much, much more than the elements that eventually turn this book into a thriller. But what I enjoyed most was the focus on religion and nationalism, and what Mr. Nakamura has to say about predatory capitalism, because he's totally spot on and these things need to be said. Reading what some other readers thought about this book though, I see I am somewhat of the lone stranger here in that sense.
On the other hand, parts of the book seriously infuriated me. My biggest issue is that while I understand sex is a commonly-used tool of submission in many cults, a point that is hammered home here again and again, do we seriously to be witness to a rape, or do we really need six and a half pages describing wet lady parts, finger sucking, etc. etc.? I mean, jeez, I'm not a prude and sex is part of most novels these days, but I found it all to be so unnecessary. One more thing: I'm not a huge fan of thrillers because usually some of the elements involved are pretty out there, and I found that to be the case in this book. While I could buy some of the thriller elements here, and I admit to getting somewhat caught up in the building suspense, there was one part of the plan in particular that was just too much, that made me do the internal eyeroll while thinking "yeah, like that could happen," with the sarcastic tone very loud in my head. However, I did think that the author made his point about why people are drawn to extremism, and did an excellent job of it.
I will recommend this book, but a) prepare to be in for the long haul and b) beware of the male-dominated mindset that permeates Cult X that is not at all pretty.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2018/06/...
The key word is patience with this novel; my own was sorely tested more than once but in the long run, once you get what's going on underneath all of the action here, it's definitely worth the read. I'm going to just spit this out -- I've enjoyed other books by this author much more than I did this one; for example, his The Thief is the novel that startd me buying books by this author; Evil and the Mask is just plain great, and Last Winter We Parted is both horrific and excellent. Then again, Cult X takes a decidedly different turn than Nakamura's other books, so it's sort of unfair to line it up with its predecessors.
Two very different groups make their appearance throughout this novel -- one led by a teacher (Matsuo) espousing more introspective, quiet-oriented bits of different philosophies and Cult X, which is its opposite. There were a number of things I liked very much about this book,which starts out as a missing persons case and ends up on the brink of madness. For one thing, there are the lectures given by Matsuo , which reflect how his approach to the philosophies he's teaching stem from an earlier period of his life. In contrast with the peaceful, soul-searching approach taken by his group, we also come to understand why the leader of Cult X has chosen his way, with stories also linked to his past. Contrasts also appear in the members of each group, which also lead to an understanding of why people would be so willing to join cults in the first place. All of that is wonderfully done, and weird person that I am (and it also might have something to do with the fact that I had a minor field of religious studies with an emphasis on Asian religions and philosophy), I actually enjoyed the backstories and the lectures much, much more than the elements that eventually turn this book into a thriller. But what I enjoyed most was the focus on religion and nationalism, and what Mr. Nakamura has to say about predatory capitalism, because he's totally spot on and these things need to be said. Reading what some other readers thought about this book though, I see I am somewhat of the lone stranger here in that sense.
On the other hand, parts of the book seriously infuriated me. My biggest issue is that while I understand sex is a commonly-used tool of submission in many cults, a point that is hammered home here again and again, do we seriously to be witness to a rape, or do we really need six and a half pages describing wet lady parts, finger sucking, etc. etc.? I mean, jeez, I'm not a prude and sex is part of most novels these days, but I found it all to be so unnecessary. One more thing: I'm not a huge fan of thrillers because usually some of the elements involved are pretty out there, and I found that to be the case in this book. While I could buy some of the thriller elements here, and I admit to getting somewhat caught up in the building suspense, there was one part of the plan in particular that was just too much, that made me do the internal eyeroll while thinking "yeah, like that could happen," with the sarcastic tone very loud in my head. However, I did think that the author made his point about why people are drawn to extremism, and did an excellent job of it.
I will recommend this book, but a) prepare to be in for the long haul and b) beware of the male-dominated mindset that permeates Cult X that is not at all pretty.
June 12, 2019
I intensely enjoyed reading Cult X. I was baffled with the low rating it has on Goodreads. Surely, it has some sex scenes and some of them non-consensual, a bit of violence too, but in the context of describing a brainwashing cult and a sociopath, I think reality has surpassed Nakamura's imagination many times in the past. On top of that rape and violence can be found in modern crime fiction and most of it is gratuitous (looking towards Scandinavia on the map).
As I am always researching Japanese works and translators and translations, I recently found an article and a thesis on top of that that describes how Kirino's Grotesque changed genre when it was published for the western market. It was written as literary fiction and slice of life but when translated it got edited drastically so it could fit the dark crime/thriller genre and ended a different book. (Some of these concerns are valid even for Haruki Murakami's translations, how he gets edited and shortened to appeal to western markets). This is because the Japanese book industry works a little differently, big books are serialized and genres are not so confining. I have a suspicion that something similar happened with Nakamura's Cult X. I don't have information about heavy edits, but it was surely heavily marketed as noir/crime and it is not one, it will disappoint people who buy it as such. The crime side of the book is rather weak, a shell to keep the plot going. What Nakamura is interested in doing here, is a study in obsession, belief, religion and society. He excavates to find the borders of all these, do these borders exist and who sets them? Who draws the line between a cult and a religion, for example. He draws information from different religions and social settings and with a light ironic tone he lets the arguments mock themselves, instead of him doing the mocking. The vehicle he chooses to do that is in the style of the philosophical novel, inspired by Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov (as other reviewers have noted also) who he often mentions in the book. And if you've read the Karamazovs you know the main structure of the novel is not plot driven, but based on long winding philosophical arguments between characters. Here the arguments are in the form of teachings from the various cult leaders and we follow along. He smartly lets you get inside the argument, empathize with it, only to expose the fallacy and hyperbole of it later on.
Nice read but consider yourself trigger-warned and whatnot.
As I am always researching Japanese works and translators and translations, I recently found an article and a thesis on top of that that describes how Kirino's Grotesque changed genre when it was published for the western market. It was written as literary fiction and slice of life but when translated it got edited drastically so it could fit the dark crime/thriller genre and ended a different book. (Some of these concerns are valid even for Haruki Murakami's translations, how he gets edited and shortened to appeal to western markets). This is because the Japanese book industry works a little differently, big books are serialized and genres are not so confining. I have a suspicion that something similar happened with Nakamura's Cult X. I don't have information about heavy edits, but it was surely heavily marketed as noir/crime and it is not one, it will disappoint people who buy it as such. The crime side of the book is rather weak, a shell to keep the plot going. What Nakamura is interested in doing here, is a study in obsession, belief, religion and society. He excavates to find the borders of all these, do these borders exist and who sets them? Who draws the line between a cult and a religion, for example. He draws information from different religions and social settings and with a light ironic tone he lets the arguments mock themselves, instead of him doing the mocking. The vehicle he chooses to do that is in the style of the philosophical novel, inspired by Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov (as other reviewers have noted also) who he often mentions in the book. And if you've read the Karamazovs you know the main structure of the novel is not plot driven, but based on long winding philosophical arguments between characters. Here the arguments are in the form of teachings from the various cult leaders and we follow along. He smartly lets you get inside the argument, empathize with it, only to expose the fallacy and hyperbole of it later on.
Nice read but consider yourself trigger-warned and whatnot.
June 30, 2020
*2.5 stars rounded up to 3*
This was a difficult book for me to read. On paper it sounded fantastic and right up my alley but in reality it was a chore for me to get through and I was quite disappointed. I was expecting something gritty and dark and disturbing but what I got was dry and clinical and boring. There were a couple of parts that were interesting towards the end when all the action seemed to happen at once but the rest of the book nearly bored me to tears. It was also quite difficult to read and follow because perspectives changed without any notice so all the different views just got all jumbled up for me.
This was a difficult book for me to read. On paper it sounded fantastic and right up my alley but in reality it was a chore for me to get through and I was quite disappointed. I was expecting something gritty and dark and disturbing but what I got was dry and clinical and boring. There were a couple of parts that were interesting towards the end when all the action seemed to happen at once but the rest of the book nearly bored me to tears. It was also quite difficult to read and follow because perspectives changed without any notice so all the different views just got all jumbled up for me.
December 27, 2017
Note: I received this book as a free ARC from Copperfish Books, where I work.
Initial thoughts:
1. I think this book destroyed me.
2. I'm normally a 200 page a day kinda girl on my days off. This had me at 50 pages a day because it's so deep.
3. I could see this being a book I re-read every year. I could see it having a cult following (no pun intended).
4. I impulse bought all of Fuminori's other novels after 150 pages of this book.
5. There's a lot of sexual content? Not really going to touch on that in this review, but if you're not here for it you should know that as of the review copy, there's just a whole lot of sex scenes and graphic detailing of orgies at certain points in the book.
Full review:
H o l y mackerel.
This book is so good that even though I finished it 3 weeks ago, I'm still hoarding it in my room and ruminating over what to put in the review. I don't know how to collect and organize what I feel about this one, in a good way. Cult X is so deep and thoughtful and intricate and just... everything?? I would call it a masterpiece.
The problem is, I don't know where to begin with this one. It tells the story of two cults (well, really 3, but I can't get into that without spoiling things, soooo you're just gonna have to read this book), one of which isn't really a cult, and another which is most definitely a cult. And the whole book is just exploring this idea of why people become radicalized and what makes people - regular, ordinary, everyday people - into cult members. Why do people make the decisions they make? That's essentially the exploration.
And I loved getting into all of that philosophy. I tend to shy away from deep, philosophical books, I'll admit it. I tend to read a lot of brain-check-out books. But this... This book doesn't hold back. It has entire lectures from the fictitious cult leaders, exploring the fundamental similarities between Buddhism and like, astrophysics. And although that may sound intimidating or boring, it's neither. It makes for one of the most interesting books I've read this year.
I also really enjoyed the essential arguments of this book. One of the topics brought up was whether humans really act based on logic or emotion; logos vs pathos. And even a full three weeks later, I still find myself thinking: which one is it? When I'm talking politics with people who don't side with me, for example, what's driving our opinions--logic or emotions? And it keeps drawing me back to Cult X.
As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to read it again. If I didn't have so many more books to read, I'd probably start it again right now--and it's not even out yet. I'd highly, highly recommend it, although I wouldn't call it an easy read. It's fodder for the brain, but it's also accessible and won't go over your head.
Initial thoughts:
1. I think this book destroyed me.
2. I'm normally a 200 page a day kinda girl on my days off. This had me at 50 pages a day because it's so deep.
3. I could see this being a book I re-read every year. I could see it having a cult following (no pun intended).
4. I impulse bought all of Fuminori's other novels after 150 pages of this book.
5. There's a lot of sexual content? Not really going to touch on that in this review, but if you're not here for it you should know that as of the review copy, there's just a whole lot of sex scenes and graphic detailing of orgies at certain points in the book.
Full review:
H o l y mackerel.
This book is so good that even though I finished it 3 weeks ago, I'm still hoarding it in my room and ruminating over what to put in the review. I don't know how to collect and organize what I feel about this one, in a good way. Cult X is so deep and thoughtful and intricate and just... everything?? I would call it a masterpiece.
The problem is, I don't know where to begin with this one. It tells the story of two cults (well, really 3, but I can't get into that without spoiling things, soooo you're just gonna have to read this book), one of which isn't really a cult, and another which is most definitely a cult. And the whole book is just exploring this idea of why people become radicalized and what makes people - regular, ordinary, everyday people - into cult members. Why do people make the decisions they make? That's essentially the exploration.
And I loved getting into all of that philosophy. I tend to shy away from deep, philosophical books, I'll admit it. I tend to read a lot of brain-check-out books. But this... This book doesn't hold back. It has entire lectures from the fictitious cult leaders, exploring the fundamental similarities between Buddhism and like, astrophysics. And although that may sound intimidating or boring, it's neither. It makes for one of the most interesting books I've read this year.
I also really enjoyed the essential arguments of this book. One of the topics brought up was whether humans really act based on logic or emotion; logos vs pathos. And even a full three weeks later, I still find myself thinking: which one is it? When I'm talking politics with people who don't side with me, for example, what's driving our opinions--logic or emotions? And it keeps drawing me back to Cult X.
As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to read it again. If I didn't have so many more books to read, I'd probably start it again right now--and it's not even out yet. I'd highly, highly recommend it, although I wouldn't call it an easy read. It's fodder for the brain, but it's also accessible and won't go over your head.
January 22, 2018
Fuminori Nakamura is the Arch-Duke of Japanese noir fiction. He has written a number of dark, obsessive works that are quite terrific. “Thief” especially stands out as a work that encapsulates isolation, distance, and feeling like an outsider. It’s poetic prose weaves a silky web around the readers, drawing them in. “Cult X” is Nakamura’s latest work, a kind of magnum opus focusing not just on cults, but showing how it feels to be ensnared by a cult’s devious web, where sex, power, isolation, and psychology, render the followers susceptible to many suggestions. Together with a taste of recruitment techniques, the leader’s lectures are set forth throughout the text. I read this with high expectations based on reading “The Thief,” but it was a difficult book for me to stay interested in, perhaps because of its non-traditional presentation.
July 14, 2018
This is a heavily philosophical crime novel. More philosophy than crime. Not for everyone but I really dug it. 4.5 stars.
August 23, 2024
I found Fuminori Nakamura’s Cult X (translated by Kalau Almony) infuriating. I requested it because I am fascinated by cults. Being an atheist, I want to understand what draws people to religion. Cults are the most extreme versions of religion; charismatic leaders with a good story suck people in for various reasons and followers stay even if it all goes wrong. What leads people to do that? Cult X does answer that question, as well as tries to answer what it is that drives those charismatic leaders to try and lead people off the cliffs with them. My problem with the book is that it is packed with lectures by male characters, with barely any attention paid to the women who appear in the novel. By the time I got to the end, I was sick of mansplaining and female characters who were treated as little more than sex dolls. There were some interesting ideas here, just not enough to make up for those two major problems...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
June 10, 2018
More than Fight Club
Much, much, much more.
Much, much, much more.
July 16, 2018
This release is doing the rounds of the English-language review circuit right now and I was intrigued enough to download the audiobook narrated by Brian Nishii. But a couple of warnings: It's 17 hours or so of listening, or 512 pages of reading. Which of course would be fine if the book warranted so much of the reader or listener's time. I'm not sure it does. On the negative side, great chunks of it are devoted to sermons by one of two cult leaders (that there were two cults didn't become clear to me until later) that, while quite believable, are just that: long, tedious sermons by nut jobs, and while I suppose they illuminate how nutty (or not? Discuss in 2,000 words or more) they are, they also left me wishing the author would just get on with the story. Then there were a couple of sex scenes in which s new (male) convert has his way with nubile (female) followers, which were graphic but pretty gratuitous (and have you ever listened to a male actor pretending to be a woman in the throes of an orgasm? It was enough to curdle the milk in my Royal Milk Tea), and then a deeply disturbing episode in which the cult leader describes in even more graphic detail his rape and surgical dismemberment of a 15-year-old victim. Yuck. Were we supposed to be repulsed or turned on by this? The attention to detail here made me wonder, before hitting the fast-forward button. The good bits were about watching the evil cult's nefarious plans at world domination coming to fruition and the attempts by cult members to realize they were being duped, but oh Lord, it was a long, tedious and at times repulsive journey there. Not for the squeamish, or time-sensitive.
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it-s-not-you-it-s-me
January 7, 2019i stopped at the first creepy rapey scene, sold as a sex scene. reminded me of countryman murakami. i get that japan is fully of disaffected creepiness and uncertain nihilism, but i don't have to read about it.
June 10, 2018
Possibly the worst book I’ll read this year. The monologues are too long, the lectures boring, the attempt at explaining philosophy and physics extremely, irritatingly pretentious. As for the cult sex and gratuitous sadism/ violence — I’m not against novels using these devices, or even centering around these themes, but it’s so poorly delivered it reads like failed attempts to be shocking and edgy. Everybody with a subjective dimension seems pathologically, sexually obsessed, it reads like someone read Freud for the first time and tried to write a novel about sex / death drive causing everything wrong in society.
But wait, even de Sade supposedly had valid philosophical critique of society, so why can’t Nakamura do that? Well he can, but his “conclusion” about society just sounds like a grumpy cynic whining about how everybody is crooked. Which is not the most suitable linguistic mask for someone trying to conjure apocalyptic vision of an egomaniac-exhibitionist.
The frequent Dostoevsky / Faust name drops and comparisons are also extremely irritating. Allusion, self-reflexivity and intertextuality are all fine devices, but explicit and repetitive self-comparison to philosophical classics feels forced. It could have worked if it were irreverent or self-deprecation attempts, like the Simpsons, for example. But this reads like fanboyism.
The worst part for me is that Nakamura tries too hard to set up shocking plot twists. The reality behind layers of deceptive appearance is so annoyingly contrived, you don’t (just) grudge the author for improbable plot and unbelievable characters — you grudge him for time wasted.
This is the second Nakamura I’ve read, the first one wasn’t great either, both have the same “shape” of troubled individuals turning crazy for the climax of the novel, and then some kind of pro-social happy-ending resolution. I think it’s meant to be didactic, it’s meant to preach to alienated people that there’re still plenty of good things in the world to appreciate, where they can be appreciated — they both went from Orwell (or de Sade?) to Pangloss.
I was trying to read outside the mainstream (as in MBI/ NYRB/ Nobel) translated literature and took a risk. I’m sure there are many poorly written books out there, I’m mostly surprised this came from an award winning author.
But wait, even de Sade supposedly had valid philosophical critique of society, so why can’t Nakamura do that? Well he can, but his “conclusion” about society just sounds like a grumpy cynic whining about how everybody is crooked. Which is not the most suitable linguistic mask for someone trying to conjure apocalyptic vision of an egomaniac-exhibitionist.
The frequent Dostoevsky / Faust name drops and comparisons are also extremely irritating. Allusion, self-reflexivity and intertextuality are all fine devices, but explicit and repetitive self-comparison to philosophical classics feels forced. It could have worked if it were irreverent or self-deprecation attempts, like the Simpsons, for example. But this reads like fanboyism.
The worst part for me is that Nakamura tries too hard to set up shocking plot twists. The reality behind layers of deceptive appearance is so annoyingly contrived, you don’t (just) grudge the author for improbable plot and unbelievable characters — you grudge him for time wasted.
This is the second Nakamura I’ve read, the first one wasn’t great either, both have the same “shape” of troubled individuals turning crazy for the climax of the novel, and then some kind of pro-social happy-ending resolution. I think it’s meant to be didactic, it’s meant to preach to alienated people that there’re still plenty of good things in the world to appreciate, where they can be appreciated — they both went from Orwell (or de Sade?) to Pangloss.
I was trying to read outside the mainstream (as in MBI/ NYRB/ Nobel) translated literature and took a risk. I’m sure there are many poorly written books out there, I’m mostly surprised this came from an award winning author.
July 9, 2018
If you like novels with a lot of disparate threads where things don't always quite come together and you aren't afraid to be disoriented, there's a lot to like here. If you want simple structures and answered questions, or if you dislike long, philosophical discussions, you should probably take a pass.
This book doesn't quite hit in the US the way it would in Japan, it's looking at a lot of issues very specific to that country, but that doesn't mean US readers shouldn't read it. I learned a lot about the way Japan looks back at WWII and how they've framed the discussion since. Cults are something that has popped up in Japanese pop culture for a long time, just look at films like Suicide Club. The sarin gas attacks of 1995 are part of the reason for that (the group responsible has since splintered, but the splintergroups are still active). That big social difference will take some adjustment for US readers, but if you've kept up with Japanese fiction it shouldn't be too tough.
The book wants to examine what cults are, why people join them, the different forms they can take. There are at least three in the book, all with different motivations. Some exist for peace and community, others center on sex and societal rulebreaking. The cults in this book seem to exist in contrast with each other but are intertwined through spies. In the end a lot of it ends up feeling like less than the sum of its parts, though. I didn't quite get a look at individual lives and motivations, instead it feels much more speculative and metaphorical.
There is a lot of sex in this book and there is also a strong undercurrent of misogyny, especially in the sex scenes.
This book doesn't quite hit in the US the way it would in Japan, it's looking at a lot of issues very specific to that country, but that doesn't mean US readers shouldn't read it. I learned a lot about the way Japan looks back at WWII and how they've framed the discussion since. Cults are something that has popped up in Japanese pop culture for a long time, just look at films like Suicide Club. The sarin gas attacks of 1995 are part of the reason for that (the group responsible has since splintered, but the splintergroups are still active). That big social difference will take some adjustment for US readers, but if you've kept up with Japanese fiction it shouldn't be too tough.
The book wants to examine what cults are, why people join them, the different forms they can take. There are at least three in the book, all with different motivations. Some exist for peace and community, others center on sex and societal rulebreaking. The cults in this book seem to exist in contrast with each other but are intertwined through spies. In the end a lot of it ends up feeling like less than the sum of its parts, though. I didn't quite get a look at individual lives and motivations, instead it feels much more speculative and metaphorical.
There is a lot of sex in this book and there is also a strong undercurrent of misogyny, especially in the sex scenes.
April 5, 2018
The deep, dark depths of the human condition are explored at a remarkably dangerous scale in Fuminori Nakamura's latest novel, Cult X. What begins as a seemingly simple missing persons case turns into a wildly divergent journey that will have you critically thinking about your government, your society, and your own motivations by the time you put the novel down. With deceptions so real they have even you fooled and characters whose true nature is a question even to themselves, you will never see your world the same again.
June 5, 2018
Seems like 2018 is the year of long, complicated and difficult-to-review books.
Full review to come soon.
Full review to come soon.
August 10, 2019
Content Warning: Rape, Sexual violence, child abuse, terrorism,
If there's one way to get me to read a book it's to tell me it's about a cult, or you could just be super direct like Nakamura is and just stamp the word CULT on the front in big letters with some pictures of demons underneath!
Cult X is the story of a man named Toru Narazaki searching for his missing lover Ryoko Tachibana who has gone missing and is linked to a mysterious cult. But it's not really 'about' that. This is one of those books where the themes and ideas are given a much bigger emphasis than the actual plot, so if that's not for you give this one a miss. Let's talk about the 'story' bits first because that's where the book kind of fell down for me.
The first issue is that we never really settle on a protagonist. The book is split into two parts, the first follows Narazaki as he discovers more about the cult(s) that Tachibana is involved with but then he mostly disappears into the background in the second part as we start following a couple of different cult members. I found that when we get to the second half the main impetus for the story gets kind of lost and it switches gears to being about something else. Fortunately this is addressed indirectly by connecting the two halves in a really interesting thematic way as we draw nearer to the novel's conclusion.
The first half of the novel is likely to put off a lot of people as there are frequent breaks in the narrative to insert lectures from cult leader Matsuo that give us a detailed insight into his philosophy and the reasons behind his developed worldview. A lot of people (I've seen in other reviews) find this kind of content boring, and I can see why, if you're just looking for a crime story or a fast paced narrative. I personally really liked these sections as it gave me a lot of interesting ideas to think about and chew over as I delved further into the book.
Matsuo's cult is contrasted by the more mysterious and decidedly more sinister 'Cult X' lead by Sawatari, a former associate of Matsuo's. The big problem is that the narrative link between these two groups is very flimsy. They rarely interact with eachother and it gives off a disjointed feel between the novel's first and second halves. As I previously said though, the thematic link between the two is much much stronger.
What this novel is really 'about' in an 8th Grade Book Report (read:thematic) way is the power of indoctrination, the manipulation of emotions for the sake of ideology, the darkness lurking inside humanity and the abuse of power. Cult X takes no prisoners when it batters you over the head with these themes and it's going to put people off for a very different reason. Quite frankly it's grotesque.
This is not a book about good people, and very rarely do people display shades of grey, it's a book that follows horrible and broken people and the closest I got with sympathising with any of them was pitying them. It's a story that examines how people can find themselves adrift and without purpose and are sucked in by dangerous people and destructive ways of thinking. You aren't supposed to like these characters, you aren't supposed to enjoy reading about them, and that's going to be a real stumbling block for a lot of people.
I really enjoyed this book for it's no holds barred approach to showing the ugliness of cult thinking, the manipulation of people and the horrible things that humans do to eachother, but not because I'm some weird sadist, but because it all served to present the ideas that the novel wanted to show us. If you don't apply critical thinking to a lot of this book and really take the time to digest why the author has chosen to write about the things that are happening in the way he has then you're going to have a bad time. This definitely isn't a light and fluffy beach read.
If you're interested in stepping down the rabbit hole of the dark influences on humanity and seductive nature of giving yourself over to someone else's way of thinking then pick this up, but if you just want a nice little story with a happy ending (and that's not me trying to be condescending, I love those too) then give Cult X a hard pass.
If there's one way to get me to read a book it's to tell me it's about a cult, or you could just be super direct like Nakamura is and just stamp the word CULT on the front in big letters with some pictures of demons underneath!
Cult X is the story of a man named Toru Narazaki searching for his missing lover Ryoko Tachibana who has gone missing and is linked to a mysterious cult. But it's not really 'about' that. This is one of those books where the themes and ideas are given a much bigger emphasis than the actual plot, so if that's not for you give this one a miss. Let's talk about the 'story' bits first because that's where the book kind of fell down for me.
The first issue is that we never really settle on a protagonist. The book is split into two parts, the first follows Narazaki as he discovers more about the cult(s) that Tachibana is involved with but then he mostly disappears into the background in the second part as we start following a couple of different cult members. I found that when we get to the second half the main impetus for the story gets kind of lost and it switches gears to being about something else. Fortunately this is addressed indirectly by connecting the two halves in a really interesting thematic way as we draw nearer to the novel's conclusion.
The first half of the novel is likely to put off a lot of people as there are frequent breaks in the narrative to insert lectures from cult leader Matsuo that give us a detailed insight into his philosophy and the reasons behind his developed worldview. A lot of people (I've seen in other reviews) find this kind of content boring, and I can see why, if you're just looking for a crime story or a fast paced narrative. I personally really liked these sections as it gave me a lot of interesting ideas to think about and chew over as I delved further into the book.
Matsuo's cult is contrasted by the more mysterious and decidedly more sinister 'Cult X' lead by Sawatari, a former associate of Matsuo's. The big problem is that the narrative link between these two groups is very flimsy. They rarely interact with eachother and it gives off a disjointed feel between the novel's first and second halves. As I previously said though, the thematic link between the two is much much stronger.
What this novel is really 'about' in an 8th Grade Book Report (read:thematic) way is the power of indoctrination, the manipulation of emotions for the sake of ideology, the darkness lurking inside humanity and the abuse of power. Cult X takes no prisoners when it batters you over the head with these themes and it's going to put people off for a very different reason. Quite frankly it's grotesque.
This is not a book about good people, and very rarely do people display shades of grey, it's a book that follows horrible and broken people and the closest I got with sympathising with any of them was pitying them. It's a story that examines how people can find themselves adrift and without purpose and are sucked in by dangerous people and destructive ways of thinking. You aren't supposed to like these characters, you aren't supposed to enjoy reading about them, and that's going to be a real stumbling block for a lot of people.
I really enjoyed this book for it's no holds barred approach to showing the ugliness of cult thinking, the manipulation of people and the horrible things that humans do to eachother, but not because I'm some weird sadist, but because it all served to present the ideas that the novel wanted to show us. If you don't apply critical thinking to a lot of this book and really take the time to digest why the author has chosen to write about the things that are happening in the way he has then you're going to have a bad time. This definitely isn't a light and fluffy beach read.
If you're interested in stepping down the rabbit hole of the dark influences on humanity and seductive nature of giving yourself over to someone else's way of thinking then pick this up, but if you just want a nice little story with a happy ending (and that's not me trying to be condescending, I love those too) then give Cult X a hard pass.
August 13, 2018
Nakamura's CULT X is a layered and complicated investigation of why people cling to damaging ideologies, form selves devoted to their ideologies, and come to act against themselves and those they care for as a result of those ideologies. It takes religion and cults as a way to understand the complicated and violent interplay of micro and macro politics as interpersonal power struggles. It does all this through twisting detective and spy narratives with philosophical lectures, global politics, and Japanese history. Everyone is complicit in one level or another.
Nevertheless, CULT X is deeply flawed in its gender politics and portrayal of sexual assualt. Nakamura's story universalizes violent and sadistic masculinity, condemning actions, but simultaneously claiming a kind of nihilistic view of human (read: masculine) nature. Nakamura's female characters are all solely motivated by devotion to one or another man, be it lover or cult leader, and are shown to enjoy their own subjugation. This element is never fully condemned, as the book has a limited view on female subjectivity, and thinks through a toxic masculine framework. Finally, the excessive sexual assault in the book is presented irresponsibly, from this same framework.
Nevertheless, CULT X is deeply flawed in its gender politics and portrayal of sexual assualt. Nakamura's story universalizes violent and sadistic masculinity, condemning actions, but simultaneously claiming a kind of nihilistic view of human (read: masculine) nature. Nakamura's female characters are all solely motivated by devotion to one or another man, be it lover or cult leader, and are shown to enjoy their own subjugation. This element is never fully condemned, as the book has a limited view on female subjectivity, and thinks through a toxic masculine framework. Finally, the excessive sexual assault in the book is presented irresponsibly, from this same framework.
August 14, 2021
I find books that uses religion in someway or another often very intresting. But this audiobook just didn't do anything for me. Didn't enjoy it at all, and not sure why I finished it. Didn't think it was written or structured very well. Intresting ideas but not well made.
June 5, 2018
41/2 stars. Published in the US by Soho Crime, written a known crime writer, this turned out to be so much more than I expected. The story is set around two "cults", one a revisionist Buddhism preached by a benign leader, the other nihilistic and hedonistic preached by twisted, manipulative leader who plots a terrorist attack. It has parallels with Dostoyevsky--not Crime and Punishment but the foundational noir The Brothers Karamazov. In a central place is not the tale of Grand Inquisitor, but the last sermons of the two cult leaders. (Dostoyevsky is mentioned several times, letting you know the parallels are not accidental.) In part the book seems to be in dialogue with Dostoyevsky's Christianity. Don't let "Dustyevsky", as he is called in Look Homeward, Angel scare you away; there is action, suspension, violence, and some explicit, unsentimental sex. (draft, unfinished)
October 2, 2019
Only contains an outline of what you could consider a traditional narrative (a violently tense page turner at that), while the bulk of the novel is completely stuffed with thoughts on evil, humanity, pacifism, nihilism, biology, chemistry, religion, the cosmos, love, the act of killing, and so much more. I loved it.
April 4, 2018
Gave up after 100 pages. Boring.
August 22, 2025
This author is the horniest guy of all time
June 2, 2018
I find this a difficult book to rate/review. As a fan of Nakamura's other works, I was hopeful starting out. I enjoyed the first parts of the book, especially Matsuo's lectures relating to philosophy, physics, and metaphysics, but the book quickly went in directions that I didn't find myself enjoying. I liked the overall ideas within/behind the plot (the psychology of trauma and societal alienation, cults and brainwashing, governmental/corporate/humanitary injustices), but I ended up dissatisfied with the execution overall. As opposed to characters in other books by Nakamura, I found the characters in this book to come across as more one dimensional. There were several "wtf" moments for me while reading this book.....I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is uncomfortable with detailed explicit/graphic sexual content and descriptions of rape. Overall, I debated whether my personal rating should be 2 or 3 stars....I was compelled enough to see my reading through to the end but I wouldn't say that I "liked" the book. For me, it was just ok. I will definitely continue reading works by this author but this is definitely not my favorite.
June 9, 2019
2.5 stars
The original Japanese version of this book was mentioned in a famous Japanese TV show and I bought the Japanese kindle version, however, I could not get into the story. I don’t know if it was due to his writing style or what?!
I found this book in the translated version at a local book store, and I have decided to give it a try again in English. To tell you the truth, the English version was easier for me to understand. Scribd has the audio book version of this book and I listened to it also.
The description of this sex cult was too much. The male narrator moans as a female character, which was pretty annoying. The lectures by gurus were at time interesting, but nothing stuck in my head. The themes that this book carry are too vast and you don’t know what it wanted to tell you at the end.
Conclusion, this is not a book for me!
The original Japanese version of this book was mentioned in a famous Japanese TV show and I bought the Japanese kindle version, however, I could not get into the story. I don’t know if it was due to his writing style or what?!
I found this book in the translated version at a local book store, and I have decided to give it a try again in English. To tell you the truth, the English version was easier for me to understand. Scribd has the audio book version of this book and I listened to it also.
The description of this sex cult was too much. The male narrator moans as a female character, which was pretty annoying. The lectures by gurus were at time interesting, but nothing stuck in my head. The themes that this book carry are too vast and you don’t know what it wanted to tell you at the end.
Conclusion, this is not a book for me!
March 21, 2019
The one thing I wish from this book is to spare me the lectures. I thought it will be just a couple, but it was more than that. I felt religious cults have more extensive areas to explore and not only just sex. This book is focusing too much on sex and erotic stories. If this is your first book from this author, I suggest not to waste your time on this book and choose to read ‘The Thief’ first. If you read this book before the other one, I think you might probably give up this author forever. This book is a huge disappointment for me.
Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura.
Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura.
December 19, 2019
Well, the cover art is great and it has some very impressive blurbs on the back... Sadly, this book is a massive let down. I kept expecting things to get better and by the time I realized they weren't I was over halfway done and had to force myself to finish it. I don't know if something is lost in translation but it sounds like it is written by a horny freshman who just finished metaphysics 101. There is no cult psychology whatsoever, no motivation for the characters, no actual beliefs being espoused. A truly baffling book.
June 14, 2018
Part philosophy, part history, part salacious description, Cult X revolves around the activities of a cult and its charismatic leader. I had trouble relating to the characters and their concerns, which are explored in detail as they search for meaning in their lives. Perhaps one has to be Japanese to appreciate the book. Or, if you're looking for something way off the beaten track....
December 1, 2023
2.5
Although, I understood the messages of the book, and at some parts there were instances of good story telling and emotional value, I felt like the book relied too heavily on shock factor to appeal to the reader. Sex was a major component of the book, but it was too over the top for me, and some at points the book was so dense with information I had to put it down to recover, not a terrible book, but it was a really hard read
Although, I understood the messages of the book, and at some parts there were instances of good story telling and emotional value, I felt like the book relied too heavily on shock factor to appeal to the reader. Sex was a major component of the book, but it was too over the top for me, and some at points the book was so dense with information I had to put it down to recover, not a terrible book, but it was a really hard read
May 30, 2018
Ostensibly, this novel begins with a young man who is seeking a woman he has known who apparently had entered the strange world of a cult, which he then joins in an attempt to find her. As he progresses in his quest, the reader is exposed to a variety of topics, ranging from sex and violence to religion, astrophysics and neuroscience.
This gives the author the opportunity to write about all kinds of subjects, with long discourses ranging from good and evil to Japanese politics, from war criminals to peace. Perhaps inspired by the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, the novel is an examination of what attraction extremism has to most people.
The reader has to plow through more than 500 pages of this material, struggling to grasp all the meanings and context in what starts out as a simple love story. And the task is hardly easy. It takes a lot of effort and for that reason it is rated lower than one would expect a book written by this author, whose past works received [deservedly] higher ratings. Nevertheless, Nakamura pushes us to the limits in his writings, which have made him one of the top Japanese authors. For this reason, for those willing to stick with it, Cult X is recommended
This gives the author the opportunity to write about all kinds of subjects, with long discourses ranging from good and evil to Japanese politics, from war criminals to peace. Perhaps inspired by the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, the novel is an examination of what attraction extremism has to most people.
The reader has to plow through more than 500 pages of this material, struggling to grasp all the meanings and context in what starts out as a simple love story. And the task is hardly easy. It takes a lot of effort and for that reason it is rated lower than one would expect a book written by this author, whose past works received [deservedly] higher ratings. Nevertheless, Nakamura pushes us to the limits in his writings, which have made him one of the top Japanese authors. For this reason, for those willing to stick with it, Cult X is recommended
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