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The Earthquake Bird
Lucy Fly is an English woman working as a translator in Tokyo. When the story opens she has been arrested for the murder of another English woman, Lily Bridges, whose partial remains have just been found. As Lucy is interrogated, she tells of her childhood in Yorkshire, her ability with languages, and her escape from her drab life to the relative anonymity of living in Japan. She also talks about her friendships: with the Japanese women with whom she works and sometimes socializes; with Teiji, a photographer with whom she is having an affair; and with Lily, who comes from the same part of Yorkshire as Lucy and who reminds Lucy of everything she is trying to escape.
And yet Lucy is drawn to Lily. Lily is working as a bartender, but in England she was a nurse and, when the two of them go on a hike together and Lucy is hurt, she is made comfortable by Lily's attentions. Even as we listen to Lucy, we feel that she may be hiding something from us. She doesn't tell us a great deal about her affair with Teiji, for instance. In fact, she admits that she doesn't remember much of their conversations, although she tells us that they must have talked a lot since she knows so much about him. Also disconcerting is her strange habit of lapsing into the third person when talking about herself.
As she reveals what she knows to the police--and to the reader--they, and we, become increasingly uncomfortable. The more we know about Lucy, the less we understand about her relationships with Teiji and Lily. When we finally do understand some of what she is saying, we are shocked.
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First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Susanna Jones
10 books53 followers"Susanna Jones was born in Hull in 1967 and grew up in Hornsea in East Yorkshire. She studied drama at Royal Holloway, University of London and then spent several years abroad, including two years in Turkey and five years in Japan. She taught English in secondary schools, language schools, a steel corporation and worked as an assistant editor and presenter for NHK Radio.
In 1996 she studied for an MA in Novel Writing at the University of Manchester and now lectures in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. She lives in Brighton where she is a co-creator of The Brighton Moment.
Her work has been translated into over twenty languages and has won the CWA John Creasey Dagger, a Betty Trask Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize." (susanna-jones.com)
In 1996 she studied for an MA in Novel Writing at the University of Manchester and now lectures in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. She lives in Brighton where she is a co-creator of The Brighton Moment.
Her work has been translated into over twenty languages and has won the CWA John Creasey Dagger, a Betty Trask Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize." (susanna-jones.com)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
June 23, 2020
”I will have a job convincing the police that I am innocent, but one thing is indisputable. If Lily had never met me, she would be alive now.”
It would seem that death follows Lucy Fly around. For a young woman, she has had too many people she knows meet an untimely demise. She is aptly named, because when people talk to her about rooting down in a place, she will correct them and say people don’t have roots...they have legs. She grew up in the Yorkshire area of England, and as soon as she possibly can, she flees to Japan because it is someplace completely different from her pudding and ginger beer upbringing. She loves her simple life. She has a job as a translator that gives her intriguing word puzzles to unravel. She has a few friends, really the right number, and she has a boyfriend who is strange and wonderful.
Everything is going fine until she meets Lily Bridges. A taste of home, a Yorkshire girl who talks incessantly about the very place that Lucy wants to forget. She is asked by a friend to help her find a place and settle in. Lucy isn’t the right person for this type of favor. She is self-sufficient and doesn’t really like the lack of that in others. Still, she decides to help.
Teiji is a photographer, a photographer who never sells his pictures. He has file folders brimming with wonderful, evocative photographs, but they are his and not for anyone else. He likes the odd intensity of Lucy’s eyes. They meet because he finds her on the street in the lens of his camera.
Lucy hasn’t introduced Teiji to any of her friends. She is the golem, and he is...precious. She doesn’t want to share him because he is...hers and hers alone. He works in a noodle shop, and sometimes she likes to watch him without him knowing she is there. She is obsessively protective of him because to lose him is something she doesn’t even want to contemplate.
There is a murder, and Lucy is the perfect suspect.
The novel centers around the police and also the reader trying to sort out what is true, what is partially true, and what is absolute delusion. The truth is sometimes a chimera.
The writing moves between first person and third person, which has been confusing to some readers, but I didn’t experience that problem. It makes perfect sense to me as I start to discover that Lucy is experiencing some disassociation from her life. She is an unreliable narrator, and some things she tells us are easier for her to share with some distancing of the narrative. As the plot unfolds, we have to weigh everything that has been revealed to us and determine if we believe what happened really happened.
I also watched the movie version of this novel from 2019 starring Alicia Vikander. They made some revisions to the plot, including transforming Lucy from being English to Swedish. This might be because Vikander is originally from Sweden, and her particular accented Japanese would make more sense. There is one death that was changed for the movie, and I’m so glad they made that modification. It added a more compelling aspect to the subplot that was better than the book. The biggest alteration in the movie was to the ending. I MUCH preferred the ending in the book, and many movie watchers found the ending of the movie to be one of the weaknesses. My recommendation for those who are interested in this story is that they should read the book first and then watch the movie. They will still enjoy watching the book come to life on the big screen, but they will certainly be shorting themselves by not reading the book first.
The dust jacket blurb compares this book to The Wasp Factory and The Sculptress. I haven’t read the Minette Walters book, but I have read the Iain Banks book, and even though it is considered a classic by some and a piece of filth by others, it is, in my mind, not the best comparison. I think The Earthquake Bird has a broader appeal to a larger audience.
I ended up really liking Lucy. Her eccentricities are ones that I have sympathy with. Her obsessions, her desire for privacy, her inadequacies at interacting with people, her fears of public exposure, her desire for intimacy are all things that I think most introverted readers will identify with.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
It would seem that death follows Lucy Fly around. For a young woman, she has had too many people she knows meet an untimely demise. She is aptly named, because when people talk to her about rooting down in a place, she will correct them and say people don’t have roots...they have legs. She grew up in the Yorkshire area of England, and as soon as she possibly can, she flees to Japan because it is someplace completely different from her pudding and ginger beer upbringing. She loves her simple life. She has a job as a translator that gives her intriguing word puzzles to unravel. She has a few friends, really the right number, and she has a boyfriend who is strange and wonderful.
Everything is going fine until she meets Lily Bridges. A taste of home, a Yorkshire girl who talks incessantly about the very place that Lucy wants to forget. She is asked by a friend to help her find a place and settle in. Lucy isn’t the right person for this type of favor. She is self-sufficient and doesn’t really like the lack of that in others. Still, she decides to help.
Teiji is a photographer, a photographer who never sells his pictures. He has file folders brimming with wonderful, evocative photographs, but they are his and not for anyone else. He likes the odd intensity of Lucy’s eyes. They meet because he finds her on the street in the lens of his camera.
Lucy hasn’t introduced Teiji to any of her friends. She is the golem, and he is...precious. She doesn’t want to share him because he is...hers and hers alone. He works in a noodle shop, and sometimes she likes to watch him without him knowing she is there. She is obsessively protective of him because to lose him is something she doesn’t even want to contemplate.
There is a murder, and Lucy is the perfect suspect.
The novel centers around the police and also the reader trying to sort out what is true, what is partially true, and what is absolute delusion. The truth is sometimes a chimera.
The writing moves between first person and third person, which has been confusing to some readers, but I didn’t experience that problem. It makes perfect sense to me as I start to discover that Lucy is experiencing some disassociation from her life. She is an unreliable narrator, and some things she tells us are easier for her to share with some distancing of the narrative. As the plot unfolds, we have to weigh everything that has been revealed to us and determine if we believe what happened really happened.
I also watched the movie version of this novel from 2019 starring Alicia Vikander. They made some revisions to the plot, including transforming Lucy from being English to Swedish. This might be because Vikander is originally from Sweden, and her particular accented Japanese would make more sense. There is one death that was changed for the movie, and I’m so glad they made that modification. It added a more compelling aspect to the subplot that was better than the book. The biggest alteration in the movie was to the ending. I MUCH preferred the ending in the book, and many movie watchers found the ending of the movie to be one of the weaknesses. My recommendation for those who are interested in this story is that they should read the book first and then watch the movie. They will still enjoy watching the book come to life on the big screen, but they will certainly be shorting themselves by not reading the book first.
The dust jacket blurb compares this book to The Wasp Factory and The Sculptress. I haven’t read the Minette Walters book, but I have read the Iain Banks book, and even though it is considered a classic by some and a piece of filth by others, it is, in my mind, not the best comparison. I think The Earthquake Bird has a broader appeal to a larger audience.
I ended up really liking Lucy. Her eccentricities are ones that I have sympathy with. Her obsessions, her desire for privacy, her inadequacies at interacting with people, her fears of public exposure, her desire for intimacy are all things that I think most introverted readers will identify with.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
January 21, 2020
More Confused than Clever - 1 Stars
This was a book of confusion. It was filled with confused characters, it seemed confused as to what genre it wanted to be and I am confused as to why the terrible books win the CWA award winners for best new authors.
Plot Summary
Lucy is British. Lucy escaped her life by going to Japan. Lucy is morose. Lucy is obsessive. Lucy has friends and Lucy loses friends. Maybe Lucy killed her friends.
My Take
I thought this book was a hot mess. For the most part, it was book of confusion but lets start with the positive.
Despite my obvious dislike, the author is not a bad writer. Her style is not amateurish. She appeared to have a plan with this novel and she stuck with it. Unfortunately, I liked very little of it. Although I wasn't enjoying the majority of the novel, the fact the writing itself was good and the fact book was relatively short, kept me from putting it down and giving it one star.
Just having quality writing skills does not translate into a great novel. For the most part, this was a character novel. A bad character novel. Lucy was the major character with two secondary characters. None were well developed and but worst of all, each lacked insight into their own actions and emotions. Lucy was morose and broken. Generally, I would not take issue with that but Lucy had no sense of who she was and failed to develop through the novel. She failed to grow and learn from her experiences. It left me feeling that the events were a waste of my time.
The story contains a mystery. Instead of being explored it is simply revealed. As we near the end of the story, the author tells us that we have been in the middle of a second mystery the whole time. Given the character's lack of insight, its no wonder it took the characters by surprise. A reader who does not lack insight saw it coming a mile away.
Final Thoughts
There was not much to enjoy here. The lack of insight displayed was disappointing. A bit of insight goes a long way. If you like your characters dull and uninspired. This is the book for you.
This was a book of confusion. It was filled with confused characters, it seemed confused as to what genre it wanted to be and I am confused as to why the terrible books win the CWA award winners for best new authors.
Plot Summary
Lucy is British. Lucy escaped her life by going to Japan. Lucy is morose. Lucy is obsessive. Lucy has friends and Lucy loses friends. Maybe Lucy killed her friends.
My Take
I thought this book was a hot mess. For the most part, it was book of confusion but lets start with the positive.
Despite my obvious dislike, the author is not a bad writer. Her style is not amateurish. She appeared to have a plan with this novel and she stuck with it. Unfortunately, I liked very little of it. Although I wasn't enjoying the majority of the novel, the fact the writing itself was good and the fact book was relatively short, kept me from putting it down and giving it one star.
Just having quality writing skills does not translate into a great novel. For the most part, this was a character novel. A bad character novel. Lucy was the major character with two secondary characters. None were well developed and but worst of all, each lacked insight into their own actions and emotions. Lucy was morose and broken. Generally, I would not take issue with that but Lucy had no sense of who she was and failed to develop through the novel. She failed to grow and learn from her experiences. It left me feeling that the events were a waste of my time.
The story contains a mystery. Instead of being explored it is simply revealed. As we near the end of the story, the author tells us that we have been in the middle of a second mystery the whole time. Given the character's lack of insight, its no wonder it took the characters by surprise. A reader who does not lack insight saw it coming a mile away.
Final Thoughts
There was not much to enjoy here. The lack of insight displayed was disappointing. A bit of insight goes a long way. If you like your characters dull and uninspired. This is the book for you.
July 9, 2015
Lucy Fly is a translator who has lived and worked in Japan for ten years. The story opens as she is taken into questioning by police about the murder of her missing 'friend', Lily - although it soon becomes apparent that Lily wasn't quite as much of a friend as she may have appeared. Lucy's narrative looks back on her life in Japan: how she came to be there, the development and, in some cases, demise of number of friendships including her acquaintance with Lily, and her relationship with her lover Teiji. The Earthquake Bird is ostensibly a mystery/thriller focused on the question of whether Lucy killed Lily, but to my mind it is much more of a character study exploring the complicated psyche and motivations of Lucy.
I didn't really like Lucy at first, despite feeling that I had certain traits in common with her (which would normally make me like a character, even if they're meant to be horrendous). However, the further the story progressed, the more I began to warm to and sympathise with her, even as I continued to find her behaviour and decisions strange - for example, . She has something of the classic unreliable narrator about her, and relates her story in a clear, almost sparse narrative style, which fits the setting perfectly and is incredibly effective at evoking both the romance and the loneliness of her life in Japan.
Lucy has an irritating habit of occasionally referring to herself in the third person, and I was disappointed that this was a bit of a red herring - I wondered for much of the book whether , but it seemed not. I also found it distracting that the names Lucy and Lily looked so similar on the page, but I expect this was deliberate, as Lily often seemed to typify the things that Lucy hated about herself: there were times when I wondered if Lily had even existed, or at least whether Lucy was projecting her own negative traits onto her. Lily's contrasting attributes didn't seem to add up to a believable person, but I did feel this was a deliberate decision by the author, and said more about the untrustworthy nature of Lucy's account than it did about Lily. As with many stories of this nature, the actual details of the peripheral characters were, in the end, almost irrelevant.
I chanced upon The Earthquake Bird in the library when I was actually looking for the author's most recent novel, When Nights Were Cold. This is why I will always love going to the library, even though I own a Kindle: I'd probably never have heard of this book if I hadn't stumbled across it, and I'm so glad I did, because it proved to be one of my best discoveries of recent months. It's quite a short book but there are so many layers, so many things to examine and decipher - and I adored the surreal ending. I would definitely recommend this one and I'm very much looking forward to reading more by Susanna Jones.
I didn't really like Lucy at first, despite feeling that I had certain traits in common with her (which would normally make me like a character, even if they're meant to be horrendous). However, the further the story progressed, the more I began to warm to and sympathise with her, even as I continued to find her behaviour and decisions strange - for example, . She has something of the classic unreliable narrator about her, and relates her story in a clear, almost sparse narrative style, which fits the setting perfectly and is incredibly effective at evoking both the romance and the loneliness of her life in Japan.
Lucy has an irritating habit of occasionally referring to herself in the third person, and I was disappointed that this was a bit of a red herring - I wondered for much of the book whether , but it seemed not. I also found it distracting that the names Lucy and Lily looked so similar on the page, but I expect this was deliberate, as Lily often seemed to typify the things that Lucy hated about herself: there were times when I wondered if Lily had even existed, or at least whether Lucy was projecting her own negative traits onto her. Lily's contrasting attributes didn't seem to add up to a believable person, but I did feel this was a deliberate decision by the author, and said more about the untrustworthy nature of Lucy's account than it did about Lily. As with many stories of this nature, the actual details of the peripheral characters were, in the end, almost irrelevant.
I chanced upon The Earthquake Bird in the library when I was actually looking for the author's most recent novel, When Nights Were Cold. This is why I will always love going to the library, even though I own a Kindle: I'd probably never have heard of this book if I hadn't stumbled across it, and I'm so glad I did, because it proved to be one of my best discoveries of recent months. It's quite a short book but there are so many layers, so many things to examine and decipher - and I adored the surreal ending. I would definitely recommend this one and I'm very much looking forward to reading more by Susanna Jones.
March 15, 2019
If you've read one thriller with an unreliable narrator, sometimes it really does feel like you've read them all. And I found this one overly mannered and not particularly convincing.
Also I still can't quite forgive the author for the sentence: "I crawled on top of his ice body, rocked him back and forth until the ice turned to water and his icicle penis melted inside me."
Note: this is not Abominable Snowman smut fic.
Also I still can't quite forgive the author for the sentence: "I crawled on top of his ice body, rocked him back and forth until the ice turned to water and his icicle penis melted inside me."
Note: this is not Abominable Snowman smut fic.
February 6, 2019
In The Earthquake Bird, police officers come to take translator Lucy Fly in for questioning in the disappearance and likely murder of Lily Bridges, a woman recently arrived from England. Lucy refuses to answer most of the officers’ questions, even if they might help her. While confined by the police, Lucy considers her past and how became a murder suspect.
Ten years ago, Lucy Fly left England for Tokyo, cutting off all ties with her family. The only girl out of eight children, always told she was strange, she had sought refuge in isolation and in fake languages. As an adult, it was natural she sought a country where she could escape.
Even in Tokyo, Lucy had few friends: just a co-worker, the other members of a string quartet in which she played cello, and occasionally other ex-pats that post often exasperated her. Yet when she met amateur photograph Matsuda Teiji by stepping into the frame of his picture, she became caught up in the relationship, though it was often a mystery to her and he seemed to set the terms of their contact.
Though Lucy was uninterested in seeing anyone else, her acquaintance Bob asked her to help a new arrival, Lily Bridges, who spoke no Japanese, find a place to live since Lily seemed overwhelmed and anxious. Lucy reluctantly agreed.
Lucy’s traumatic past, her relationship with Teiji, and her budding friendship with Lily layer and intersect, opening up childhood wounds that echo in the present. But, do they make her a murderer?
The Earthquake Bird is written in economical, elegant language and offers a lovely view of Tokyo from the perspective of an outsider. Its commentary on translation and in living in two languages is also interesting. To some extent, the book is a commentary on the tendency to rewrite and reinterpret memories and the past and the possible danger involved. I also liked the idea of Teiji experiencing the world so completely through photography and how that affects Lucy.
The mystery element of the story was less compelling. We know from the beginning that Lily is missing and likely dead. What happened to her is wrapped up in the final pages of the novel. Arguably, the mystery wasn’t the point, but it was positioned that way, so I was expecting a little more.
Furthermore, the author used some techniques, such as the similarity of Lucy and Lily on the page, that had no consequence in the narrative. Additionally, another frequently used device (which I won’t describe to avoid spoiling it for anyone who cares) seems like it will be very important but also has no resolution or explanation by the end of the novel.
People who are interested in a portrait of Tokyo or a unreliable narrator’s excavation of her past will likely enjoy The Earthquake Bird. Those who are looking for a more conventional mystery, though, will be disappointed.
January 8, 2020
Yet another movie I came across on Netflix; that turns out to be based on a great book. It's a debut novel filled with suspense, obsession, complicated friendships, guilt, forgiveness and redemption. Set in Japan the story follows Lucy, working as a transcriber, when she meets a Japanese photographer Teiji with secrets of his own. A fellow expat Lily comes in to the picture looking for a friend more familiar with the Japanese culture and language. Three does indeed become a crowd, but I won't reveal spoilers. I highly recommend both the book and film.
July 24, 2022
I should have dnfed this the second the phrase ‘his icicle penis’ was used.
The story was okay. Compelling, well-paced, and intriguing in its own rights. The writing had an interesting flair but the plot did little to capture me. I prefer my thrillers with less of the usual psychological suspense elements of sexual obsession, infidelity, and unhealthy female friendships and more procedural clue-finding and twists. Good for future me to know 🤷
There will be a day when I can confidently pick up a literary fiction title and enjoy it but in the meantime, I'll experiment with different subgenres to see what floats my boat.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Japanese scs & setting.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
The story was okay. Compelling, well-paced, and intriguing in its own rights. The writing had an interesting flair but the plot did little to capture me. I prefer my thrillers with less of the usual psychological suspense elements of sexual obsession, infidelity, and unhealthy female friendships and more procedural clue-finding and twists. Good for future me to know 🤷
There will be a day when I can confidently pick up a literary fiction title and enjoy it but in the meantime, I'll experiment with different subgenres to see what floats my boat.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Japanese scs & setting.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
April 28, 2022
Don't hate it but don't love it. Definitely disturbing but I was thinking there would be more like... murder to the murder? We mostly learn about Lucy and her weird way of thinking. The ending was creepy 😳 and it wasn't what I was expecting. I was disappointed but yet not, I know thats not helpful but how I feel.
May 3, 2012
This haunting novel is set in Tokyo and concerns the arrest of Lucy Fly, a British translator who has lived in Japan for ten years, for the murder of a British aquaintance of hers, Lily Bridges. This is not really a crime novel though, in the traditional sense. It strays more into the lit fiction genre, as Lucy recounts the story of her life, her relationship with Lily and her obsessional love for Teiji, who she finds taking photographs in the street one day.
Lucy is keen to leave Britain and has no contact with her family, whereas Lily finds Tokyo difficult to adjust to. Against her best judgement, Lily begins to enter Lucy's isolated and contained world. What starts with Lucy helping Lily find a flat, becomes a hike with friends and then an introduction to Teiji. Lucy's feeling that, no matter what has happened, she is, "not entirely guilty but not entirely innocent" - indeed no character in this book is clear cut. This is an excellent and atmospheric novel, in which Japan itself is a character which flavours and directs the triangle of characters within it. Highly recommended.
Lucy is keen to leave Britain and has no contact with her family, whereas Lily finds Tokyo difficult to adjust to. Against her best judgement, Lily begins to enter Lucy's isolated and contained world. What starts with Lucy helping Lily find a flat, becomes a hike with friends and then an introduction to Teiji. Lucy's feeling that, no matter what has happened, she is, "not entirely guilty but not entirely innocent" - indeed no character in this book is clear cut. This is an excellent and atmospheric novel, in which Japan itself is a character which flavours and directs the triangle of characters within it. Highly recommended.
October 20, 2019
Japánról megtudhatjuk, hogy rendszeresen esznek kifőzdékben, rendszeresek a kisebb-nagyobb földrengések, és hogy teázás közben illik ámulattal csodálni a csészét, amiben megkínálnak minket. Ahhoz képest, hogy Lucy 10 éve él ott, ez sztem elég kevés, még úgy is, hogy időnként barangolunk Tokióban és a környékén, mert a látnivalókra nem helyez hangsúlyt. De oké, ez végülis egy krimi, fogadjuk el, hogy nem dolga bemutatni a japán mindennapokat.
Ami problémásabb, és ami miatt nem tudott rést ütni a krimik közhelyein, hogy a sok feldobott lehetőséggel nem tudott mit kezdeni. Nincs jelentősége Lucy furcsaságának, mert a történtek szempontjából semmi jelentősége nem volt. Ő egyszerűen csak egy másféle szereplő volt, akivel megtörtén néhány dolog, más meg nem, időnként élénk volt a fantáziája, máskor meg gondok voltak a memóriájával. A mindent lefotózó Tejdzsi talán betölthette volna az űrt a titokzatos és soha meg nem nézett képeivel, de ő sem tette, eltűnt, mire az írónő felhasználhatta volna. Így nem is igazán tudom hová tenni ezt az egész történetet, mert a végére teljesen szétszaladtak a szálak, amiről az elején azt gondoltam, hogy összetartoznak.
Ráadásul az egész lezáratlan, az olvasó tippelhet, hogy mi is történt, és ki tette, és hogyan tovább. Egy jól felépített történetnél ez egy remek lezárás, de itt a sok össze-vissza eshetőséggel a porszívózó szomszéd is tehette, mert úgy érezte, csak így lehet nyugta. (Nem, sztem nem ő tette.:)
Kíváncsi vagyok nagyon, hogy filmen mit hoztak ki ebből az egészből.
Ami problémásabb, és ami miatt nem tudott rést ütni a krimik közhelyein, hogy a sok feldobott lehetőséggel nem tudott mit kezdeni. Nincs jelentősége Lucy furcsaságának, mert a történtek szempontjából semmi jelentősége nem volt. Ő egyszerűen csak egy másféle szereplő volt, akivel megtörtén néhány dolog, más meg nem, időnként élénk volt a fantáziája, máskor meg gondok voltak a memóriájával. A mindent lefotózó Tejdzsi talán betölthette volna az űrt a titokzatos és soha meg nem nézett képeivel, de ő sem tette, eltűnt, mire az írónő felhasználhatta volna. Így nem is igazán tudom hová tenni ezt az egész történetet, mert a végére teljesen szétszaladtak a szálak, amiről az elején azt gondoltam, hogy összetartoznak.
Ráadásul az egész lezáratlan, az olvasó tippelhet, hogy mi is történt, és ki tette, és hogyan tovább. Egy jól felépített történetnél ez egy remek lezárás, de itt a sok össze-vissza eshetőséggel a porszívózó szomszéd is tehette, mert úgy érezte, csak így lehet nyugta. (Nem, sztem nem ő tette.:)
Kíváncsi vagyok nagyon, hogy filmen mit hoztak ki ebből az egészből.
November 27, 2012
What an incredible book. I got it from a yard sale - not bought there, but it was left over after the sale and was just given to me - and I just put it away for years thinking that no book obtained in such a manner could possibly be worth very much.
Boy was I wrong.
I found the book to be gripping and deeply atmospheric,, really getting into the head of its main character without presuming to explain everything. Sometimes Lucy doesn't make sense. Sometimes she contradicts herself. Her feelings and motivations are complicated, and her relationships tenuous and built on specific interactions.
The mystery of who killed Lily, a British woman who was living and working in Tokyo - is central to the book, but it is not the POINT of the book, nor is the revelation of the guilty party the climax. This is, instead, the story of a woman trying to understand herself and her life. I compared it in one of my updates to We Have Always Lived at the Castle, and having finished it I think the comparison is even more apt. It's a story about its characters, not about its plot.
I recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of story - the imprecision, the unanswered questions and the unreliability of the narrator. Its a quick and engrossing read.
Boy was I wrong.
I found the book to be gripping and deeply atmospheric,, really getting into the head of its main character without presuming to explain everything. Sometimes Lucy doesn't make sense. Sometimes she contradicts herself. Her feelings and motivations are complicated, and her relationships tenuous and built on specific interactions.
The mystery of who killed Lily, a British woman who was living and working in Tokyo - is central to the book, but it is not the POINT of the book, nor is the revelation of the guilty party the climax. This is, instead, the story of a woman trying to understand herself and her life. I compared it in one of my updates to We Have Always Lived at the Castle, and having finished it I think the comparison is even more apt. It's a story about its characters, not about its plot.
I recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of story - the imprecision, the unanswered questions and the unreliability of the narrator. Its a quick and engrossing read.
April 26, 2017
Is there anyone else I can mention beyond Highsmith when comparing literary noirish tales of unhinged characters in a domestic setting? That is how it felt throughout but, one of her lesser works perhaps? Earthquake Bird is another one of the books recently saved from being donated to a book sale without ever having been read. This period cleansing has forced me to finally read some really very good books over the years and yet this isn't one of them. Serviceable, generally entertaining, an easy read that still forces the reader to ask questions about the events and the narrator - the switching between first and third person mid sentence was a particularly interesting element to Susanna Jones's protagonist - but never entirely engaging, and certainly not what I would call very good. Of most interest is the portrait of Tokyo from the perspective of a foreigner who isn't just a tourist but who, even after immersing herself in the city and its culture and way of life for seven years, still sees the place with foreign eyes. This at least marks it as a somewhat unique experience for a western reader of fiction.
April 11, 2020
PROTAGONIST: Lily Fly, English translator
SETTING: Japan
RATING: 3.75
WHY: This is a very strange little book, a psychological study of a disturbed woman, one who unintentionally killed one of her brothers. Lucy Fly grew up in the UK in an extremely emotionally abusive household. She escaped by moving to Japan, where she translated Japanese technical documents into English. A loner, she falls into a deep and obsessional relationship with a man named Teiji who she meets at a noodle shop. She’s not a person who makes friends easily so it is surprising when she connects to another English woman, Lily Bridges. Lucy is a woman who is disconnected from herself, often talking about herself in the third person. Some of the psychological stuff got a little tiring, but the book’s conclusion made up for any faults in the narration.
SETTING: Japan
RATING: 3.75
WHY: This is a very strange little book, a psychological study of a disturbed woman, one who unintentionally killed one of her brothers. Lucy Fly grew up in the UK in an extremely emotionally abusive household. She escaped by moving to Japan, where she translated Japanese technical documents into English. A loner, she falls into a deep and obsessional relationship with a man named Teiji who she meets at a noodle shop. She’s not a person who makes friends easily so it is surprising when she connects to another English woman, Lily Bridges. Lucy is a woman who is disconnected from herself, often talking about herself in the third person. Some of the psychological stuff got a little tiring, but the book’s conclusion made up for any faults in the narration.
December 11, 2019
1980s Japan, language, sex, noodles, foreigners in an unforeign land, friendship, betrayal, love, and of course, an independent woman equates to a very intrigued me.
The Earthquake Bird is a short book and a very very quick read. The plot is curious and suspenseful, set in a backdrop of Tokyo with its neon lights, of a friend and a murder and perhaps a love triangle? I liked it.
The thing is though, it wasn't really the story that made the book JUST alright, it was the way the story was told. Everything was written in a very direct way that came to an unsplendid reading experience. It was extremely dull, super plain, super boring, lots of telling and not showing, and I felt like I was reading an amateur blog. BUT the more I think about it, the more unsure I feel about the whole WRITING of the book. The way the story was told was either the author's own writing style OR the main character's telling of the story from her perspective (which I guess is kind of genius by Susanna Jones). Because of this discombobulated feeling, I can't bring myself to give this book a higher rating. I'm all about the flowery writing and metaphoric prose, but The Earthquake Bird lacked all of that. And I can't decide whether it was a technique to understand Lucy's brain or the author's lazyish writing.
Speaking of our main protagonist, I really like Lucy Fly. I'm surprised by how much I like her character because I did not expect to like her AT ALL. Lucy is what makes this story alive. She has a lot of qualities that I really admire in a woman. She's very independent, very strong, she's made a lot of questionable/unconventional perhaps BAD choices, but she always strives her best and that doesn't make her a bad person. And of course, she's weird as fuck, but that's also what makes her very endearing. I love Lucy's passion for new languages and new worlds, and the way she takes everything so into her heart, but portrays herself as maybe a little bit more cold hearted? Somehow, I super empathized with her and I did not expect to do that.
This book has been adapted to a Netflix movie starring Alicia Vikander (I love her) so let's see how the film goes. I think it can translate very well to a movie.
The Earthquake Bird is a short book and a very very quick read. The plot is curious and suspenseful, set in a backdrop of Tokyo with its neon lights, of a friend and a murder and perhaps a love triangle? I liked it.
The thing is though, it wasn't really the story that made the book JUST alright, it was the way the story was told. Everything was written in a very direct way that came to an unsplendid reading experience. It was extremely dull, super plain, super boring, lots of telling and not showing, and I felt like I was reading an amateur blog. BUT the more I think about it, the more unsure I feel about the whole WRITING of the book. The way the story was told was either the author's own writing style OR the main character's telling of the story from her perspective (which I guess is kind of genius by Susanna Jones). Because of this discombobulated feeling, I can't bring myself to give this book a higher rating. I'm all about the flowery writing and metaphoric prose, but The Earthquake Bird lacked all of that. And I can't decide whether it was a technique to understand Lucy's brain or the author's lazyish writing.
Speaking of our main protagonist, I really like Lucy Fly. I'm surprised by how much I like her character because I did not expect to like her AT ALL. Lucy is what makes this story alive. She has a lot of qualities that I really admire in a woman. She's very independent, very strong, she's made a lot of questionable/unconventional perhaps BAD choices, but she always strives her best and that doesn't make her a bad person. And of course, she's weird as fuck, but that's also what makes her very endearing. I love Lucy's passion for new languages and new worlds, and the way she takes everything so into her heart, but portrays herself as maybe a little bit more cold hearted? Somehow, I super empathized with her and I did not expect to do that.
This book has been adapted to a Netflix movie starring Alicia Vikander (I love her) so let's see how the film goes. I think it can translate very well to a movie.
August 5, 2014
I would give this book 2.5 stars if I could. It wasn't more than okay, but it had some interesting bits.
First, I felt the title was forced on the book. The writer mentioned the possibility of a bird that might be singing during earthquakes - and who may not even exist - like twice throughout the whole book. I didn't feel it was relevant, unless it's a sign that the narrator was mad, in which case it was unnecessary. Lucy had bigger issues than possibly hearing a nonexistent bird.
Speaking of Lucy, I absolutely hated that Jones made her keep switching between the first and the third person during her narration. There was no pattern for the choices, it was simply annoying.
That being said, the story was interesting. Not much happens in real time (the book is mostly made up of flashbacks) but Lucy's point of view is interesting. I liked her perception of everything: she kept putting everything (people, cities, countries, etc.) in boxes of clichés so she either loved them or hated them. I liked her insecurities (kudos for Jones for not making me roll my eyes at those) and I enjoyed her mild obsessiveness.
The ending was weird for me, I would have preferred a different one.
All in all, this is a different kind of story, and it's quite short. It will keep you interested, albeit not completely engaged. It was probably meant to be this way.
First, I felt the title was forced on the book. The writer mentioned the possibility of a bird that might be singing during earthquakes - and who may not even exist - like twice throughout the whole book. I didn't feel it was relevant, unless it's a sign that the narrator was mad, in which case it was unnecessary. Lucy had bigger issues than possibly hearing a nonexistent bird.
Speaking of Lucy, I absolutely hated that Jones made her keep switching between the first and the third person during her narration. There was no pattern for the choices, it was simply annoying.
That being said, the story was interesting. Not much happens in real time (the book is mostly made up of flashbacks) but Lucy's point of view is interesting. I liked her perception of everything: she kept putting everything (people, cities, countries, etc.) in boxes of clichés so she either loved them or hated them. I liked her insecurities (kudos for Jones for not making me roll my eyes at those) and I enjoyed her mild obsessiveness.
The ending was weird for me, I would have preferred a different one.
All in all, this is a different kind of story, and it's quite short. It will keep you interested, albeit not completely engaged. It was probably meant to be this way.
February 28, 2019
I don’t feel like I read the same book that is being praised by all these different groups on the front and back covers. I honestly had a hard time making myself finish the book, and was left terribly disappointed by the whole thing. I’d been looking forward to reading it. It sounded interesting and like a good mystery, but I don’t know what I would even consider it, genre-wise. Plus the constant switching between first and third person with Lucy really threw me off.
July 22, 2024
Susanna Jones’s When Nights Are Cold is one of my favourite novels that no one else has ever heard of, so I jumped at the chance to buy a bargain copy of her debut back in 2020. Lucy Fly has lived in Tokyo for ten years, working as a translator of machinery manuals. She wanted to get as far away as possible from her conventional family of six brothers, so she’s less than thrilled to meet fellow Yorkshire lass Lily Bridges, a nurse new to the country and looking for someone to help her find an apartment and learn some basic Japanese. Lucy is a prickly loner with only a few friends – and a lover, photographer Teiji – but she reluctantly agrees to be Lily’s guide.
We know from the start that Lucy is in custody being questioned about events leading up to Lily’s murder. She refuses to tell the police anything, but what we are reading is her confession, in which she does eventually tell all. We learn that there have already been three accidental deaths among her family and acquaintances – she seems cursed to attract them – and that her feelings about Lily changed over the months she showed the woman around. This short and reasonably compelling book gives glimpses of mountain scenery, noodle bars, and spartan apartments. Perhaps inevitably, it reminded me a bit of Murakami. It’s hard to resist an unreliable narrator. However, I felt Jones’s habit of having Lucy speak of herself in the third person was overdone.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
We know from the start that Lucy is in custody being questioned about events leading up to Lily’s murder. She refuses to tell the police anything, but what we are reading is her confession, in which she does eventually tell all. We learn that there have already been three accidental deaths among her family and acquaintances – she seems cursed to attract them – and that her feelings about Lily changed over the months she showed the woman around. This short and reasonably compelling book gives glimpses of mountain scenery, noodle bars, and spartan apartments. Perhaps inevitably, it reminded me a bit of Murakami. It’s hard to resist an unreliable narrator. However, I felt Jones’s habit of having Lucy speak of herself in the third person was overdone.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
May 25, 2020
A bizarre and unreliable narrator makes this a rollercoaster ride. Could she be responsible for the disasters that follow her or is she just a paranoid narcissist? I love when characters refer to themselves in the third person...it gives me the shivers.
I'm not guilty, but I'm not not guilty. great line
I'm not guilty, but I'm not not guilty. great line
March 3, 2020
Simo G. - per RFS
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Ciao Fenici, oggi vi parlo di un libro veramente particolare. Francamente non sono ancora in grado di dire se mi è piaciuto o meno. È ambientato in Giappone, paese che adoro; l’autrice descrive le ambientazioni, gli usi e i modi di fare dei giapponesi in modo veramente accattivante, suscitando l’interesse del lettore. Sicuramente ho apprezzato molto di più le scene descrittive che la storia in sé.
“Di fronte all’hotel Keio Plaza c’era un ragazzo e intorno a lui scorreva una fiumana di gente armata di ombrelli. Era chino sopra una pozzanghera, apparentemente intento a scattare fotografie. La pioggia gli sgocciolava sui capelli e sulla faccia, ma lui non sembrava farci caso. Sentii lo scatto della macchina fotografica e poi lo vidi spostarsi con un movimento fluido dal lato opposto della pozzanghera. Sembrava fatto di acqua e ghiaccio.”
La voce narrante è quella di Lucy, protagonista di questa storia insieme a Teiji, fotografo amatoriale e cameriere a tempo pieno. I due stanno vivendo l’inizio di una singolare storia d’amore, strana quanto lo sono entrambi. Le dinamiche di questa coppia che si sta formando vengono modificate dall’arrivo di Lily, un’infermiera inglese che si è trasferita in Giappone per sfuggire a un fidanzato eccessivamente geloso. Quest’ultima si sente molto sperduta in questo paese straniero, di cui non conosce né gli usi né la lingua. Lily è una vera piattola, che non mi ha suscitato nessuna simpatia. Ma perché caspita ti trasferisci in uno stato di cui non sai una cippa e in cui non capisci nemmeno una parola? Quando scopre che Lucy proviene dalla sua stessa regione dell’Inghilterra, le si attacca come una cozza, convinta che l’aver respirato la stessa aria da bambine possa fare di loro le migliori amiche. Lucy cerca di svicolare il più possibile, ma alla fine si fa impietosire e finisce per affezionarsi alla ragazza. Con il senno di poi scoprirà che era meglio abbandonarla al primo angolo di strada, nel corso della storia scoprirete il perché. Vi dico solo che il libro inizia con la polizia che va a prelevare Lucy in ufficio per interrogarla sul ritrovamento di un cadavere, che pensano essere quello di Lily.
Una cosa, per me, veramente irritante è stato il fatto che la narrazione passasse dalla prima alla terza persona in modo improvviso, lasciandomi spesso spiazzata. Si passa da “Vagabondavo nel centro di Tokyo” a “ Gli autori delle guide turistiche sono affascinati dall’ambientazione futuristica, dagli edifici alla Blade Runner, ma per Lucy non sono altro che stupidi alberghi”.
Ma perché cambiare improvvisamente soggetto? Sembrava che si parlasse di un altro personaggio che saltava fuori all’improvviso! Ho anche pensato che ci fosse un significato nascosto nella cosa, magari Lucy nascondeva una personalità multipla e parlava di lei in terza persona per questo… Vi dico subito che non è affatto così, e se c’è un significato nascosto purtroppo io non sono riuscita a trovarlo. Lascio a voi l’impresa!
Anche la storia in sé, devo dire, non mi ha entusiasmato: la trama del libro è stata più accattivante del libro stesso.
Il titolo mi è piaciuto un sacco, richiama sicuramente la propensione ai terremoti del Giappone, ma forse anche il fatto che a tremare non è solo la terra ma il mondo intero di Lucy? Non saprei dire se ho ragione o meno. Di interessante c’è anche la figura dell’uccello del terremoto. La protagonista prima, di ogni scossa, sente un forte suono che attribuisce al verso di un uccello:
“Non raccontai a Lily che avevo notato un’altra cosa, a proposito dell’uccello del terremoto. Il suono non cominciava insieme alle scosse. Cominciava poco prima. Poteva essere un sogno. Se era così era sempre lo stesso. Come faceva l’uccello, o la lattina, o lo stivale, a sapere che stava per verificarsi un terremoto? Ci avevo riflettuto spesso. Forse mi sbagliavo, ovviamente. Nel cuore della notte non si può essere sicuri di niente. Si trattava di un avvertimento, o di un sintomo, o mi sbagliavo? Se era un avvertimento a cosa serviva, pochi secondi prima dell’arrivo della scossa, quando non avevi più tempo né di scappare né di nasconderti?”
Anche questa può essere una similitudine con la vita di Lucy, segnata da un’infanzia infelice e da una vita solitaria, dove alcuni sfortunati eventi hanno lasciato delle grosse cicatrici interiori. Forse l’uccello è il segnale che ormai il suo subconscio associa a un evento disastroso imminente?
Quando ho terminato il libro, mi sono subito detta: “Ma che cavolo ho letto?”. Non è un romanzo d’amore, di quello non ne ho trovato molto. Non è un giallo, la trama in questo senso è piuttosto banale. Potrebbe essere un thriller psicologico, ma, o la psicologia è così sottile che io non sono purtroppo stata in grado di comprenderla, oppure manca l’approfondimento necessario per capire perché i vari protagonisti agiscono in un tal modo. Netflix ne ha tratto un film, ho provato a guardare anche quello, per cercare di avere un’illuminazione, ma c’è stato invece un buio totale. Un po’ perché era talmente avvincente da farmi a tratti sonnecchiare, un po’ perché ci ho capito ancora meno, dato che, per rendere la trama più cinematografica, hanno modificato alcuni episodi che nel libro avevano un senso e ci hanno piazzato un finalaccio splatter che non ci azzecca per nulla.
Comunque non fatevi scoraggiare dal mio parere non proprio favorevole, il libro è scritto bene, la descrizione del Giappone, se amate il paese, merita da sola la lettura. Probabilmente non l’ho compreso appieno per apprezzarlo, magari voi sarete più attente a capire e a rilevare le sue sfumature. Buona lettura e buona fortuna!
.
Ciao Fenici, oggi vi parlo di un libro veramente particolare. Francamente non sono ancora in grado di dire se mi è piaciuto o meno. È ambientato in Giappone, paese che adoro; l’autrice descrive le ambientazioni, gli usi e i modi di fare dei giapponesi in modo veramente accattivante, suscitando l’interesse del lettore. Sicuramente ho apprezzato molto di più le scene descrittive che la storia in sé.
“Di fronte all’hotel Keio Plaza c’era un ragazzo e intorno a lui scorreva una fiumana di gente armata di ombrelli. Era chino sopra una pozzanghera, apparentemente intento a scattare fotografie. La pioggia gli sgocciolava sui capelli e sulla faccia, ma lui non sembrava farci caso. Sentii lo scatto della macchina fotografica e poi lo vidi spostarsi con un movimento fluido dal lato opposto della pozzanghera. Sembrava fatto di acqua e ghiaccio.”
La voce narrante è quella di Lucy, protagonista di questa storia insieme a Teiji, fotografo amatoriale e cameriere a tempo pieno. I due stanno vivendo l’inizio di una singolare storia d’amore, strana quanto lo sono entrambi. Le dinamiche di questa coppia che si sta formando vengono modificate dall’arrivo di Lily, un’infermiera inglese che si è trasferita in Giappone per sfuggire a un fidanzato eccessivamente geloso. Quest’ultima si sente molto sperduta in questo paese straniero, di cui non conosce né gli usi né la lingua. Lily è una vera piattola, che non mi ha suscitato nessuna simpatia. Ma perché caspita ti trasferisci in uno stato di cui non sai una cippa e in cui non capisci nemmeno una parola? Quando scopre che Lucy proviene dalla sua stessa regione dell’Inghilterra, le si attacca come una cozza, convinta che l’aver respirato la stessa aria da bambine possa fare di loro le migliori amiche. Lucy cerca di svicolare il più possibile, ma alla fine si fa impietosire e finisce per affezionarsi alla ragazza. Con il senno di poi scoprirà che era meglio abbandonarla al primo angolo di strada, nel corso della storia scoprirete il perché. Vi dico solo che il libro inizia con la polizia che va a prelevare Lucy in ufficio per interrogarla sul ritrovamento di un cadavere, che pensano essere quello di Lily.
Una cosa, per me, veramente irritante è stato il fatto che la narrazione passasse dalla prima alla terza persona in modo improvviso, lasciandomi spesso spiazzata. Si passa da “Vagabondavo nel centro di Tokyo” a “ Gli autori delle guide turistiche sono affascinati dall’ambientazione futuristica, dagli edifici alla Blade Runner, ma per Lucy non sono altro che stupidi alberghi”.
Ma perché cambiare improvvisamente soggetto? Sembrava che si parlasse di un altro personaggio che saltava fuori all’improvviso! Ho anche pensato che ci fosse un significato nascosto nella cosa, magari Lucy nascondeva una personalità multipla e parlava di lei in terza persona per questo… Vi dico subito che non è affatto così, e se c’è un significato nascosto purtroppo io non sono riuscita a trovarlo. Lascio a voi l’impresa!
Anche la storia in sé, devo dire, non mi ha entusiasmato: la trama del libro è stata più accattivante del libro stesso.
Il titolo mi è piaciuto un sacco, richiama sicuramente la propensione ai terremoti del Giappone, ma forse anche il fatto che a tremare non è solo la terra ma il mondo intero di Lucy? Non saprei dire se ho ragione o meno. Di interessante c’è anche la figura dell’uccello del terremoto. La protagonista prima, di ogni scossa, sente un forte suono che attribuisce al verso di un uccello:
“Non raccontai a Lily che avevo notato un’altra cosa, a proposito dell’uccello del terremoto. Il suono non cominciava insieme alle scosse. Cominciava poco prima. Poteva essere un sogno. Se era così era sempre lo stesso. Come faceva l’uccello, o la lattina, o lo stivale, a sapere che stava per verificarsi un terremoto? Ci avevo riflettuto spesso. Forse mi sbagliavo, ovviamente. Nel cuore della notte non si può essere sicuri di niente. Si trattava di un avvertimento, o di un sintomo, o mi sbagliavo? Se era un avvertimento a cosa serviva, pochi secondi prima dell’arrivo della scossa, quando non avevi più tempo né di scappare né di nasconderti?”
Anche questa può essere una similitudine con la vita di Lucy, segnata da un’infanzia infelice e da una vita solitaria, dove alcuni sfortunati eventi hanno lasciato delle grosse cicatrici interiori. Forse l’uccello è il segnale che ormai il suo subconscio associa a un evento disastroso imminente?
Quando ho terminato il libro, mi sono subito detta: “Ma che cavolo ho letto?”. Non è un romanzo d’amore, di quello non ne ho trovato molto. Non è un giallo, la trama in questo senso è piuttosto banale. Potrebbe essere un thriller psicologico, ma, o la psicologia è così sottile che io non sono purtroppo stata in grado di comprenderla, oppure manca l’approfondimento necessario per capire perché i vari protagonisti agiscono in un tal modo. Netflix ne ha tratto un film, ho provato a guardare anche quello, per cercare di avere un’illuminazione, ma c’è stato invece un buio totale. Un po’ perché era talmente avvincente da farmi a tratti sonnecchiare, un po’ perché ci ho capito ancora meno, dato che, per rendere la trama più cinematografica, hanno modificato alcuni episodi che nel libro avevano un senso e ci hanno piazzato un finalaccio splatter che non ci azzecca per nulla.
Comunque non fatevi scoraggiare dal mio parere non proprio favorevole, il libro è scritto bene, la descrizione del Giappone, se amate il paese, merita da sola la lettura. Probabilmente non l’ho compreso appieno per apprezzarlo, magari voi sarete più attente a capire e a rilevare le sue sfumature. Buona lettura e buona fortuna!
July 17, 2024
(Review to Come)
June 9, 2020
I watched this movie on Netflix and loved it, even though it has pretty ordinary reviews. I liked this a lot as well. Lucy is being interviewed by the Japanese police about the death of Lily. Jones here well explores what kind of people end up "ex-pats" - as opposed to, you know, migrants - in Tokyo, people who haven't managed to become famous, or find families and friends in their own culture, or people running away from something (don't get me wrong, there's lots of other people who are just having a bit of adventure in real life, but Jones's focus is certainly on misfits). And the conflicts which play out between them are so realistic and natural
January 31, 2018
The starting chapter was okay and quite mysterious making me curious much. Story was simple, it narrates throughout Lucy's memories and flashbacks. Lovely and yet engrossing. I love the flashback of Teiji on how Lucy met him and falling in love. Then Lily came and every hidden feelings and secrets, back and forth in between Lucy's past and current been told. The narration was okay although I was a bit confused in between as 'Lucy' and 'I' from the paragraph.
Point of the story was actually vague to me-- in term of what had really happened to both Teiji and Lily especially. This probably more of Lucy trying to find her inner self, her own feelings, discovering own identity and such. The tension created from both Lily and Teiji was somewhat emotional like I dearly understand Lucy's feeling but at the same time I was a bit wondering what truly will happen to Lucy.
I really enjoyed the read-- the atmospheric of Japan been told well. Night view and lovely eating shops and cafes. Refreshing and different.
Point of the story was actually vague to me-- in term of what had really happened to both Teiji and Lily especially. This probably more of Lucy trying to find her inner self, her own feelings, discovering own identity and such. The tension created from both Lily and Teiji was somewhat emotional like I dearly understand Lucy's feeling but at the same time I was a bit wondering what truly will happen to Lucy.
I really enjoyed the read-- the atmospheric of Japan been told well. Night view and lovely eating shops and cafes. Refreshing and different.
March 27, 2020
Spännande, annorlunda och mörkt svartsjukedrama. Lite svårt först att komma in i den, men efter en stund flöt den på. Tyckte även att slutet inte kändes riktigt färdigt. Tror att det hade lyft boken om man fått höra berättelsen lite mer ur alla inblandades perspektiv.
August 2, 2020
not really sure how i feel about this, but i’m excited to watch the movie.
November 18, 2017
Lucy is a translator living and working in Japan. The police question her about another missing woman who has since been found murdered and this prompts Lucy to recount her life story. I liked the contrasting cultures that made up this story and there was a underlying current as to whether Lucy was as innocent as she makes out. What I found weird was that there were times when Lucy was telling her story and referring to herself in the third person.
August 30, 2015
What a strange story this is: British ex-pat Lucy Fly has lived in Tokyo for ten years and works as a translator; she befriends Lily, another Brit newly arrived in Tokyo. Her lover – she hesitates to use the word “boyfriend” is Teiji, an amateur photographer, about whom Lucy is quite possessive.
The book opens with Lucy being questioned, and not for the first time, about the murder of Lily; as Lucy was the last known person to see her alive she becomes the main suspect. Why, then, is she so reticent about helping herself out of the situation? Why doesn't she tell the police that she is fluent in Japanese? I actually found that the notion of the police not knowing this to be quite ridiculous given that they know where she works, and actually sought her out at her workplace.
None of the characters is fully developed; Lucy herself is selfish and unsympathetic and does not endear herself to this reader. Described on the back cover as “ a young, vulnerable English girl” - hardly, considering she left her native Yorkshire some ten years previously, and has survived in Tokyo ever since. She is self-sufficient, self-serving and almost makes a point of being unfriendly and unsociable. Vulnerable? I don't think so. She decided on Tokyo because it was as far away from Yorkshire as she could possibly go without getting nearer to it again. She befriended Lily because another ex-pat asked her to, but she took an instant dislike to Lily because she was from Yorkshire. What is it about that county that Ms Jones dislikes so much? We learn little about Lucy even when she reveals something of her early family life, when she shows an incredible sense of survival. Having lived in Tokyo for ten years it's amazing, even given her strange personality, that she has only one friend, Natsuko a work colleague. Lucy also has the extraordinarily irritating habit of referring to herself in the third person. Why? I'm darned if I know. Why is the book called The Earthquake Bird? Again – I'm darned if I know as it seems a fanciful title which bears very little connection to the story. The descriptive writing of Japan is well done and enjoyable, and that is what kept me going with this short book, and I have to wonder, if this book was set in Yorkshire, say, would it have been even half the book it is?
The ending is a bit of a flop as it fizzles slowly out of what little steam there was. All in all a disappointing book; I honestly wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a thriller.
The book opens with Lucy being questioned, and not for the first time, about the murder of Lily; as Lucy was the last known person to see her alive she becomes the main suspect. Why, then, is she so reticent about helping herself out of the situation? Why doesn't she tell the police that she is fluent in Japanese? I actually found that the notion of the police not knowing this to be quite ridiculous given that they know where she works, and actually sought her out at her workplace.
None of the characters is fully developed; Lucy herself is selfish and unsympathetic and does not endear herself to this reader. Described on the back cover as “ a young, vulnerable English girl” - hardly, considering she left her native Yorkshire some ten years previously, and has survived in Tokyo ever since. She is self-sufficient, self-serving and almost makes a point of being unfriendly and unsociable. Vulnerable? I don't think so. She decided on Tokyo because it was as far away from Yorkshire as she could possibly go without getting nearer to it again. She befriended Lily because another ex-pat asked her to, but she took an instant dislike to Lily because she was from Yorkshire. What is it about that county that Ms Jones dislikes so much? We learn little about Lucy even when she reveals something of her early family life, when she shows an incredible sense of survival. Having lived in Tokyo for ten years it's amazing, even given her strange personality, that she has only one friend, Natsuko a work colleague. Lucy also has the extraordinarily irritating habit of referring to herself in the third person. Why? I'm darned if I know. Why is the book called The Earthquake Bird? Again – I'm darned if I know as it seems a fanciful title which bears very little connection to the story. The descriptive writing of Japan is well done and enjoyable, and that is what kept me going with this short book, and I have to wonder, if this book was set in Yorkshire, say, would it have been even half the book it is?
The ending is a bit of a flop as it fizzles slowly out of what little steam there was. All in all a disappointing book; I honestly wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a thriller.
January 2, 2020
Salve lettori!
Oggi vi parlo di un thriller molto particolare da cui è stato tratto recentemente anche un film su Netflix: “Dove la terra trema” di Susanna Jones, edito da HarperCollins.
È un romanzo intrigante e affascinante, anche insolito per certi versi, che però non è riuscito a convincermi completamente.
La protagonista della storia è Lucy Fly, una donna inglese che una volta finiti gli studi ha deciso di abbandonare ogni cosa per trasferirsi nel punto più lontano rispetto al luogo in cui è nata e cresciuta: il Giappone. Qui è riuscita a costruirsi una nuova vita che però non è così diversa da quella che conduceva in Inghilterra: le catene che la legano al suo passato non si sono mai veramente spezzate, non dentro di lei almeno, e Lucy continua a vivere in maniera anonima e distaccata, come se niente riuscisse a toccarla o a coinvolgerla davvero.
Vive a Tokyo ormai da molti anni, lavorando come traduttrice, quando la sua vita prende una piega improvvisa e inizia lentamente a precipitare.
Una notte incrocia lo sguardo di un misterioso ragazzo giapponese che sembra farla innamorare perdutamente per la prima volta, tanto da diventare il centro del suo mondo, l’unica persona con cui vorrebbe passare ogni minuto del suo tempo, l’unico aspetto della sua vita che riesce a farle provare davvero qualcosa.
A sconvolgere il delicato equilibrio è l’arrivo di Lily Bridges, una giovane donna inglese che, proprio come Lucy, ha lasciato il suo paese e il lavoro da infermiera che amava tanto per ricominciare da capo in un posto nuovo e completamente diverso.
All’inizio Lucy non vuole saperne di lei, perché quella ragazza rappresenta da un lato tutto ciò che ha voluto lasciarsi alle spalle per sempre e dall’altro tutto ciò che Lucy non è: loquace, socievole e attraente.
Alla fine si lascia intenerire da questa ragazza che appare così fragile e smarrita in una città che le è completamente estranea e si fa convincere ad aiutarla prima a trovare casa, in seguito a imparare qualche parola di giapponese, fino a quando fra loro si instaura un rapporto del tutto simile a una vera e propria amicizia.
Ed è proprio la nascita di questo legame a segnare l’inizio della fine, dando il via a una catena di eventi che ha portato alla scomparsa di Lily.
Il romanzo inizia proprio da qui.
Lily era a Tokyo solo da qualche mese prima di scomparire senza lasciare traccia. Un giorno Lucy viene svegliata da una scossa di terremoto, cosa che accade spesso nella capitale nipponica, ma poco dopo un altro tipo di scossa scuote in maniera violenta e improvvisa il suo mondo: mentre sta lavorando in ufficio, due poliziotti vengono a prenderla per portarla in commissariato per interrogarla nuovamente sulla scomparsa di Lily Bridges.
Lucy si rifiuta di rispondere a domande a cui ha già risposto durante gli interrogatori precedenti e, invece di collaborare o di difendersi, ignora i poliziotti e comincia un viaggio dentro se stessa, attraverso i suoi ricordi, raccontando cosa l’ha spinta a trasferirsi in Giappone, il suo incontro con Teiji e la loro strana relazione, che per lei era quanto di più prezioso e speciale avesse mai avuto in vita sua.
Ricorda tutto, fino all’arrivo di Lily e alla sua amicizia con lei. Fino a quell’ultima notte in cui si sono viste, poche ore prima che Lily sparisse.
Lucy è un personaggio decisamente unico e originale, capace di scuotere, turbare e coinvolgere il lettore al tempo stesso.
È convinta di essere perseguitata dalla malasorte e che la tragedia e la morte la seguano ovunque vada. Nonostante non abbia mai fatto volontariamente del male a nessuno, più di una volta le sue azioni hanno accidentalmente causato la morte di qualcuno che le era vicino.
Queste tragiche coincidenze della sua vita l’hanno segnata nel profondo, più di quanto lei immagini.
Lucy è un personaggio particolare, la stranezza è sua compagna da sempre, fin dall’infanzia. E il suo triste passato, che emerge poco per volta nel corso della narrazione, l’ha portata a diventare sempre più solitaria e distaccata dal mondo che la circonda. Questo l’ha portata a stringere ben pochi legami nel corso della sua vita e tutti sempre superficiali, come se lei fosse incapace di aprirsi completamente a qualcuno.
Anche a Tokyo, sebbene ci viva da anni e la senta ormai come casa sua, l’unica persona che può considerare amica è una collega di nome Natsuko.
Ma tutto sembra cambiare quando si imbatte nell’enigmatico Teiji: un uomo di poche parole che comunica principalmente attraverso l’obiettivo della macchina fotografica che porta sempre al collo, un personaggio che non riusciamo mai a conoscere davvero.
Fra di loro scatta subito una scintilla che li porta ad avere una profonda intesa sessuale, che però non trova mai il suo corrispettivo nel lato affettivo.
Lucy idealizza quest’uomo che sembra non appartenere a questo mondo, proprio come lei, e se ne innamora perdutamente. La loro relazione è fatta di poco dialogo e tanto contatto fisico, e quando Lucy prova ad aprirsi un po’ di più e a raccontare qualcosa di sé ecco che Teiji cambia, inizia a farsi più freddo e distaccato. L’entrata in scena di Lily complica ulteriormente le cose. Questo inaspettato triangolo sconvolge Lucy al punto che la paura di perdere Teiji inizia a tormentarla.
Ora Lily è morta e Teiji è sparito chissà dove. L’unica che può aiutare la polizia nelle indagini è proprio Lucy, che a questo punto è anche la principale indiziata.
Che cosa è successo a Lily? Chi è veramente Teiji? Lucy può essere stata tanto accecata dalla gelosia e dalla rabbia da compiere un gesto estremo e tremendo come l’omicidio?
“Dove la terra trema” è un romanzo molto scorrevole e piuttosto breve, che avrei potuto finire in poche ore se non ci fossero state le feste di mezzo. L’unica particolarità consiste nella scelta di far parlare Lucy di se stessa in terza persona, così all’interno dello stesso capitolo ci ritroviamo spesso a saltare dalla prima alla terza persona nonostante a raccontare sia sempre la protagonista.
Un punto a favore sono invece le descrizioni che ci permettono di vedere e immergerci completamente nell’atmosfera di Tokyo.
La narrazione ti cattura, la curiosità di scoprire di più ti spinge a continuare a leggere, ma purtroppo tutta questa attesa non viene mai davvero ripagata.
Questo thriller, pur restando una storia interessante capace di coinvolgere il lettore, non ha una vera conclusione.
Il finale troppo vago e aperto mi ha impedito di dargli un giudizio più alto che altrimenti avrei dato sicuramente.
È una storia che è riuscita a intrigarmi e a coinvolgermi dalla prima all’ultima pagina, ma che non ha saputo convincermi a causa del modo in cui pare risolversi la vicenda. Tutto troppo confuso e frettoloso, una scelta che può essere comprensibile dato che a narrare la storia è un personaggio singolare come Lucy Fly, ma che lascia al lettore un senso di incompiuto, come se gli avessero strappato di mano il libro proprio sul più bello.
È un romanzo intenso, drammatico e intrigante, che consiglio se siete alla ricerca di una storia diversa dal solito capace di catturarvi e intrattenervi per qualche ora.
Voto: 3.5
Oggi vi parlo di un thriller molto particolare da cui è stato tratto recentemente anche un film su Netflix: “Dove la terra trema” di Susanna Jones, edito da HarperCollins.
È un romanzo intrigante e affascinante, anche insolito per certi versi, che però non è riuscito a convincermi completamente.
La protagonista della storia è Lucy Fly, una donna inglese che una volta finiti gli studi ha deciso di abbandonare ogni cosa per trasferirsi nel punto più lontano rispetto al luogo in cui è nata e cresciuta: il Giappone. Qui è riuscita a costruirsi una nuova vita che però non è così diversa da quella che conduceva in Inghilterra: le catene che la legano al suo passato non si sono mai veramente spezzate, non dentro di lei almeno, e Lucy continua a vivere in maniera anonima e distaccata, come se niente riuscisse a toccarla o a coinvolgerla davvero.
Vive a Tokyo ormai da molti anni, lavorando come traduttrice, quando la sua vita prende una piega improvvisa e inizia lentamente a precipitare.
Una notte incrocia lo sguardo di un misterioso ragazzo giapponese che sembra farla innamorare perdutamente per la prima volta, tanto da diventare il centro del suo mondo, l’unica persona con cui vorrebbe passare ogni minuto del suo tempo, l’unico aspetto della sua vita che riesce a farle provare davvero qualcosa.
A sconvolgere il delicato equilibrio è l’arrivo di Lily Bridges, una giovane donna inglese che, proprio come Lucy, ha lasciato il suo paese e il lavoro da infermiera che amava tanto per ricominciare da capo in un posto nuovo e completamente diverso.
All’inizio Lucy non vuole saperne di lei, perché quella ragazza rappresenta da un lato tutto ciò che ha voluto lasciarsi alle spalle per sempre e dall’altro tutto ciò che Lucy non è: loquace, socievole e attraente.
Alla fine si lascia intenerire da questa ragazza che appare così fragile e smarrita in una città che le è completamente estranea e si fa convincere ad aiutarla prima a trovare casa, in seguito a imparare qualche parola di giapponese, fino a quando fra loro si instaura un rapporto del tutto simile a una vera e propria amicizia.
Ed è proprio la nascita di questo legame a segnare l’inizio della fine, dando il via a una catena di eventi che ha portato alla scomparsa di Lily.
Il romanzo inizia proprio da qui.
Lily era a Tokyo solo da qualche mese prima di scomparire senza lasciare traccia. Un giorno Lucy viene svegliata da una scossa di terremoto, cosa che accade spesso nella capitale nipponica, ma poco dopo un altro tipo di scossa scuote in maniera violenta e improvvisa il suo mondo: mentre sta lavorando in ufficio, due poliziotti vengono a prenderla per portarla in commissariato per interrogarla nuovamente sulla scomparsa di Lily Bridges.
Lucy si rifiuta di rispondere a domande a cui ha già risposto durante gli interrogatori precedenti e, invece di collaborare o di difendersi, ignora i poliziotti e comincia un viaggio dentro se stessa, attraverso i suoi ricordi, raccontando cosa l’ha spinta a trasferirsi in Giappone, il suo incontro con Teiji e la loro strana relazione, che per lei era quanto di più prezioso e speciale avesse mai avuto in vita sua.
Ricorda tutto, fino all’arrivo di Lily e alla sua amicizia con lei. Fino a quell’ultima notte in cui si sono viste, poche ore prima che Lily sparisse.
Lucy è un personaggio decisamente unico e originale, capace di scuotere, turbare e coinvolgere il lettore al tempo stesso.
È convinta di essere perseguitata dalla malasorte e che la tragedia e la morte la seguano ovunque vada. Nonostante non abbia mai fatto volontariamente del male a nessuno, più di una volta le sue azioni hanno accidentalmente causato la morte di qualcuno che le era vicino.
Queste tragiche coincidenze della sua vita l’hanno segnata nel profondo, più di quanto lei immagini.
Lucy è un personaggio particolare, la stranezza è sua compagna da sempre, fin dall’infanzia. E il suo triste passato, che emerge poco per volta nel corso della narrazione, l’ha portata a diventare sempre più solitaria e distaccata dal mondo che la circonda. Questo l’ha portata a stringere ben pochi legami nel corso della sua vita e tutti sempre superficiali, come se lei fosse incapace di aprirsi completamente a qualcuno.
Anche a Tokyo, sebbene ci viva da anni e la senta ormai come casa sua, l’unica persona che può considerare amica è una collega di nome Natsuko.
Ma tutto sembra cambiare quando si imbatte nell’enigmatico Teiji: un uomo di poche parole che comunica principalmente attraverso l’obiettivo della macchina fotografica che porta sempre al collo, un personaggio che non riusciamo mai a conoscere davvero.
Fra di loro scatta subito una scintilla che li porta ad avere una profonda intesa sessuale, che però non trova mai il suo corrispettivo nel lato affettivo.
Lucy idealizza quest’uomo che sembra non appartenere a questo mondo, proprio come lei, e se ne innamora perdutamente. La loro relazione è fatta di poco dialogo e tanto contatto fisico, e quando Lucy prova ad aprirsi un po’ di più e a raccontare qualcosa di sé ecco che Teiji cambia, inizia a farsi più freddo e distaccato. L’entrata in scena di Lily complica ulteriormente le cose. Questo inaspettato triangolo sconvolge Lucy al punto che la paura di perdere Teiji inizia a tormentarla.
Ora Lily è morta e Teiji è sparito chissà dove. L’unica che può aiutare la polizia nelle indagini è proprio Lucy, che a questo punto è anche la principale indiziata.
Che cosa è successo a Lily? Chi è veramente Teiji? Lucy può essere stata tanto accecata dalla gelosia e dalla rabbia da compiere un gesto estremo e tremendo come l’omicidio?
“Dove la terra trema” è un romanzo molto scorrevole e piuttosto breve, che avrei potuto finire in poche ore se non ci fossero state le feste di mezzo. L’unica particolarità consiste nella scelta di far parlare Lucy di se stessa in terza persona, così all’interno dello stesso capitolo ci ritroviamo spesso a saltare dalla prima alla terza persona nonostante a raccontare sia sempre la protagonista.
Un punto a favore sono invece le descrizioni che ci permettono di vedere e immergerci completamente nell’atmosfera di Tokyo.
La narrazione ti cattura, la curiosità di scoprire di più ti spinge a continuare a leggere, ma purtroppo tutta questa attesa non viene mai davvero ripagata.
Questo thriller, pur restando una storia interessante capace di coinvolgere il lettore, non ha una vera conclusione.
Il finale troppo vago e aperto mi ha impedito di dargli un giudizio più alto che altrimenti avrei dato sicuramente.
È una storia che è riuscita a intrigarmi e a coinvolgermi dalla prima all’ultima pagina, ma che non ha saputo convincermi a causa del modo in cui pare risolversi la vicenda. Tutto troppo confuso e frettoloso, una scelta che può essere comprensibile dato che a narrare la storia è un personaggio singolare come Lucy Fly, ma che lascia al lettore un senso di incompiuto, come se gli avessero strappato di mano il libro proprio sul più bello.
È un romanzo intenso, drammatico e intrigante, che consiglio se siete alla ricerca di una storia diversa dal solito capace di catturarvi e intrattenervi per qualche ora.
Voto: 3.5
November 18, 2019
I wish that the author had resisted the temptation to make this into a murder mystery, or whatever it is. I enjoyed her observations on Japanese life and the life of two disparate expats making their way in Tokyo. Take out the deaths—which made little sense—and this would have been a fine novel.
“I haven’t lived there for a very long time.”
“It’s your roots that count.”
“Plants and trees have roots. People have legs.”
Everything from hunting for apartments to the proper way to slurp noodles made me want to see Japan, something that heretofore had never interested me much—and by “much” I mean enough to make me go there.
The narrator drifts in and out of the third person like someone with narcolepsy nods off for no apparent reason. It was an odd device and became annoying, just like people who talk about themselves in the third person a hugely annoying.
Quite a few things happen in the story and almost none of them have anything to do with a murder, or murders. So why make it a murder mystery? I think if the author would have had the confidence to write a simple novel, she could have pulled it off splendidly. It almost seems that’s what she had in mind before changing course and genres.
Some of the major plot developments happened with such random stupidity that my eyes rolled back in my head so forcefully that I almost fell over backwards. Someone trips on a cello and dies? It made me think of the4 famous line from The Onion, “That’s not Funny; My Brother Died that Way.”
And this one:
“I learned that her father had set off to sea the previous afternoon in his canoe. He hadn’t bothered to paddle back again and his body had washed up on the shore in the evening.”
She drove a man to suicide because of sex? Huh?
Lily was annoying to the point that I wish someone would have killed her a lot sooner.
“I haven’t lived there for a very long time.”
“It’s your roots that count.”
“Plants and trees have roots. People have legs.”
Everything from hunting for apartments to the proper way to slurp noodles made me want to see Japan, something that heretofore had never interested me much—and by “much” I mean enough to make me go there.
The narrator drifts in and out of the third person like someone with narcolepsy nods off for no apparent reason. It was an odd device and became annoying, just like people who talk about themselves in the third person a hugely annoying.
Quite a few things happen in the story and almost none of them have anything to do with a murder, or murders. So why make it a murder mystery? I think if the author would have had the confidence to write a simple novel, she could have pulled it off splendidly. It almost seems that’s what she had in mind before changing course and genres.
Some of the major plot developments happened with such random stupidity that my eyes rolled back in my head so forcefully that I almost fell over backwards. Someone trips on a cello and dies? It made me think of the4 famous line from The Onion, “That’s not Funny; My Brother Died that Way.”
And this one:
“I learned that her father had set off to sea the previous afternoon in his canoe. He hadn’t bothered to paddle back again and his body had washed up on the shore in the evening.”
She drove a man to suicide because of sex? Huh?
Lily was annoying to the point that I wish someone would have killed her a lot sooner.
August 21, 2020
I have been caught between wanting to rush through this book, and alternately taking my time, because the writing is so good. I am beyond thankful that Netflix recommended the movie as a "based on books" recommendation to me. I will be watching the movie very soon, but am soooooo glad I read it first. What a fantastic find! You know those authors that no one seems to have heard of? Yeah, those books, I call them my secret books, which my husband says is not a secret since others may have read them. BUT it feels like they were secretly written for me, just waiting to pop into my TBR pile at the right moment, and this book is definitely a secret book that I will be shouting from the rooftops about. In fact, Susanna Jones is not on my list of authors to watch, the authors, not enough people know about. Immediately upon finishing this book this morning I popped online and bought the rest of her books. It was that good. So, are you in a reading rut? Want to try something different? Want to be surprised, and made to be thoughtful? Yeah, this is the ticket. So good I don't even want to tell you anything about it.
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