Audition

by Ryū Murakami, Ralph McCarthy (Translator), David Shih (Narrator)

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don't intend to produce. As the resumes pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama's attention - Yamasaki Asami - a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his instant and total infatuation, Aoyama is too late in discovering that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be. The novel's fast-paced, thriller conclusion doesn't spare the listener as Yamasaki takes off her angelic mask and reveals what lies beneath.

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Japan, Thriller, Japanese Literature, Mystery, Contemporary

5 pages, Audible Audio

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

Ryū Murakami (村上 龍) is a Japanese novelist and filmmaker. He is not related to Haruki Murakami or Takashi Murakami.

Murakami's first work, the short novel Almost Transparent Blue, written while he was still a student, deals with promiscuity and drug use among disaffected Japanese youth. Critically acclaimed as a new style of literature, it won the newcomer's literature prize in 1976 despite some observers decrying it as decadent. Later the same year, Blue won the Akutagawa Prize, going on to become a best seller. In 1980, Murakami published the much longer novel Coin Locker Babies, again to critical acclaim.

Takashi Miike's feature film Audition (1999) was based on one of his novels. Murakami reportedly liked it so much he gave Miike his blessing to adapt Coin Locker Babies. The screen play was worked on by director Jordan Galland. However, Miike could not raise funding for the project. An adaptation directed by Michele Civetta is currently in production.

Murakami has played drums for a rock group called Coelacanth and hosted a TV talk show.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

there should be a legal defense for young women who attempt gruesome crimes upon the gross older men who think they're in a mutually romantic relationship with them.

especially if you can tell they're thinking about sex in a really weird way.

i would never convict yamasaki in a court of law.

this book, though, is guilty of the crime that is literary sex scenes...i will never recover from some of these descriptions.

i expected this book to have some serious self-awareness, and while i think it is striving towards that, it doesn't really get there. i did everything i was supposed to: separated the protagonist from the author, accepted the potential of an unreliable narrator, tried to have a good time. but whatever point about gender and power this was trying to make, whether it's my opinion or not, it didn't accomplish it.

and for that reason, i am out.

bottom line: a book i enjoyed so little i am subjecting it to the cruel and unusual punishment that is a shark tank reference.

------------------
tbr review

i just like books about scary girls

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murakami doesn't believe in boundaries, so if you expect an author to pull his punches, keep on moving past Audition. From maybe the tenth page forward, it's clear that no good will come of the obsession Aoyama, a Tokyo-based, widowed documentary film-maker and father to Shige, his teen son, develops for Yamasaki, the lovely, elegant and single former-ballet dancer with a troubled childhood. The elaborate set-up of fake auditions Aoyama and his best friend, Yoshikawa devise seems to forecast that the cause of Yamasaki's ultimate vengeance will be the morally questionable nature of the auditions, but the initial manner of Aoyama's and Yamasaki's introduction turns out to have zero relevance to subsequent events. The only thing that matters is that they meet and Aoyama allow his besottedness to blind him to common sense and Yoshikawa's reasonable cautionary advice. I shook my head multiple times in disbelief until he redeemed himself with his brilliant move with the remote control.

Every scene between Aoyama and Yamasaki is dripping with suspense. Actually, every scene after they meet seems perilous, even when Yamasaki isn't present. It's not a case of if she'll flip out but when and how. And yet. Murakami is a master of suspense. He doesn't introduce distractions or humor to let the reader breathe. Every character is fully realized and authentic. You know who the bad guy is and who the victim is for the entire book and yet are driven to turn the next page and the next in order to see exactly how this will play out and if anyone will survive. Murakami is one of the few writers where the reader accepts that it's entirely possible that all characters will die. He's all in. Always. Read this when you have time to finish it in one sitting.

A warning for readers not familiar with Ryu Murakami, however, is in order. If you thought Misery was dismayingly violent, Audition isn't for you. Nothing in Murakami's catalog is.

For dog lovers: The dog dies at the end. It's brutal but over quickly. I customarily read no books where a dog dies or an animal is tortured, but in this instance, it's not a heart-rending scene because I didn't get attached to the dog and IMO not a reason to avoid the book.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief warning, I will not be discussing the actual events of the novel (at least without a spoiler tag) other than a general plot description, but it is impossible to discuss this book without some spoilers in terms of tone. If you want to know nothing going in, consider yourself warned.

Dear reader, please while reading the following paragraph, imagine it in the cheesiest movie trailer voice you can. Thank you.

You’ve laughed at Sleepless in Seattle, you were charmed by When Harry Met Sally and you can’t forget about 10 Things I Hate About You. Now get ready for a new sort of romantic comedy! Meet Aoyama, a widower with a missing place in his heart. One day though, he gets a wacky idea! An audition to find a new wife. Enter Yamasaki Asami, the perfect girl of his dreams… but will a relationship based on a lie work? After a little misunderstanding, will they win each other’s hearts or will she have to do something drastic to make sure HE doesn’t run away? No matter how you look at it… you’ve never seen a romance like Audition.

Yeah, anyone who has seen the movie adaptation, or knows anything about this story knows that I didn’t lie in my description (except maybe in regards to your feelings about the other films mentioned, buy hey, that's advertising), but was horribly misleading (and had a terrible stealth pun). Now that I think about it, is it even a spoiler to discuss the ending of this one? Much like Psycho, the big reveal is pretty much the one thing EVERYONE knows about it.

I saw the movie based on the novel shortly after it was released in the US and found it (to this day) to be one of the more horrific films I’d ever seen. It’s… insidious. If one didn’t know what they were getting into, it would not be surprising if they genuinely thought they were watching or reading a romantic comedy. If it weren’t for the cover of the novel, or the menu of the DVD (which is nightmare fuel in and of itself), it would be so easy to trick someone with this.

The most terrifying aspect is that the foreshadowing is everywhere Seriously, count how many times characters complain about a pain in their leg or see someone with a limp. Some of it is overt and some subtle. If you know, it gives it a quiet menace… if you don’t know what’s coming, it will be a horrible sucker punch.

Even knowing what was coming, the last 20 pages or so are quite horrific. It’s seriously hard to get through, as in I stopped reading them twice, watched a lighthearted episode of Doctor Who, then pressed on. Hell, the entire novel is a bit of a challenge. It’s only 190 pages and it took me 5 days because I dreaded reaching the conclusion… and my dread was not unfounded. I’m a pretty hardened horror fan, but this one is still painful. The last lines are also darkly humorous, but nihilistic to the point of being somewhat depressing.

"What was that all about?"
Aoyama shook his head weakly.
"I don't know, he said. "Nothing, really."

Yeah... it should come off as ridiculous, instead I found it rather disturbing.

Now, I imagine that a good portion of the people interested in this book have seen the film (as it seems to be more well known than the novel) and are wondering how different they are… honestly, and I rather hate to say this, the movie is better. I’m not trying to insult the book as it certainly accomplished every emotion it was trying to set out in inducting upon me, but the film is one of those rare examples that stays true to its source material, but adds a lot of artful touches that improve upon it. For example, there’s a wonderful hallucinatory element to his search for Asami towards the end of the movie, which is not in the novel (he pretty much stays home listening to music and feeling sorry for himself instead… not joking). Touches like that show that Miike, despite being known for some of the more outrageous films in recent Japanese cinema, is actually a thoughtful and talented filmmaker. The novel is thoughtful as well, but doesn’t ever really feel like there’s much in terms of artistry to it. The prose is fairly simple (though that could be the translation? Always difficult to tell on such works) and while there is a bit of metaphor going throughout the book, it’s not something the reader really has to work to catch as it’s spelled out to them.

If you’ve seen and enjoyed the film, the novel is an interesting curiosity that, while I cannot say is an enjoyable read, is worth your time to see the original telling of the tale. If you’ve not seen the film… honestly, I would suggest you go there rather than starting with the book, unless you’re just a fan of the author.

I give Audition a rather hesitant 3/5 stars, but a recommendation only to people who know what they’re getting into.

[Arthur Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya know, just the the other day I was walking down the street, thinking to myself, why is it so dang hard to meet nice women these days? Wouldn't it be cool to meet a decent girl for a change? One who isn't a total ditz or narcissist, just someone to cuddle and read books with, a girl who's sweet and kind and doesn't insist on cutting off my feet? That's when I got the idea to hold an audition for the role of my perfect mate, figuring this would be the surest way to find exactly what I was looking for. But then I read this book and decided to swear off women altogether. Like for good.



You know that girl everyone warned you about? The one you insisted on getting involved with anyway? The one who would one day drug you, dismember your dog before your very eyes, and saw off your foot with a length of wire? Well, you're looking at her, and let's just say that ain't vitamin B12 in that fun little syringe of hers. But dammmmn is she fine, and I'm sure she's totally harmless, and, well (alright little head, you win)...

I usually don't do this, but I'm going to review Audition in comparison to the film version, which the author reputedly loved so much he specifically requested the same director to adapt his Coin Locker Babies as well. Unfortunately, that project never saw the light of day, because it's clear why Murakami dug the film as much as he did — somehow it manages to remain faithful to his vision, while at the same time improving on it in significant ways. Beyond the superb acting, direction, and cinematography that perfectly captures all the physical/psychological horror he set out to portray in print, Takashi's celluloid adaptation makes up for some of the book's weaknesses as well. As just one example, what many readers would consider to be an abrupt ending on paper is drawn out to great length on screen, quite possibly giving us even more than we bargained for.

Also (as I may have mentioned before), Eihi Shiina is smoking hot in her portrayal of the book's demure, seemingly innocent sex bomb of a villain. Kinda makes me wanna take up women again, actually... Maybe holding that audition isn't such a bad idea after all?



Boy, she's a looker, ain't she? Let's see... Yamasaki Asami, age 24. Bust 82 cm, waist 54 cm, hips 86 cm. Interests include music, dance, and not cutting off your feet. Yup, I'd say this might be the one!

I'm giving this book 4 stars, rounded up to 5 in light of the superb film adaptation and Murakami's sense in embracing it. So shoot me if you must, just don't cut off my fucking feet!



She looks so happy, doesn't she? Well, if you've somehow managed to make it through this entire review without peeping any of the spoilers, congrats — let's see if you can resist peeping her POV here.

Aww hell, who am I kidding? I knew you were all too sick to resist — watch the entire gory scene here.

[Jenn(ifer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in my teens and twenties, you could put me in a room of 1000 men and I would undoubtedly gravitate toward the most damaged ones. I guess Aoyama and I have that in common.

The gist of the story is this: Aoyama is a widower who has decided it is time to remarry. Enlisting the help of a filmmaker friend, he holds an audition to find his future wife by duping women into thinking they are auditioning for a film. Out of over a thousand applicants, Aoyama narrows the pool down to a small group of women who will be invited to come in to try out for the role. But before the interviews take place, Aoyama has already fallen for the beautiful Yamasaki Asami based solely on her application. Little does he know, Yamasaki has a dark and horrifying past…

At just under two-hundred pages, this book could easily be read in one sitting. It will grab hold of you and keep you in suspense right through to the very end. Murakami’s novel reminds us that terrifying things can happen any time; danger is always lurking around the corner. Of course with a short novel such as this there isn’t much room for character development, but Murakami does an excellent job of packing a lot of depth into a tiny box. And the ending is a bit abrupt, but I don’t really think the story would benefit from dragging out the inevitable. If you are looking for a page turner that will scare the pants off of you, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a feminist splatter novel written by a male author from the perspective of a misogynistic protagonist - and boy, does this text kick ass! Our main character Aoyama, a widower who works as a documentary film maker, is searching for a new wife, and his buddy comes up with a plan to stage a movie casting which, you guessed it, actually serves as a means to check out potential wives. Aoyama chooses Asami, a former ballerina, and becomes obsessed with her, projecting all of his ideas of a perfect woman onto her - while his friend and his son already sense that Asami might follow her own agenda, playing into Aoyama's expectations for her very own reasons, the widower decides to trust the young woman...

Much like in the case of Haruki Murakami, themes like loneliness and alienation are at the center of Ryū Murakami's writing - but his portrayal of postmodern Japanese society also employs the aesthetics of shock and gore, and it is masterful how he uses these effects: Never pointless and cheap, always meaningful and disturbing. While Aoyama feels safe in his conservative worldview that commodifies women and wishes them to be demure, Asami is traumatized by past events that she suffered at the hands of a man who used his power against her. Will she shatter what the documentary film maker declares to be reality?

Ryū Murakami is a fascinating writer, and if you want to hear more about his themes and narrative strategies as well as how they compare to Haruki's, you can listen to our "Murakami vs. Murakami" podcast special (in German): https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Ml4...

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Nice person, bad person--that’s not the level this girl is at. I can see you’re crazy about her and probably won’t be able to hear this, Ao-chan, but I think you’d be better off staying away from someone like her. I can’t read her exactly, but I can tell you she’s either a saint or a monster. Maybe both extremes at once, but not somewhere in between.”

Aoyama never remarried after losing his wife to illness. He decided to raise his son by himself, but now seven years later, his son Shige is encouraging his Dad to remarry. Aoyama isn’t opposed to the idea, and when his friend, a movie producer, suggests having a casting call to find the perfect woman for him, he goes along with the unorthodox idea.

An essay, accompanying an application written by one of the hopeful actresses, especially catches his eye. ”It so happens that I studied ballet for many years but had to stop when, at eighteen, I injured my hip. I don’t suppose I really had what it takes to become a ‘prima’ in any case. But the injury occurred just as I was making preparations to enroll at a ballet school in London, and it felt like the end of the world. It took me years to recover from this disappointment. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it was a process not unlike learning to accept death.”So before they even start the tedious process of interviewing all the potential applicants, Aoyama has already decided that Yamasaki Asami is the one for him.

She is young and beautiful, but has been tempered by pain and loss which lends an air of melancholy and maturity to her that makes her more attractive to an older man seeking a true companion rather than an adornment. As he begins to take her out for “dates,” he sees those creative attributes that he loved about his wife inherently displayed in Yamasaki Asami.

There are niggling concerns. Her stories about herself are vague and do not stand up to even casual scrutiny. She is evasive, a ghost of her past, whenever Aoyama asks personal questions. Not that he needs to know much more about her. He has already made her the heroine of his future life.

So this is definitely a slow burn, which seems like a funny thing to say about a book that barely edges 200 pages. I have read several of Ryu Murakami’s books, and so I kept thinking to myself, when is his odd, sometimes demented, mind going to show itself? I felt the same way when I was watching The Hateful Eight... okay, when is Quentin Tarantino’s lust to shock going to take over the movie? Needless to say, just as Tarantino shows up in the final part of The Hateful Eight, Murakami also shows up in the final pages of Audition.

The true horror of the situation is that Aoyama has been miscast in his role as the villian. He may not be perfect, but he is far from the insidious man that Yamasaki Asami must believe him to be. If she sees him clearly for who he is and weighs his intentions as they truly are, she would have to see herself in a different light. At one critical moment, she says: ”I’m not that sort of person.” The reader is put in the position of madness overshadowing sympathy.

There is a 1999 movie version of the same name, directed by Takeshi Miike, and those who are familiar with his work will understand why the movie is more disturbing to me than the book. The acting by Eihi Shiina, playing Yamasaki Asami, is terrific, especially in the final scenes. Her mannerisms and her gorgeous voice turning sinister are especially unsettling. The changes Miike makes to the storyline actually add layers of anxiety to an already disturbing plot. This is another one of those times where I really enjoyed reading the book and then watching the movie.

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/

[Maciek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ryū Murakami's Audition is a short novel which you can easily read in one or two sittings - and unfortunately probably forget just as quickly; ultimately, the book consists of a long and relatelively uneventful buildup to a sudden and quick climax, which is over almost as soon as it started.

Audition is the story of Aoyama, a middle-aged widower of seven years, urged by his teenage son to remarry; the idea is shared by his best friend, Yoshikawa, with whom Aoyama produced documentaries for Tokyo television. Yoshikawa urges Aoyama to hold auditions for leading actresses - to offer them roles in a film, but in reality to find a suitable wife for Aoyama. Although initially reluctant, Aoyama ultimately gives in - and when he sees one of the candidates, the 24 year old Yamasaki Asami, he is completely smitten; he cannot get her out of his mind, and quickly arranges a date.

What follow is a slow romance between the older Aoyama and younger Asami. Although at the beginning Aoyama is not entirely sympathetic - he admits to cheating on his wife multiple times, and despite doubts goes along with Yoshikawa's audition plans - he ultimately emerges as a likable figure: a widower who reminisces about the "old days" and women he knew then; he was was married for a long time, and feels no connection to or interest in most women he encounters, being able to see them only through the lens of his wife. He obviously loves his son, Shige, and cares for their dog. Although Aoyama is fascinated by Asami shown clearly to border and even cross into obsession, he also obviously genuinely cares about her, and wants to make her his wife.

Aoyama devotes time and attention to Asami, who responds in kind; she is clearly receptive to his affection, and seems to need it as much as he wants to give it. When Yoshikawa warns him that something is not quite right about Asami, he turns him down; he is completely devoted to her, and can only think about her. They spend time together, and even though he still knows very little about her, she begins to open to him, eventually confessing intimate details from her past; Aoyama is touched, and continues to be devoted to Asami, planning to introduce her to his friends and son.

But then it all goes terribly wrong. The hints are there, but they are very few and after the end seem almost nonsensical; what happens jumps at the reader like a jack out of a box, unexpected and unwelcome. The final pages literally turn the novel around on its head purely for the sake of doing so, making a sympathetic character completely repulsive for no reason other than visceral shock; the ending sections are well written, but just don't fit as a part of a coherent whole. The end is very sudden and plain silly.

The book was adapted into a movie which was well received, and a became a cult classic; I have not seen it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wouldn't actually turn out better than the book, which is too short, too underdeveloped and ultimately too forgettable to be given proper attention.

[John Mauro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a pyschothriller splatterfest.

"Audition" tells the story of a documentary filmmaker seven years after the passing of his wife. His best friend and son want to help him move on and find happiness with someone new. They concoct a plan to hold auditions for a fake movie to interview the female lead as a potential girlfriend/second wife.

What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

Yes, the setup for this book is ridiculous and has no literary value. That being said, the plot is well-paced and the story is hard to put down.

Despite its flaws, "Audition" is still an entertaining thrill ride. Just make sure you are in the mood for gratuitous gore.

There is also apparently a movie version, although I haven't seen it.

[Kristijan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Audicija" je moj prvi susret sa "drugim Murakamijem". Pre nego što išta drugo napišem red je da odmah kažem kako volim savremenu japansku književnost i kako me možda to čini manje objektivnim od drugih...
Ali, evo, pokušaću da obrazložim ovih pet zvezdica...
1. Atmosfera
Ono što je zajedničko i jednom i drugom Murakamiju jeste stvaranje odlične atmosfere - atmosfere u kojoj je sve moguće. Čak i ono što vizualno podseća na realnu stvarnost može da sklizne u mračniju nijansu iz koje može da vreba nešto neočekivano.
2. Setting
Živopisni Tokio i njegova okolina su dočarani kroz sukob zapadnjačkog tempa života i tradicionalnih kulturnih tekovina. Interesantna je i Murakamijeva "kulinarska šetnja" ovom japanskom prestonicom.
3. Ideja
Sama ideja romana je veoma intrigantna - udovac pokušava da nađe sebi buduću ženu na audiciji za film koji nikada neće biti snimljen.
4. Likovi
Murakami kroz svoje likove oslikava šarenilo ljudskih osećanja - počevši od onih najpozitivnijih pa sve do onih najmračnijih - koja pokreću ljude na zločin i krvoproliće. Ljubav, opsesija, sebičnost, usamljenost, strah, teskoba, mržnja, ludilo,... prepliću se i daju trodimenzionalnost Murakamijevim likovima. Interesantno je primetiti kulturološku različitost likova - postupke i kodeks ponašanja koji mogu da deluju čudno zapadnjački orijentisanom umu. Dakle, likovi i njihovi postupci pokušavaju da reflektuju one tradicionalne japanske vrline - čestitost, trpljenje, saosećanje, učtivost, iskrenost, čast, dužnost, samokontrolu, osećaj dužnosti i vernosti, kao i potrebu za osvetom ukoliko se neke od ovih vrlina dovedu u pitanje. Sve ove tradicionalne vrline će u Murakamijevom romanu biti stavljene na probu i pomračene ludilom koje će eskalirati u monstruoznom činu osvete.
5. "Ukus u ustima" u toku i nakon čitanja...
Interesantan je način na koji Murakami piše. Dok čitamo roman, mi dobijamo delove slagalice - mladić u kolicima, nož,... i ti delovi se na kraju uklapaju u jednu monstruozno savršenu sliku. Murakamijev tekst je britak i na momente brutalan. U romanu ima svega onoga što prodaje romane danas - krvi, nasilja i seksa, ALI ne u onakvom obliku u kakvom nam ih serviraju savremeni autori sa Zapada. Moglo bi se reći da je "Audicija" pravo malo remek delo žanrovske književnosti.
Na kraju, kada okrenemo i poslednji list, ne možemo a da ne razmišljamo o onome što nam Murakami ovim svojim romanom poručuje:
- da narušavanje ravnoteže mora dovesti do nekakvog vida kompenzacije da bi se ravnoteža ponovo uspostavila (interesantna je rečenica u kojoj (parafraziraću) Aojama i njegov prijatelj komentarišu kako ako im uspe cela stvar sa lažnom audicijom i Aojama nađe sebi ženu, može da se desi da ih bogovi spale - da bi sve došlo na svoje)
- da je samoobmana najgora od svih obmana
Dakle, čista petica! Jedva čekam da okusim Miso supu i zapevam Karaoke strave!

[Stephen M · Rating 5 out of 5]

No forgiveness for lies

This book is gruesome, haunting, disturbing and all of the rest of those adjectives you can throw at a perfectly executed horror story. There is nothing out of place in the novel. Each event works itself perfectly into the next and the cumulative effect of it all is powerful. The book is short and the prose is simple; chances are that you'll be able to read it all in one sitting. That is recommended because the full feeling of the novel carries itself perfectly to the last moment. The last line is like best punchline to the longest joke ever told. Except you're not laughing; you're kind of terrified.

This is the story about a documentary filmmaker whose wife has just recently passed away. The man, Aoyama, had to watch his wife slowly die and after it's all over, his friend, Yoshikawa, insists that he pick himself up and go looking for someone else. Aoyama is resistant and goes on a long digression about the specific girl that he wants and how he could not accept another. Then comes the first hint that something is not quite right. Ryu does a brilliant job of keeping each character at least somewhat at fault. For, Aoyama and Yoshikawa decide to hold an audition for Aoyama's future wife. They advertise this audition under the pretext that they are making a movie. So they sort through stacks and stacks of "resumes" featuring questions like: "What if you got this role and your boyfriend was opposed to your taking it?" The perversity behind a question like this seems so wrong yet perfect. The novel drifts in and out of commentary on modern Japan. I couldn't help but think about dating websites and the future of relationships. I'm sure that Murakami was thinking about these types of things while writing the book. There was a way in which each supposedly desirable romantic trait was written down, analyzed and competed over that struck a strange chord within me. That, more so than the gross-out ending is what makes this a horrifying story. Horror is a fascinating genre and replete with "readings" for every liberal arts major to geek out over. But what is truly at its core is some anxiety in the culture, some unspoken tension that is brought out in our worst nightmares. Audition is the worst nightmare of human connection. When one tries so desperately to "choose" their mates and delineate each exact detail of their sexual desires, something slips through their fingers and descends into madness.

Besides these themes—which I'm more forcing a bit onto the book, because it's definitely not the main focus—there are quite a few gags and bit of black humor. Especially with the connection between relationships and making a movie. These little pieces of interesting commentary never drown out the material but instead hover on the sidelines, suggesting something much deeper beneath the surface yet never detracting from the deviousness of it all.

And the deviousness is only matched and outdone by the woman they end of selecting. I can't really go much further without spoiling everything because I would so much rather you read this.

Like I've said, the book is fast-paced, easy to read yet devastating. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Kiekiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audition was a disturbing book. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when a person fails to see the warning signs that they are falling in love (or THINK they are falling in love) with a psycho with serious emotional issues that will eventually lead to a life-altering disaster. Other reviewers have done a great job detailing the story, so I will not delve into the actual goings-on. One thing I like about Murakami is that he writes about dark things and dark people and has the talent to make you believe that such people exist--since, of course, they DO exist and, if one knows better, one stays the fuck away from them. One never gets the feeling that Murakami is writing simply for shock value. There must be many demons lurking in his dark, Japanese soul. But the heart has reasons that reason knows nothing about--said either Blaise Pascal or Emerson, or maybe both? This is a book about how a heart can lead one to near destruction, though the novel does end on a potentially redemptive note, assuming the victims spend many years in therapy and obtain concealed carry permits (do they permit such things in Japan?).

As one reviewer noted, Murakami is a master at creating suspense. It is not coincidental that this book was made into a movie. I have yet to view the movie, but if it is as creepy as the book then I'll probably need at least a couple milligrams of Xanax to get through it.

Recommended for readers who enjoy being scared shitless while knowing all along that the outcome of this "love" affair will not have a happy ending. As Stephen Spender once wrote:

"For the world is the world, and it writes no histories that end in love."

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Audition”, by Japanese author, Ryu Murakami … is a short gripping novel. I understand there is a movie. I never saw it.

“Why don’t you find yourself a new wife, Pops?”
“It was this question, posed by his son, Shige, that precipitated Aoyama’s decision to remarry”.
“Shige’s mother, Ryoko, had died of a viral cancer, some seven years before, when he was eight, and Aoyama was thirty-five”.

“Look. You could always take out and ad saying, ‘Wanted: second wife for successful forty-two-year-old-widow’. But do you think you’d then get to choose from dozens of lovely and talented young ladies?”
“On the other hand, we can’t edition women for some Sam we have no intention of making. That would be fraud by anyone’s standards. What I’m thinking is, we come up with an actual movie project. A love story, naturally. We need a leading lady, and she hast to be a new face, an unknown. Early twenties yo early thirties, say. Only aspirants with a solid background, and some sort of classical training need apply.”

“So I’m going to marry the leading lady?”
“Why not?”

The journey begins…
Aoyama begins dating a woman he ‘auditioned’….
The suspense-love story?… or horror story takes on a life of its own.
Not sure why there had to be such a graphic disturbing ending … but ‘until’ the end - the writing was so good - it was impossible to pull away.

3.5 rating up.

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

''We're not in the age of Peace and Love anymore.''

It's a slow burn and only 200pages long. I loved the movie. The book is not as disturbing as the film. I think that compared to the movie the book is kinda vanilla.
Asami deserved better. Don't @ me. Like yas queen take revenge. Torture all the lying men.
Aoyama is lowkey a weirdo that wants a manic pixie dream girl. Boy who the fuck holds ''fake'' film auditions in order to find a girlfriend? Ugh get butchered.


Asami is kinda underdeveloped but whatever. Paralyse me u mysterious psychotic bitch.

Going to rewatch the movie. Sayōnara.

[Rodrigo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues decepcionado ya que se supone que era una novela de terror y no hay nada de eso hasta... el final literal, solamente en las últimas 15-20 páginas empieza el terror o thriller con tintas de gore. En fin, que esperaba mas de este libro. No esta mal escrito y el ritmo es muy pausado pero es que casi parecía una novela romántica?? con el enamoramiento u obsesión de nuestro protagonista con la chica, ella muy enigmática, eso sí, pero bueno lo mejor es que es corto.
El final claro está, es lo mejor, con escenas fuertes algo gore. Pero eso no salva para mí el global del libro.
Valoración: 4/10
Sinopsis: Aoyama es un documentalista de mediana edad que no ha tenido una relación amorosa desde la muerte de su esposa hace siete años. Luego de la insistencia de sus cercanos, finalmente decide volver a casarse. Para ello, un amigo productor de cine le propone un plan para encontrar a la esposa perfecta: harán una audición falsa para buscar a la estrella de una película que nunca será grabada. Enceguecido por la posibilidad de escoger entre miles de mujeres, Aoyama pone en marcha el plan, pero lo que sucede después se aleja muchísimo del futuro idílico que sueña.

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end happened too fast. :))

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept my attention. It reminded me of how simple a book can be if it's meticulously paced. I didn't care for the psychological explanations offered by the author to explain the psychokiller's proclivities...in a thriller like this one, psychokillers are gonna psychokill, and that's a good enough explanation for me.

[Nataša Bjelogrlić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kraći roman a veće odugovlačenje sa čitanjem odavno nisam imala. Tako mi je bilo žao da ga završim. Uživala sam u naraciji, ideji, originalnosti priče, tim suptilnim nagovještajima da idemo prema jezivoj kulminaciji a tako brutalan kraj niko, ako nije unaprijed upoznat, ne očekuje uopšte. Drugi Murakami bliži mom ukusu, definitivno tražim dalje njegove knjige.

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This does for dating what Jaws did for swimming. I don’t recommend anyone read this book. As much as I enjoyed the 1999 film, it didn’t punch me in the face the way the book did. I had no intention of reading it in one sitting, but that’s what happened. I believe it technically qualifies as a novella but it reads faster that most short stories. I’m not so much traumatized by the horror aspect as I am by the pacing. This guy’s writing sucks me in and gets under my skin. Everything was going fine for a couple hours and then - WHAM! It sledgehammered my soul. I knew what was coming since I had seen the movie but that didn’t lessen the impact. I’m still a little short of breath.

Don’t read this book if you can’t afford the therapy you’ll need afterward. Fair warning. Some of you in my horror circle have this on your TBR list (you know who you are.) I advise that you remove it immediately for the sake of your own humanity. It shouldn’t even be legal to write things this terrifying. I’ve read hundreds of horror novels and I can’t remember the last time one left me shaking at the end. Part of me wants to unread what I read. I feel hollow and damaged.

For those who ignore my advice and insist on reading it, there is a bright side. This is one of the most well written extreme horror novels that I’ve ever read. It would be shelved under “Great Literature” instead of “Horror” if it weren’t for the small number of pages devoted to total anxiety induction.

Forget the movie if you've seen it. This is more about the writing than the story. Dude can write.

[Dr. Cat in the Brain · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cardinal rule of dating past your 30s: If they're way out of your league and really interested?
RED FLAG.

[Rodrigo Unda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Le tenía expectativas más altas. Aún más siendo Piercing, título del mismo autor, uno de mis títulos favoritos del año pasado.

Pero esta historia es muy lenta de forma innecesaria. Profundiza de manera repetitiva en algunas emociones/pensamientos del protagonista.

El desenlace me pareció abrupto y anti climático. No termina de explicar ciertas situaciones y decisiones. Además de que la típica agresividad y gore que el autor usa, se sintió de más.

Quiero leer Sopa de Miso, que he escuchado que es de sus mejores trabajos.

[Chris Lee (away) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audition by Ryū Murakami is an oddity. It’s a dark revenge story starring a pair of despicable characters who target the wrong person to play a part in their fantasy world. Let’s set the stage for a second.

Aoyama is a documentary film producer who lost his wife a few years back. His colleagues and his son have been pushing him to remarry, but Aoyama has just not been able to find love again. So what would a normal person do in this instance, you say? That’s right. Set up an audition for a fake movie so that you can interview your future wife. Sound creepy? Well, it is. Very, very creepy.

Yamasaki Asami tried out for the part, and Aoyama instantly fell for her. She’s beautiful, young, and a pleasure to be around. The only thing that Yamasaki asks of Aoyama is that he never lie to her. So when the movie inevitably falls through and he must tell her the truth about the bogus movie deal, sinister things start to happen.

Okay, so that’s kind of the quick outline of the story. It’s a decent little setup, but it has some issues. *Minor spoilers ahead*

One: the first half is extremely misogynistic. I know this theme is present to depict the main characters in a certain light, but it was incredibly hard to get through.

Two: red flags. C’mon, Aoyama. I mean, I know love makes you put on blinders, but this relationship was clearly going to be a car crash in slow motion.

Three: The inevitable sex scene was described in the most unsexy way imaginable. The length and technicality of it were about as interesting as me describing how a fuel injection system works on a car. It was kind of weird and off-putting. Maybe that was the point.

So, the book does very little in the thrill department, and it kind of meanders its way to the conclusion. It’s something you could see pitched as a story in a horror anthology but passed up because it was a bit too ordinary.

❖ Category: Horror
❖Rating: 2.5/5

[Loredana (Bookinista08) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce carte absolut fucked up! 😆 Folosesc engleza fiindcă în română nimic nu mi se pare suficient de puternic pentru a descrie ce se întâmplă aici.
Mă așteptam la altceva, nici eu nu știu exact la ce, dar nu la ce s-a întâmplat de fapt.
Oricum, personajul Asami foarte bine construit.
Și deși voiam să-i dau 4 stele fiindcă am simțit prezența unor clișee care nu mi-au picat tocmai bine, sfârșitul a făcut toți banii, și personajul Shigehiko m-a făcut să-i dau 5. 😁
E o nuanță extrem de subtilă chiar pe ultima pagină, ceva de genul "clipești și o pierzi", așa că... Wow. Ryu Murakami. M-a lăsat fără cuvinte.
P.S. Dar mi-a dat coșmaruri. 😂

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUDITION, by Ryu Murakami, is a book that I honestly can't even begin to write a proper review for. I will say that I never saw the movie based on this, and genuinely went into it without any idea of what the story was going to fully be about.

I honestly couldn't stop reading it, and by the time you even realize that you are going to be traumatized, it's already too late.

Good? Yes.

Would I read it again? No.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of horror but Ryu Murakami is one of the few writers that actually scare the hell out of me...not just his books but the actual person. His gift is in writing characters you care about and then exposes them as a horrifying nightmare. In fact they rarely appear evil until the last part of the book when Murakami breaks all the rules and grosses you out. Audition builds slowly, is actually kind of sweet, but he lets off little hints that something is not right. In this short novel, the build-up is the point and the inevitably violent end does not let you down. The author sees terror in the most innocent events which is what makes his books so disturbing. Yes, Ryu Murakami is one hell of a writer but if by some weird event I get invited over to his house...I think I'll pass.

[Steven Godin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The film of this seriously creeped me out when I got to watch it in the early 00s.
Back then I had a thing for Tartan Asia Extreme dvds, and had built up quite a nice collection.

It's a work that certainly builds up a feeling of unease and that something rather unpleasant and shocking and sadistic is just waiting to happen and have one wince and grimace and stuff a cushion into one's face. Ouch! That hurt. And that's a bloody understatement!

The film was better than the book I'd say, because the atmosphere was tighter, and the ending is something that you just have to see - peeping through little gaps between fingers -
rather than just read. The sharp, visceral and nerve shredding prose makes it one to read in one or two sittings rather than dragging it out. It certainly made me want to race to the finish line, despite already knowing what is around the corner. 3.5 rounded up.

If you like your feet, never trust a shy ex-ballerina!

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the suggestion of his son Shige, retired filmmaker Aoyama decides to get back into the dating game after living as a lonely widower for seven years. A lot has changed since Aoyama was a young lad, however. Society, culture and gender roles have shifted dramatically and he's having trouble adapting to the times. So he gets in touch with his good friend/business partner Yoshikawa who introduces him to the idea of finding a wife under the guise of an audition for a nonexistent film.

They create a series of auditions to narrow down potential candidates based on the outdated expectations Aoyama seeks in a romantic partner, eventually finding the submissive and dreamlike girl of his wildest fantasies in Yamasaki Asami. He develops an obsessive fascination with the girl who seems too perfect in every possible way. Aosama soon learns that if someone seems too good to be true, they just might be.

A masterpiece of suspense with extremely flawed characters, unapologetically harsh social commentary on the dark side of Japan and a bleak outlook on romantic relationships in the modern world. While the protagonist and antagonist relationship is made obvious from the beginning, the subtlety and nuance of their underlying personality flaws and their glaring lack of self awareness caused by obsession create some extremely tense conversations that gradually lead the story into a direction that was always darker than it initially appeared to be.

Based on Aoyama's method of attracting a new mate, it's not hard to see that his morals are a tad screwy. Unsurprisingly, using such underhanded tactics to prey on the emotions of impressionable people tends to have negative consequences. There's something wrong with the setup of the romance-to-be and there's plenty of red flags that aren't easy to ignore. All the clues are hidden within the personality flaws of the characters.

While there was a lot of build up to the ending and it was pretty damn gruesome, there were certain elements of it that could've been handled a bit better. It took things very slow for 95% of the story only for the conclusion to spiral down a little too fast which made some parts of it feel unearned and out of the blue. While I do think the crazy ending could've been handled better, I still think the book is great overall and serves as a fantastic character drama.

Was going to give it five stars, but the final chapter left me a bit unsatisfied.

***

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[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Let's hold an audition." (p. 19)

Haha right just go ahead 😉🤣

"Do you understand? You've got to love only me." (p.153)

YEAH YEAH YEAH Here we go!🤣

I love the movie, which means I have to read it someday.

Look at this beautiful book cover! ^_^

"But this girl is different. She knows what's most important to her and she knows how to get it, but she doesn't let on what it is." (p.136)

OMG everyone should just admire this girl!!!

Overall it is quite an easy to read, easy to understand book, I like the build-ups of the stories, the foreshadowing and how the male lead ignored all the warning signs about Yamasaki Asami. However, the ending part is a bit weak when comparing with the movie ending.

Moreover, I must admit although I don't have too much issues with women being tortured in horror novels, still it makes me quite happy to see this time men are on the receiving end of unspeakable pain and horror. 😉🤣

PS: I don't really like Asami being described as a very beautiful woman in the novel, I like that she is played by a pretty but not exactly beautiful actress in the movie.

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now recommend the book over the film. It's been a long time since I've seen it, but the novel did a better job of building backstory and conjuring sympathy for the characters. I thought the character voice of the son was unique and interesting, and the three main adult characters all had compelling perspectives. If you went into the book blind, as I'm sure many people did before the film made it famous, you might've been blindsided by the violence. Expecting it to occur all the way through did lessen my reaction, but I still appreciated the smooth and layered texture of the writing and multi-sided story. Ryu Murakami always delivers a fascinating and disturbing narrative, injecting it with perversity and thought-provoking subtext.

In the Miso Soup is a greater accomplishment in my opinion, but this is a bold and thrilling literary statement, not to be missed by fans of horror.

[daniela weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

deeply japanese in style and 
pace, this dark story may have 
aged badly in all its patriarchy
values but its intense sense 
of doom saves the day. :o