Review: unpalatable characters in a nightmarish Japan
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2013
True, the subculture of yakuzas and drugs is part of the reality of Japan, and the author clearly has knowledge of it, but I found the story unpleasant as none of the characters attracted my sympathy - except for Mike at the very beginning but this quickly soured as the book progressed.However, the first chapters accurately and funnily describe the culture shock Mike and some of his fellow teachers feel when first arriving in Tokyo. The author cleverly peppers the dialogue with Japanese but you'll still understand what's going on if you don't know the language. It's just that for me, the developing events weren't that interesting.