Promotional Information

This is the novel behind the acclaimed cult movie of the same name An online campaign will target specialist sites and blogs to reach Murakami's market *Ryu Murakami has a loyal fan base, and Audition joins In the Miso Soup and Piercing in the striking branded style; paperback format is ideal for the genre

About the Author

Renaissance man for the modern age, Ryu Murakami has played drums for a rock group, made movies and hosted a TV talk show. His first novel, Almost Transparent Blue, written while he was still a student, was awarded Japan's most coveted literary prize and went on to sell over a million copies. He is also the author of In the Miso Soup and Piercing, both published in English by Bloomsbury. Ralph McCarthy is the translator of 69, In The Miso Soup and Piercing by Ryu Murakami and two collections of stories by Osamu Dazai.

Reviews

'The prose in these passages is elegiac and affecting, but it has the sharp, visceral feel of the butcher's knife or surgeons scalpel ...a highly compulsive, one-sitting read, and Audition should add to the Renaissance Man's growing fanbase in the English speaking world' Irvine Welsh, Guardian 'Sex, blood and the media (shaken violently) ... in the Bret Easton Ellis/Chuck Palahniuk mode' Daily Telegraph 'A serious shocker - an inside-out romance' Independent 'A haunting Japanese version of a David Lynch nightmare' (for PIERCING) Guardian

'The prose in these passages is elegiac and affecting, but it has the sharp, visceral feel of the butcher's knife or surgeons scalpel ...a highly compulsive, one-sitting read, and Audition should add to the Renaissance Man's growing fanbase in the English speaking world' Irvine Welsh, Guardian 'Sex, blood and the media (shaken violently) ... in the Bret Easton Ellis/Chuck Palahniuk mode' Daily Telegraph 'A serious shocker - an inside-out romance' Independent 'A haunting Japanese version of a David Lynch nightmare' (for PIERCING) Guardian

Middle-aged widower Aoyama has lived alone with his son for a number of years. He recruits a filmmaker friend for a scheme that will help him land the perfect woman; they create a casting call for a movie they don't plan to make, and soon they are facing hundreds of resumes and interviews. They roll up their sleeves and start screening each woman. Unfortunately, Aoyama is fixated on one beautiful ballerina, Yamasaki Asami. Although there is mention of her sordid past, Aoyama isn't fazed, and he doesn't take the time to understand the subtle but dark history of his new love. By the time he realizes that she isn't the innocent he had fallen for, Yamasaki has already drawn him into her depravity. In a shocking turn of events, the two face off in a garish finish. VERDICT This dynamic novel-adapted into the cult classic movie of the same name in 1999-by Murakami, winner of Japan's prestigious literary Akutagawa Prize, moves at breakneck speed and spirals out of control. Not for the squeamish, this is a book you won't put down...until it's too late. Recommended for most libraries, especially in urban locations, with Asian and foreign-film fans.-Ron Samul, New London, CT Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.