Lonely Hearts Killer
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
What happens when a popular and young emperor suddenly dies, and the only person available to succeed him is his sister? How can people in an island country survive as climate change and martial law are eroding more and more opportunities for local sustainability and mutual aid? And what can be done to challenge the rise of a new authoritarian political leadership at a time when the general public is obsessed with fears related to personal and national “security”? These and other provocative questions provide the backdrop for this powerhouse novel about young adults embroiled in what appear to be more private matters—friendships, sex, a love suicide, and struggles to cope with grief and work.
PM Press is proud to bring you this first English translation of a full-length novel by the award-winning author Tomoyuki Hoshino.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Something feels lost in translation in Hoshino s parable-like tale of intrigue set in a conformist island nation that bears a striking resemblance to Japan. After the popular young emperor dies and is replaced by his less-than-competent sister, two alienated young men post online a personal/political manifesto and participate in a murder-suicide that sparks wave after wave of copycat murder-suicides. Narration is then assumed by Iroha, a young woman who was connected to both men and is now hidden away at a mountain retreat because she fears for her life and wants to avoid the public scorn stemming from her relationship with originators of the murder-suicide trend. Unfortunately, the prose is achingly dull, and the narrative s lack of focus prevents readers from connecting. Clearly, there s supposed to be symbolic and satirical significance, but the lack of clarity both in the writing and the concept is deadly.
