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takumo_n's review
4.0
The last two chapters is what makes it worth four stars. But you have to go through all the others, and that was the damndest of chores.
lucyphilpott's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
serranok's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
anaurrutia's review
5.0
Maravilla. Igual que la película de Satoshi Miki inspirada en esto... no, qué digo, ¡mejor que la película! jaja una alegoría surrealista y loca sobre la pérdida de la identidad y sus consecuencias que además en Japón pues tiene todo el sentido del mundo que se reflexione sobre ello. Me vuela la cabeza esta historia y fue un gusto descubrir que la novela va todavía un bastante más allá... De esas para filosofar jaja, se las recomiendo.
astoriedsoul's review
2.0
This book. Was. Nuts. And that isn't necessarily a good thing. ME, or Ore Ore, started out as a tame story following a protagonist, named Hitoshi, who decides to initiate a phone scam. What follows is a bizarre descent down an even more bizarre rabbit hole as he begins to realize that he's one of millions of MEs--human replications that look like him and who share a consciousness. All of these MEs in turn end up wanting to "delete" others, and soon Hitoshi ends up on the delete list.
Hoshino writes a novel that is difficult to continue, yet difficult to put down, because while I started to hate it toward the middle, I still found myself needing to watch the train crash. Meaning, I still wanted to know what happened to Hitoshi. The plotting and pacing in this vein is good in the sense that it builds tension, but it isn't quick enough to build urgency or interest. It was such a struggle to continue reading.
It's hard to gauge the writing because I read this in translation, in English, but I feel like some nuances were lost from the Japanese. Even with my limited knowledge of the language, I can tell some thing are less impactful symbolically, and that some ideas didn't translate as they could have.
At the end of it now, it's just not a "good" book in the same way that reading Banana Yoshimoto or Haruki Murakami are enjoyable. I feel like this book works academically, but not as a recreational read. ME is more of a study on simulacra and identity within contemporary Japanese society wrapped up in a pseydo-dystopian setting. Yet, I would not pick this book up again given the choice. It was given to me by the publisher and that brings us to where we are now--me leaving this review.
Hoshino writes a novel that is difficult to continue, yet difficult to put down, because while I started to hate it toward the middle, I still found myself needing to watch the train crash. Meaning, I still wanted to know what happened to Hitoshi. The plotting and pacing in this vein is good in the sense that it builds tension, but it isn't quick enough to build urgency or interest. It was such a struggle to continue reading.
It's hard to gauge the writing because I read this in translation, in English, but I feel like some nuances were lost from the Japanese. Even with my limited knowledge of the language, I can tell some thing are less impactful symbolically, and that some ideas didn't translate as they could have.
At the end of it now, it's just not a "good" book in the same way that reading Banana Yoshimoto or Haruki Murakami are enjoyable. I feel like this book works academically, but not as a recreational read. ME is more of a study on simulacra and identity within contemporary Japanese society wrapped up in a pseydo-dystopian setting. Yet, I would not pick this book up again given the choice. It was given to me by the publisher and that brings us to where we are now--me leaving this review.
jvan's review
2.0
Supposedly this is a literary triumph. I didn't get that. It's interesting, but the main premise of the MEs is entirely unexplained and nonsensical, so while there's something like a plot, it never manages to satisfy.
indalauryn's review
5.0
As always will put a longer review on the blog, but this one was not what I was expecting at all. That's a good thing. The writing style and character development remind me of Banana Yoshimoto, which is also not a bad thing. I won't say much more here because I don't want to give spoilers, but it's fascinating where Hoshino took the original idea and premise of the story.
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