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crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
One Murder + Four Girls = What is going on?
Toshi's neighbor has just killed his mother and stolen her cellphone and bike. Now, he is calling all the girls in her contact list. As "Worm" does, Toshi, Yuzan, Kirarin, and Terauchi begin to learn something new about themselves and their world and how they fit in.
This is one of those books that, when I've finished reading, I go, "Huh?" The writing itself isn't bad (although I can't judge that too harshly as it is an English translation and who knows what the original was like). The insight into a teenager's life in Japan was insightful and somewhat scary. The level of detail into these girls is admirable. And yet, I spent most of my time wondering how this could be called a psychological thriller and wondering when something would actually happen.
Our cast of characters are filled with some of the dumbest I've ever seen. I can understand Toshi not telling the cops in the beginning about hearing the murder, but when Worm starts calling these girls from Toshi's stolen cellphone, not a one even remotely considers telling the police. Instead, each girl tends to relate her melodramatic story in startling clarity and to dish on her three other friends in equally startling clarity.
For instance, we start with Toshi, the girl who hears the murder. She doesn't initially say anything (which I don't blame 100% as she at first didn't realize the repercussions and was scared of the attention), instead complaining about how adults' want to control her life. It really gets weird with Yuzan, who actually helps Worm by giving him her bike and a cellphone. I don't even really understand why, even if she was a repressed lesbian who lost her mother. Terauchi comes off as far too introspective for her age, and Kirarin tags along with Worm because that's what she does: flirts and hooks up with guys. As for Worm, I felt he was a hideous character that was constantly changing (at first happy to kill his mother, then a pervert, then an asexual soldier...he literally seemed to change every other page). I suppose if there had been one character that made a choice I could understand 100% and empathize with, I might have liked this book better.
The plot is agonizingly slow and really doesn't go anywhere. You find out within 30 pages who the killer is and then must follow him as he runs away. There is no tension, no wondering if the police are getting closer to catching Worm, no wondering if one of the girls is going to turn him in (they consider it briefly and dismiss it almost before it becomes a full-fledged thought). There is no scene where Worm talks with the girls and makes them wonder what their purpose is (thus providing the "psychological" aspect of the book). Instead, the girls seem to immediately want to discuss their place in the world with the barest of suggestion, and it doesn't seem too contingent on Worm's murdering his mother in the first place. Which makes me wonder why bother (until the end, that is). And while the book is "psychological" in some places, I scratch my head in wondering how this could be considered a "mystery". The killer is given in the first few pages and catching him never seems to be a push of the novel. So what is the mystery? The Real World? That seems a little deceptive, if you ask me.
However, I did like how it gave each of the four girls real fears. Toshi feared being out of control; Yuzan feared her sexuality; Terauchi feared herself; Kirarin feared relationships with men. Imbued in each is an intricate backstory of how their parents and surroundings made them to be the teenagers they are in this book.
There aren't many curses used here (I wonder if that is due to the translation), but there is quite a bit of sex (one girl has had sex and does so during the 208 page count, though never in graphic terms) and the violence factor is kinda high (sexual assault, violent murder, high body count).
While I did find myself lost and confused much of the time, I did enjoy getting a better insight into the life of a Japanese teenaged girl. This is an interesting book, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend to everyone as it is dark, disturbing, and somewhat deceptive (a mystery? Really?).
Toshi's neighbor has just killed his mother and stolen her cellphone and bike. Now, he is calling all the girls in her contact list. As "Worm" does, Toshi, Yuzan, Kirarin, and Terauchi begin to learn something new about themselves and their world and how they fit in.
This is one of those books that, when I've finished reading, I go, "Huh?" The writing itself isn't bad (although I can't judge that too harshly as it is an English translation and who knows what the original was like). The insight into a teenager's life in Japan was insightful and somewhat scary. The level of detail into these girls is admirable. And yet, I spent most of my time wondering how this could be called a psychological thriller and wondering when something would actually happen.
Our cast of characters are filled with some of the dumbest I've ever seen. I can understand Toshi not telling the cops in the beginning about hearing the murder, but when Worm starts calling these girls from Toshi's stolen cellphone, not a one even remotely considers telling the police. Instead, each girl tends to relate her melodramatic story in startling clarity and to dish on her three other friends in equally startling clarity.
For instance, we start with Toshi, the girl who hears the murder. She doesn't initially say anything (which I don't blame 100% as she at first didn't realize the repercussions and was scared of the attention), instead complaining about how adults' want to control her life. It really gets weird with Yuzan, who actually helps Worm by giving him her bike and a cellphone. I don't even really understand why, even if she was a repressed lesbian who lost her mother. Terauchi comes off as far too introspective for her age, and Kirarin tags along with Worm because that's what she does: flirts and hooks up with guys. As for Worm, I felt he was a hideous character that was constantly changing (at first happy to kill his mother, then a pervert, then an asexual soldier...he literally seemed to change every other page). I suppose if there had been one character that made a choice I could understand 100% and empathize with, I might have liked this book better.
The plot is agonizingly slow and really doesn't go anywhere. You find out within 30 pages who the killer is and then must follow him as he runs away. There is no tension, no wondering if the police are getting closer to catching Worm, no wondering if one of the girls is going to turn him in (they consider it briefly and dismiss it almost before it becomes a full-fledged thought). There is no scene where Worm talks with the girls and makes them wonder what their purpose is (thus providing the "psychological" aspect of the book). Instead, the girls seem to immediately want to discuss their place in the world with the barest of suggestion, and it doesn't seem too contingent on Worm's murdering his mother in the first place. Which makes me wonder why bother (until the end, that is). And while the book is "psychological" in some places, I scratch my head in wondering how this could be considered a "mystery". The killer is given in the first few pages and catching him never seems to be a push of the novel. So what is the mystery? The Real World? That seems a little deceptive, if you ask me.
However, I did like how it gave each of the four girls real fears. Toshi feared being out of control; Yuzan feared her sexuality; Terauchi feared herself; Kirarin feared relationships with men. Imbued in each is an intricate backstory of how their parents and surroundings made them to be the teenagers they are in this book.
There aren't many curses used here (I wonder if that is due to the translation), but there is quite a bit of sex (one girl has had sex and does so during the 208 page count, though never in graphic terms) and the violence factor is kinda high (sexual assault, violent murder, high body count).
While I did find myself lost and confused much of the time, I did enjoy getting a better insight into the life of a Japanese teenaged girl. This is an interesting book, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend to everyone as it is dark, disturbing, and somewhat deceptive (a mystery? Really?).
axmed's review against another edition
it felt like the writer was trying her best to make all the characters unlikable, so at some point I was like, why am I listening to this? lol
caseyaonso's review against another edition
3.0
overall good! liked terauchi and yuzan’s povs the most, kirarin and worm were annoying as hell though omfl
reubenlb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
it’s a strange one that reads in a disjointed way never fully materialising as a complete picture but it also feels purposeful in its structure as if that was the intention
ghostmomxoxo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicide, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, and Violence
trin's review against another edition
3.0
Subtly unnerving neo-noir about five high school students, one of whom murders his mother, while the other four become in varying degrees complicit in his escape. The narrative switches between each of their POVs, and one of the best things Kirino does is show how little the four supposedly close friends really know each other. They each have secrets that are actually common knowledge, or have motivations and goals that are completely misinterpreted by the others. The overall effect was quite spooky and sad.
I picked this up because I’ve been wanting to read Kirino’s [book: Out], but my copy hasn’t arrived yet. Having read this, I’m still very much looking forward to it.
I picked this up because I’ve been wanting to read Kirino’s [book: Out], but my copy hasn’t arrived yet. Having read this, I’m still very much looking forward to it.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
3.0
I'm penciling in my eyebrows when the smog alert siren starts blaring. It’s happened every day since summer vacation started, so it’s no surprise. “May I have your attention,” this woman’s voice drawls over a loudspeaker. “An air pollution advisory has just been issued,” and the siren continues to drone on, like some kindly old dinosaur groaning away.
Most of these advisories happen in the morning, usually just as I’m about to leave for cram school. Nobody does anything because of them. Everyone kind of goes, Oh, that again. What I’d like to know is where they hide those speakers. To me, that’s creepier and weirder than anything about smog.
I picked up Real World by Natsuo Kirino on a whim, never having read anything by her before. This book intrigued me, but also left me very perplexed.
In a crowded residential suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo, four teenage girls indifferently wade their way through a hot, smoggy summer and endless “cram school” sessions meant to ensure entry into good colleges. There’s Toshi, the dependable one; Terauchi, the great student; Yuzan, the sad one, grieving over the death of her mother—and trying to hide her sexual orientation from her friends; and Kirarin, the sweet one, whose late nights and reckless behavior remain a secret from those around her.
When Toshi’s next-door neighbor is found brutally murdered, the girls suspect the killer is the neighbor’s son, a high school boy they nickname Worm. But when he flees, taking Toshi’s bike and cell phone with him, the four girls get caught up in a tempest of dangers—dangers they never could have even imagined—that rises from within them as well as from the world around them.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning, very promising; didn't like very much the central part; and somewhat liked the ending, even though it is so tragic. Anyway, this book might be titled Real World, but it felt very surreal to me. Why do the girls decide to help Worm, instead of turning him in? I mean, he has murdered his own mother, for God's sake! This remains the greatest mystery in the book, in my opinion.
Overall, I'd say this book was very well done. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, which enables the reader to get different perspectives and see in the minds of the protagonists. I found the narrating voices very real and believable, even though the events weren't.
Most of these advisories happen in the morning, usually just as I’m about to leave for cram school. Nobody does anything because of them. Everyone kind of goes, Oh, that again. What I’d like to know is where they hide those speakers. To me, that’s creepier and weirder than anything about smog.
I picked up Real World by Natsuo Kirino on a whim, never having read anything by her before. This book intrigued me, but also left me very perplexed.
In a crowded residential suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo, four teenage girls indifferently wade their way through a hot, smoggy summer and endless “cram school” sessions meant to ensure entry into good colleges. There’s Toshi, the dependable one; Terauchi, the great student; Yuzan, the sad one, grieving over the death of her mother—and trying to hide her sexual orientation from her friends; and Kirarin, the sweet one, whose late nights and reckless behavior remain a secret from those around her.
When Toshi’s next-door neighbor is found brutally murdered, the girls suspect the killer is the neighbor’s son, a high school boy they nickname Worm. But when he flees, taking Toshi’s bike and cell phone with him, the four girls get caught up in a tempest of dangers—dangers they never could have even imagined—that rises from within them as well as from the world around them.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning, very promising; didn't like very much the central part; and somewhat liked the ending, even though it is so tragic. Anyway, this book might be titled Real World, but it felt very surreal to me. Why do the girls decide to help Worm, instead of turning him in? I mean, he has murdered his own mother, for God's sake! This remains the greatest mystery in the book, in my opinion.
Overall, I'd say this book was very well done. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, which enables the reader to get different perspectives and see in the minds of the protagonists. I found the narrating voices very real and believable, even though the events weren't.
thepoetessa's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0