The Ruined Map: A Novel
by Kobo Abe
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 154)
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
not map-makers
It is a book I read because I am still haunted by Woman in the Dunes... and don't like to re-read books even though sometimes a type of writer makes me salivate with cravings, like for a hamburger from Sugar Park Tavern, or macaroni and cheese, or ice cream, or more often tastes for whisky, which I view as a medicinal remedy, a preparation for the next hour... so I read The Ruined Map in preparation for the next hour... I liked the concept, but could not follow... not that I could even follow ...more
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Read in December, 2006
This is not a book for those that want the story's ending to have anything to do with the story. The Ruined Map is more or less an exercise in the construction and deconstruction of identity. The thing is, if a reader knows that and can accept that, the story, the writing, and the pace of this novel are all brilliant. Abe's descriptions are haunting, his fixations on repeating events of no importance are provoking, and what he does in the end--not just to his main character, but to his reader...more
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Read in February, 2003
recommends it for:
someone interested in seeing how far a genre can be stretched
Yeah yeah the whole existential detective thing is now a shopworn concept - where the pursuit of pragmatic mystery becomes so snarled it becomes a pursuit of "what does it all mean" & etc. But this is an earlier and eerie entry into the genre. The alienation of the narrator and his complete lack of self awareness in regards to this alienation is almost sublime. Also, Abe deals with perennial "Japanese" motifs such as the sterile suburb and deranged/frustrated sexual...more
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As a whole, I found the novel engrossing, but I admit to being perplexed by the end of it. It read like a workshop exercise. This is an instance that I really regret having just a single translation to refer to. It somehow seemed to have no tone... Is that possible? It's more likely that I missed a huge aspect to this book.
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So far this is reading like a mix of Paul Auster's City of Glass and your classic noir mystery novel. Coming from the man that wrote Woman in the Dunes and the Kangaroo Notebooks I'm sure this will eventually lead to a bizarre place. I also see some hints of Murakami...I wonder if he was influenced by Abe.
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Read in May, 2007
maybe its the translation, but for some reason this book felt like a chore the whole time i was reading it. which is too bad, cause i really dug woman in the dunes. maybe someone disagrees with me? vent, i'm looking in your direction..
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6 comments
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
new wave movie fans
If you like Michaelangelo Antonioni movies you'll love Abe. Just like Antonioni he plays with issues of lost identity in the modern world. I also recommend "The Face of Another". Abe deserves a much wider audience.
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Excelente.
Full stop.
[uh-oh...another 5-star "review" from this GR Groupie-like-reviewer...it's getting worrisome]*
* and there she goes talking to herself again....incorrigable.
Full stop.
[uh-oh...another 5-star "review" from this GR Groupie-like-reviewer...it's getting worrisome]*
* and there she goes talking to herself again....incorrigable.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Japanese speakers/readers (in Japanese)
Didn't even get through it. The translation is brutal. I'm sure it's a great book, but it's hard as hell to read in English. Wish I spoke Japanese.
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