Загрузка
Сведения о книге
Subduction
Автор: Todd Shimoda и L.J.C. Shimoda
Активность, связанная с книгой
Начать чтениеОписание
Shimoda's best novel to date, and his first psychological thriller
Todd Shimoda was the winner of the 2010 Elliot Cades Award for Literature, given to Hawaii's top writer. Past winners include Paul Theroux & Ian MacMillan.
Shimoda's 2009 novel Oh! was picked as a summer best read by NPR's Morning Edition & a notable book by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
The Fourth Treasure (2002) was translated into six languages and was named a notable book by the Kiriyama Prize. 100,000 copies in print worldwide.
The novel contains a book within a book of 16-page, 4-color art by Linda Shimoda which tells the ancient story of Kashima, a god who controls a thrashing catfish said to be the cause of Japan's earthquakes. The inserted book offers clues to the contemporary thriller surrounding it.
Linda Shimoda's 2-color calligraphic art throughout the novel adds depth of meaning to the story, as her artwork in Oh! did. NPR called that book "a kick in the pants to anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books."
The first anniversary of the 3/11/11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan will bring renewed attention to this subject in spring 2012.
Participating in the CBSD January 2012 Galley Box
Todd Shimoda was the winner of the 2010 Elliot Cades Award for Literature, given to Hawaii's top writer. Past winners include Paul Theroux & Ian MacMillan.
Shimoda's 2009 novel Oh! was picked as a summer best read by NPR's Morning Edition & a notable book by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
The Fourth Treasure (2002) was translated into six languages and was named a notable book by the Kiriyama Prize. 100,000 copies in print worldwide.
The novel contains a book within a book of 16-page, 4-color art by Linda Shimoda which tells the ancient story of Kashima, a god who controls a thrashing catfish said to be the cause of Japan's earthquakes. The inserted book offers clues to the contemporary thriller surrounding it.
Linda Shimoda's 2-color calligraphic art throughout the novel adds depth of meaning to the story, as her artwork in Oh! did. NPR called that book "a kick in the pants to anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books."
The first anniversary of the 3/11/11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan will bring renewed attention to this subject in spring 2012.
Participating in the CBSD January 2012 Galley Box
Активность, связанная с книгой
Начать чтениеСведения о книге
Subduction
Автор: Todd Shimoda и L.J.C. Shimoda
Описание
Shimoda's best novel to date, and his first psychological thriller
Todd Shimoda was the winner of the 2010 Elliot Cades Award for Literature, given to Hawaii's top writer. Past winners include Paul Theroux & Ian MacMillan.
Shimoda's 2009 novel Oh! was picked as a summer best read by NPR's Morning Edition & a notable book by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
The Fourth Treasure (2002) was translated into six languages and was named a notable book by the Kiriyama Prize. 100,000 copies in print worldwide.
The novel contains a book within a book of 16-page, 4-color art by Linda Shimoda which tells the ancient story of Kashima, a god who controls a thrashing catfish said to be the cause of Japan's earthquakes. The inserted book offers clues to the contemporary thriller surrounding it.
Linda Shimoda's 2-color calligraphic art throughout the novel adds depth of meaning to the story, as her artwork in Oh! did. NPR called that book "a kick in the pants to anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books."
The first anniversary of the 3/11/11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan will bring renewed attention to this subject in spring 2012.
Participating in the CBSD January 2012 Galley Box
Todd Shimoda was the winner of the 2010 Elliot Cades Award for Literature, given to Hawaii's top writer. Past winners include Paul Theroux & Ian MacMillan.
Shimoda's 2009 novel Oh! was picked as a summer best read by NPR's Morning Edition & a notable book by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
The Fourth Treasure (2002) was translated into six languages and was named a notable book by the Kiriyama Prize. 100,000 copies in print worldwide.
The novel contains a book within a book of 16-page, 4-color art by Linda Shimoda which tells the ancient story of Kashima, a god who controls a thrashing catfish said to be the cause of Japan's earthquakes. The inserted book offers clues to the contemporary thriller surrounding it.
Linda Shimoda's 2-color calligraphic art throughout the novel adds depth of meaning to the story, as her artwork in Oh! did. NPR called that book "a kick in the pants to anyone who doubts the future of paper-and-ink books."
The first anniversary of the 3/11/11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan will bring renewed attention to this subject in spring 2012.
Participating in the CBSD January 2012 Galley Box
Об авторе
TS![]()
Обзоры
This is a beautifully presented tale of redemption and revenge set on an isolated fishing village in Japan. Beginning with the book itself, I received a hardback copy to review, the boards were covered , so no dust jacket, but in Japanese style there is an "obi". Because this is a book that is both a novel and an art book, the paper is very heavy, to the point that I wondered if the publisher had made an error. The paper is museum/gallery art book grade, which was good for the art, but not so delightful for the reading experience. The story unfolds slowly, and reminded me a little of Murakami Ryu in the treatment of the characters, though lacking the more extreme absurdities. A young doctor, as punishment for a mistake, is sent to a tiny fishing village to serve as their physician. The village is one that the Japanese government has wanted to evacuate due to the danger posed by earthquakes and seas, but the aging islanders refuse to leave their homes. The author does an excellent job in character development, and includes a legend about earthquakes as an intertwined side story. The illustrations are beautiful in an abstract way, but really don't lend much to the story, though they set a mood nicely.
Rating: 4The book starts with a terrible incident where Endo, an intern in a Tokyo hospital, is treating a patient after a knee operation when she starts to complain of overall pain. The intern wants to order a blood test to determine if there is an infection as there seems to be nothing wrong. The resident says it is not necessary and to treat her with painkillers. The patient dies of a burst appendix during the night, and the intern is found at fault for not ordering the test, and sent in exile for four years to serve as clinic doctor for a remote fishing island off the coast of Japan.The island, Marui-jima, is full of abandoned or re-purposed buildings and has only a small number of elderly residents who have refused to be evacuated despite the threat of a large earthquake likely to destroy the whole island. They do not welcome strangers, and do not want a doctor at their clinic. On the island, the doctor meets only two younger people, both outsiders like himself. One is Aki, a scientist studying earthquake prediction and trying to set up an early warning system on the island. The other is Mari, an attractive documentary film-maker, filming the life stories of the remaining inhabitants on the island.The interaction of the younger people, the cranky inhabitants, and their individual stories makes for a compelling read. Throughout the book are puzzling illustrations and enigmatic phrases which add to the atmosphere and foreboding. Why are each of these people here and how are they connected? Things are not as they first seem. I really enjoyed Subduction and it stayed in my mind long after I turned the last page.
Rating: 4This novel begins promisingly, as a young doctor is exiled to a remote (in more ways than one) island full of creepy old people with dark secrets. There are two other non-native youngsters there and a classic love triangle quickly develops.Shimoda's style is plain, quite subtle, with flashes of wit, and well fitted to the telling of a tale like this which seems to teeter on the edge of an abyss of weirdness without ever quite toppling in.I suppose it's a story about boundaries, and conflict, and repercussions.Various narratives are nested within the main one, and it's not always apparent what purpose they serve other than as distractions. The ending is marred, for me, by a couple of unlikely coincidences which undermine the suspension of disbelief.The frequent illustrations are nice at first but they don't seem to bear on the story at all. Far better is the illustrated telling of the myth of Kasima, god of earthquake-protection, inserted 2/3 of the way through.
Rating: 3When Endo, a young doctor, mishandled a case, the patient died. As a result, Endo is banished to the island of Marui-jima in disgrace. His job is to look after the health of the few elderly residents who have refused to leave the island despite the risk a strong earthquake and the damage it would have on their neglected buildings.The only other outsiders are Aki, a seismologist and Mari, a filmmaker determined to uncover the stories of the secretive residents.. Like Endo, both Aki and Mari have their own secrets.The story is interrupted briefly by the legend of Kashima and the Giant Catfish, which reminds the reader that real life and legends are intertwined. Kashima, the god of earthquake protection, has to keep the giant catfish under a stone because its thrashing deep in the ocean is what causes earthquakes. Just as the islanders' stories have to be kept under control too.Although there are only vague suggestions of a mystery unfolding, the story is compelling and entertaining. The dismal surroundings are relieved by a subtle humour. Shimoda proves he is a master story-teller.Subduction is published by Chin Music Press, known for books of superior design. This one is no exception. It is further enhanced by L.J.C. Shimoda's intriguing illustrations. Recommended.
Rating: 4What I like about Subduction by (Todd Shimoda) is the way the artwork (by L.C.J. Shimoda) blends with the story. It is not just illustration, but is an integral part of the story telling. Every few pages we are treated to an illustration using 2 or 3 levels of artwork (Japanese characters, line drawings and photographs) which by themselves are very thought provoking. The way the story is printed on the page has 2 levels as well, the main storyline is told in regular type and the individual stories of the characters pasts is told in a lighter weight typeface which can be a little distracting and hard to read for my old eyes. But the story that Shimoda tells is worth it. The action takes place on an island of the coast of Japan where earthquakes can and do happen on a regular basis. The characters are deftly portrayed and their stories kept me interested. Without giving away anything, the ending for me was a bit disappointing. Shimoda does have a good grip on his style and I would like to read another of his novels at some point.
Rating: 4The best part of Subduction is the art and page design. This isn't to discredit the writing, though I found it a little stilted at times, but the way the book looks and feels is the real draw for me. The connection between the Kashima myth and the rest of the book was also great. I would love to read more by the Shimodas, but it'd need the art and design for that to remain true.
Rating: 3This novel is set on a small island in Japan, one which is plagued by frequent earthquakes and populated by an isolated group of mostly older citizens whose greatest fear is that the government will forcibly remove them from their beloved island. Jun Endo is a disgraced young physician, who is assigned to become the physician for the islanders. He is originally viewed as an outsider, reluctantly gains the trust of several of the residents, but then is shunned by them after he makes inquiries into several hidden secrets and mysterious occurrences. He is befriended by two strangers to the island, a young seismologist and an attractive woman who is making a film about the island's residents. Tension mounts after a death on the island, and as earthquake activity increases, as the islanders become openly hostile toward its visitors."Subduction" is a very good psychological novel and mystery, which is enhanced by its frequent illustrations by L.J.C. Shimoda.
Rating: 4A disgraced young doctor is assigned to a remote, sparsely populated and earthquake-prone Japanese island. In addition to the elderly residents stubbornly defying an evacuation order, he finds two people near his own age: a seismologist and a woman who's filming the island and collecting stories. The doctor--our narrator--has too little work to do and too much to drink, and he falls prey to paranoia. Someone may or may not be out to get him, but we don't know until near the end of the book, and that's what I liked most about the story: wondering how much he was to be trusted, either as a doctor or as a narrator. I liked the eerie setting, the dry humor, and the unsettling tone, yet on the whole I was disappointed in the story, which seems to be about the most profound mysteries until it ends up being about relatively mundane ones.I found this abundantly illustrated novel to be as much an art gallery-type experience as a literary one. The book is such an exquisite visual object, when I came across examples of carelessness in the text itself (misspelled words, verbs in the wrong tense), I wanted to think the errors must be deliberate, for some reason that would be explained in the course of the story. But no. Between the beauty of the book and the potential of the story's premise, the novel seems to promise a literary experience that it doesn't deliver. It's not a bad book, it's just not nearly as good as I thought it had every reason to be. Five stars for the art, three for the story = four stars.
Rating: 4Endo, a young physician beginning his residency at a hospital when one of his patients begins complaining of stomach pains. Endo wants to run a blood test, but the Head Resident disagrees, instructing Endo that the pains are only gastroenteritis. Not wanting to disobey the Head Resident, Endo reluctantly agrees with his decision, but the patient dies as a result of a ruptured appendix. The hospital decides that Endo is to blame for the wrong diagnosis, and the Head Resident readily confirms that decision. Endo doesn't protest, again not wanting to go against the establishment and is forced to spend the next four years on a small Japanese island of Marui-jima as penance, serving as the doctor for the few residents who still remain.Marui-jima made the headlines a few years earlier thanks to a series of devastating earthquakes and the government's attempt to re-locate the remaining islanders to the mainland. Those earthquakes still continue, but the stubborn residents refuse to leave, even after the many warnings from the government. Now, it's up to Endo to provide medical care for them.The islanders, however, view him and any other outsiders as working for the government, trying to find some way to get them to leave. Endo immediately meets with the islander's distrust and tries to make friend with two other outsiders on the island -- Mari, a filmmaker attempting to finish her documentary about the islanders, and Aki, a scientist studying the earthquakes in order to discover a way of predicting them. Endo gets to know them, listening to them tell stories about the island and its inhabitants, slowly unveiling a mystery about a love triangle that resulted in the untimely death of one of the richest men on the island. As the earthquakes begin to occur more frequently, Endo finds himself getting caught up in the mystery and strives to understand his own past.With "Subduction", I found myself caught up in Endo's exploration of the island and discovering the backstories of each remaining resident. Their past makes for a good mystery. But the story hints that the islanders and their mystery are tied somehow to the earthquakes, but that tie is tenuous and doesn't feel as if it's explored to the fullest. I kept expecting some revelation about how the earthquakes didn't begin until the death occurred or something stronger that keeps the remaining islanders tethered to Marui-jima. The story was peppered with that expectation -- not just about the islanders and the earthquakes, but also with the scientist Aki and his true reasons for being on the island. I felt that I was missing some integral piece of information about him that was hinted at but not explored.The illustrations are nice, but after the first few, I couldn't tie them to the story and wound up skipping those pages. Though, they fit well with the mini-story within Subduction concerning the myth of the god Kashima."Subduction" tells a good story, but I can't help feeling that something was left out that would have left me satisfied with it.
Rating: 3I have been a fan of Todd Shimoda for a long time, and I was delighted to get a chance to win and review this book. First of all it is beautifully done, and it is like adding a piece of art to your book shelf.The story is dark and the illustrations suit it very very well. You feel as if you are being literally drawn into the island. It's almost scary to read since you get further and further immersed in the island.Earthquake tales are timely, and the characters and the way they feel about their island rings true. This book will give you a view of a kind of Japan that most people don't realize exists.
Rating: 3Subduction, a novel written by Todd Shimoda with artwork by L. J. C. Shimoda, was published by Chin Music Press in 2012. Todd Shimoda is an American author who lived for at time in Japan and who frequently includes Japanese themes in his works. L. J. C. Shimoda is a book designer and artist who also happens to be Todd Shimoda's wife. The two have collaborated on several other novels together including Oh! A Mystery of Mono no Aware (also published by Chin Music Press), The Fourth Treasure, and 365 Views of Mt. Fuji. Before reading Subduction I wasn't familiar with their work although it does seem to be well received by readers and critics. I was happy when Chin Music Press sent me a review copy of Subduction for review so that I could experience the Shimodas' work for myself. I've read a couple of Chin Music Press' nonfiction publications, but Subduction is the first novel from the publisher that I've had the opportunity to read. I continue to be impressed by the physical quality and beautiful design of the books from Chin Music Press.Jun Endo was a young doctor completing his residency in Tokyo when one of his patients dies unexpectedly. He is blamed for her death and ultimately as a result he is sent to the remote island of Marui-jima to serve as the doctor for its aging population. The small island is plagued by earthquakes. Due to the increase in seismic activity the Japanese government tried to evacuate its community but a small number of older residents have refused to leave. They're not too happy with Dr. Endo's presence on Marui-jima, either. Only two other outsiders currently live on the island: Aki Ishikawa, a seismologist who hopes to develop an early warning system for earthquakes, and Mari Sasaki, a documentary filmmaker who is collecting the stories of Marui-jima and its people. Aki and Mari are also the only people even close to Endo's age. The rural, secluded Marui-jima is a far cry from the urban, crowded Tokyo. Unless there is a disaster, Endo is destined to remain in the unwelcoming environment for four years.L. J. C. Shimoda's artwork is a lovely addition to Subduction. I liked it quite a bit. The pieces are largely abstract with a heavy influence from Asian calligraphy traditions. She occasionally includes portions of photographs in her artwork, creating a simple collage-like effect. At first I didn't consider Shimoda's art to be an integral part of Subduction, but after finishing the novel I came to realize that it added a layer to an already layered story and that it helped to establish the overall mood and tone. Without the artwork, Subduction would have been an entirely different book. Also included in Subduction is a retelling of the myth "Kishima and the Giant Catfish." I found its placement to be a little strange--it interrupts a chapter partway through--but it's a wonderful tale. Shimoda changes her art style for this section of the book, using more color and taking inspiration from traditional woodblock prints associated with the story.I mentioned that the story of Subduction is a layered one. Once Endo arrives at Marui-jima, the residents' stories begin to overtake his own. He slowly learns more about those living on the island, but he doesn't come any closer to really understanding any of them. Tragic events from forty years ago continue to have profound consequences on the island's community. Aki, Mari, and Endo all bring their own demons with them, too. The intersections of people's pasts and personalities as they come up against those of others create fault lines in their relationships that are just as dangerous as Marui-jima's. The atmosphere of Subduction is vaguely ominous as Endo is confronted with the fact that he is unwanted. The older residents form an insular community and they are willing to protect it in any way necessary. I found Subduction to be a very intriguing novel with some suspenseful twists. Based on Subduction, I'd certainly be interested in reading more of the Shimodas' work.Experiments in Manga
Rating: 4“Subduction” a novel by Todd Shimoda, with art by L.J.C. Shimoda Todd Shimoda takes readers to Marui-jima, a sparsely inhabited, earthquake-prone island where strangers are not welcome. We read from the comfort of our homes though currently earthquakes are local news in several parts of the world. The book’s calligraphic illustrations by L.C. Shimoda create an appropriate sense of unease. There are full pages of red with cryptic phrases printed in white letters. The four page epilogue has white letters on dark red background. By contrast, golden pages bracket the myth,“Kashima and the Giant Catfish.” The elderly people living on Marui-jimaare are longtime residents, persisting in defiance of a government evacuation order. Endo, a physician on a four-year assignment to the island finds Aiki, a seismologist, and Mari, a documentary filmmaker, who had come from the mainland recently but have already learned some of the dynamics of the islanders. As do we: especially as we witness a funeral ceremony where family and friends each write a poem about the deceased.***A wonderfully illustrated retelling of the myth of Kashima and the Giant Catfish is inserted between pages 192 and 193. I saved it to read after I’d finished the book. (And now I’ve already reread it twice!)
Rating: 5Subduction, the title for Todd Shimoda's most recent novel set in Japan, refers to the geologic processes deep below that manifest themselves as the earthquakes we feel at the surface. The author's story imitates the science, with the visible incidents of life on a remote and isolated island driven by deep currents that only slowly become understood. The population of the island consists of some stubborn older natives who refused evacuation after severe earthquakes end the local fishing economy. Three young outsiders are thrown together on the island – a doctor exiled from Tokyo, a film maker who says she is working on a documentary about the islanders, and a scientist testing an earthquake warning system. Their story has many parallels with the Japanese legend of the god Kashima and his task in controlling the giant catfish Namazu, whose thrashing causes earthquakes. The legend is re-told in a short version inserted in the middle of the novel. The plot of the novel is a bit of a mystery story, and I won't comment beyond saying that I'm not sure sufficient foundation was laid for some of the revelations at the climax. One stylistic quirk brought me up short – there are several instances in the book where one character relates to another a story about some incident in his or her own past, or even from the past of a third party. As soon as the story starts, though, it is in the voice of an omniscient narrator, not the character who started to tell it. The author sets these passages off in another text font, but the narrative jiggery-pokery sends the reader off wondering about the story-telling, not the story. Like Shimoda's other books from Chin Music Press, this is a beautifully produced and printed edition. Also like his earlier books, this one includes many brush-and-ink illustrations by L.J.C. Shimoda, mostly what I would call pseudo-calligraphy. Those earlier books, however, dealt directly with themes of Japanese aesthetics. I didn't find the illustrations added much to this story. The exceptions are the representational pictures for the Namazu legend, which draw on the traditions of the many ukiyo-e renderings with their delightfully grinning catfish.
Rating: 3Subduction is a story of collision -- of the earth’s tectonic plates and of a small cluster of people who refuse to evacuate Marui-jima, a Japanese island increasingly prone to earthquakes.It’s narrated conversationally (and with wry humor) by young physician Jun Endo, who was blamed for a patient’s death on the mainland and sentenced to serve the remaining years of his medical residency among the old fishermen on that “dust mote of an island.” To Endo’s relief, there’s also a young male seismologist doing research on the island, and a young woman filming a documentary, and the three of them ease into a companionship tinged with competition and paranoia.So goes two-thirds of the book, which I made two false starts on before finally finishing now. When an unexpected death occurred on the island, things got more interesting ... and stayed so until a quick, convenient ending. The physical book is also interesting -- smooth (almost glossy) pages, two-thirds of which are text while the other third is abstract Japanese artwork backed by blood-red blank pages and captions. It’s beautiful, except the red pages are visually harsh and the art and captions interrupt and frustrate (I couldn't connect them to the story). After the Shimodas' previous Oh! A Mystery of mono no aware, this novel was disappointing.
Rating: 3Three outsiders wind up on Marui-jima, an earthquake-prone island somewhere off the coast of Japan. Jima in Japanese means island. Marui would usually be translated as round, but it could also mean harmonious and calm. This latter meaning is ironic considering the constant earthquakes and the hostile reception that the outsiders receive from the remaining inhabitants of this nearly deserted island, who are mostly elderly people. All the other residents were willingly relocated to the mainland by the government after a particularly strong earthquake caused a lot of damage.The main character, Jun Endo, is a medical intern who had an unfortunate situation occur with a resident doctor that ended in the death of a patient, and Endo was forced to take the blame. He has been exiled to Marui-jima for four years to serve out his internship.Aki Ishikawa is a scientist who studies earthquakes and is working on an early detection system in order to help save lives. Nevertheless, the islanders are very suspicious of him and see him as a government man who would like to remove them from their homes.Mari Sasaki is a filmmaker who is working on a project to film the islander’s stories. Even though Aki, the scientist, is ostensibly married (but separated from his wife while working on his project), Mari is a point of romantic interest and tension between the single Endo and Aki. Endo makes some headway with her and is constantly preoccupied by his suspicion that Aki is spying on them.All three of these characters have secrets that they are not willing to talk about, yet some stories are shared. Mari is the one who seems to have a gift for making people tell their stories, and she shares what she has learned with Endo. She knows that he has a story to tell as well, and is hoping to pry it out of him. When Mari shares these stories, they are printed in a slightly grayed-out typeface to distinguish the stories from the novel’s main action.Many of these stories are about power struggles, unfaithfulness and violence between the natives on the island. And Mari shares stories about herself and Aki that are also filled with emotional difficulties.The word subduction is defined early on in the book when Endo reads a scientific paper that Aki has written. Briefly, it is the flow of one of the earth’s tectonic plates when it slides under another. This is clearly a metaphor for the subducted effects of emotions as they are suppressed and cause eruptions on the surface.At a critical point in the book, one of the characters is murdered, and this causes a chain of events that reveals all secrets.To close, I must comment on what a beautiful book Subduction is. It has a hard binding and is illustrated throughout by Todd Shimoda’s artist wife L.J.C. Shimoda. Printed on glossy, high-quality paper, it is an especially enjoyable read.
Rating: 4