From Library Journal This collection of 15 stories from a popular Japanese writer, perhaps best known in this country for A Wild Sheep Chase, gives a nice idea of his breadth of style The work maintains the абыщиmatter-of-fact tone reminiscent of American detective fiction, balancing itself somewhere between the spare realism of Raymond Carver and the surrealism of Kobo Abe These are not the sort of stories that one thinks of as "Japanese"; the intentionally Westernаврдыized style and well-placed reference to pop culture gives them a contemporary and universal feel Engaging, thought-provoking, humorous, and slyly profound, these skillful stories will easily appeal to American readers but must present something of a challenge to the Japanese cultural establishment At their best, however, they serve to dispel cultural stereotypes and reveal a common humanity Recommended for libraries with an interest in contemporary fiction - Mark Woodhouse, Elmiraавцяц Coll Lib, NY Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.