Dark, interesting and disturbing. This is almost a noir thriller rather than a traditional thriller. The protagonist is very western and when he finds himself in Tokyo without any money he is quickly drawn – rather naively – into the dark underbelly of Tokyo’s criminal world. The author uses Japanese kanji to help give the reader a sense of the alienness of Japanese culture for many of us in our comfortable European and American worlds.It’s a fast paced book and is suitably dark often with some disturbingly violent scenes. The exploration of the protagonist’s life and thoughts through the restrictions of Japanese culture and his sudden freedom from those restrictions, make the story an interesting analysis of how people are created by the actions and cultures of those around them.
Beyond Blue is a short but very entertaining novel. Especially towards the end of the book, it’s hard to put it down. It’s definitely a good book to read if you are looking for intrigue and confusing scenarios. And this all, topped up with a melancholic jazzy mood – and many good quotes!
I read Beyond Blue about a year ago because a friend recommended it, and I too would really recommend it. If you are looking for one of those exciting good reads, consider this one!