A haunting psychological crime novel. The Earthquake Bird is a debut which has caused an international sensation pre-publication. "Early this morning, several hours before my arrest, I was woken up by an earth tremor. I mention the incident not to suggest that there was a connection - that somehow the fault lines in my life came crashing together in the form of couple of policemen - for in Tokyo we have a quake like this every month. I am simply relating the sequence of events as it happened. It has been an unusual day and I would hate to forget anything..." So begins this chilling novel set in Japan which reveals a murder on its first page and takes its readers into the mind of the chief suspect, Lucy Fly - a young, vulnerable English girl living and working in Tokyo as a translator. As Lucy is interrogated by the police she reveals her past to the reader, and it is a past which is dangerously ambiguous and compromising. A novel inbued with the chill of The Wasp Factory and the shock of The Sculptress, this is the debut of a major new talent.
The Earthquake Bird
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Amazon Review
While many novelists are content these days to merely sketch in a few rudimentary characteristics for their protagonists, it's refreshing to encounter a book as ambitious as Susanna Jones' remarkable thriller The Earthquake Bird, which has no truck with such cursoriness. The central character in Jones' novel, Lucy Fly, is not only realised with richness and subtlety, but the reader is even allowed to change their mind about her as the revelations of the tale unfold--a rarity indeed these days. Not only that, Jones' book (her debut novel) is concisely written, making the amount she crams into this slim volume even more striking.
Set in Japan, The Earthquake Bird begins with an earth-tremor on its first page that echoes metaphorically through the book. Lucy is a young and insecure translator straining to survive in the bustling, impersonal city of Tokyo. She becomes the principal suspect in a murder case when her best friend Lily is killed. Initially, her dealings with the police present her as vulnerable and ill at ease (she has a quirky way of talking about herself in the third person), but revelations about her past begin to pull the metaphorical rug from beneath the reader's feet.
Jones' publishers invoke Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory in promoting the book, and the comparisons are not far-fetched. Like Banks' disturbing novel, the revelations here really do take the breath away. But there's more on offer than complex storytelling. Principally, this is a study of the mysteries of human character, and the ambiguity with which Lucy is presented has all of the skill that distinguished the brilliant novels of Iris Murdoch. Tokyo, too, is evoked with intriguing detail--the perfect backdrop for the steadily unfolding narrative:
The killer had a street stand selling noodles. He also had a dead body to dispose of. In order to avoid the fingerprint problem he had hacked off the corpse's hands. He then proceeded to boil the outer layers of skin off the hands by dropping them into the hot noodle broth, on the street, under the unknowing eyes of his hungry customers.--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Early this morning, several hours before my arrest, I was woken by an earth tremor. I mention the incident not to suggest that there was a connection – that somehow the fault lines in my life came crashing together in a form of a couple of policemen – for in Tokyo we have a quake like this every month. I am simply relating the sequence of events as it happened. It has been an unusual day and I would hate to forget anything . . . So begins The Earthquake Bird, a haunting novel set in Japan which reveals a murder on its first page and takes its readers into the mind of the chief suspect, Lucy Fly – a young, vulnerable English girl living and working in Tokyo as a translator. As Lucy is interrogated by the police she reveals her past to the reader, and it is a past which is dangerously ambiguous and compromising . . . Why did Lucy leave England for the foreign anonymity of Japan ten years before, and what exactly had prompted her to sever all links with her family back home? She was the last person to see the murdered girl alive, so why was she not more forthcoming about the circumstances of their last meeting? As Lucy’s story unfolds, it emerges that secrets, both past and present, obsess her waking life . . . Winner of the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Set against a surreal backdrop of present day Japan, The Earthquake Bird opens with Lucy Fly, the narrator and main character, under arrest in a Japanese police station. Lucy is an English translator who seems content and competent with her new life in the East.
We know that something terrible has happened and Lucy is the prime suspect. As she tells her story, more and more details come to light about Lucy, her friends Lily and Teiji, and the reasons why she emigrated to Japan ten years previously. We are taken back to Lucy's solitary childhood in Yorkshire and events of her old life that still haunt her. Not everything about Lucy Fly is what it seems, I found myself hating her and loving her with the turn of each page!
Susanna Jones' prose has a refreshingly urgent pace, and child-like clarity. At the end, the reader is left feeling like they have been given a guided tour of Tokyo; of its language, noodle bars, tower blocks and transport system.
The Earthquake Bird is relatively short, but narrated in exquisite detail without a superfluous word, reminiscent of Barbara Vine at her darkest.
I found myself reading 'just one more chapter' until I had reached its thrilling climax in one sitting. A must read for anyone with an interest in Japanese culture or the complexities of the human mind. Superb!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Paul99
Format:Hardcover
I don't normally enjoy the train journey from Newcastle to Kings Cross, but I read this all the way and it was ace.
Given how complex the story is I found it easy to read, probably because it's so neatly written and brilliantly plotted.
The central character Lucy Fly is a strange fish, the type you're glad is tucked up in the pages so you can get to know her without having to meet.
Since reading it I've also bought it as a birthday present and lent my copy to a mate straight away - what more recommendation can I give? I think I'll be telling people about this book for months to come.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read and enjoyed Susanna Jones novel, When Nights Were Cold, I was keen to read more of her work. This haunting novel is set in Tokyo and concerns the arrest of Lucy Fly, a British translator who has lived in Japan for ten years, for the murder of a British aquaintance of hers, Lily Bridges. This is not really a crime novel though, in the traditional sense. It strays more into the lit fiction genre, as Lucy recounts the story of her life, her relationship with Lily and her obsessional love for Teiji, who she finds taking photographs in the street one day.
Lucy is keen to leave Britain and has no contact with her family, whereas Lily finds Tokyo difficult to adjust to. Against her best judgement, Lily begins to enter Lucy's isolated and contained world. What starts with Lucy helping Lily find a flat, becomes a hike with friends and then an introduction to Teiji. Lucy's feeling that, no matter what has happened, she is, "not entirely guilty but not entirely innocent" - indeed no character in this book is clear cut. This is an excellent and atmospheric novel, in which Japan itself is a character which flavours and directs the triangle of characters within it. Highly recommended.
Lucy is keen to leave Britain and has no contact with her family, whereas Lily finds Tokyo difficult to adjust to. Against her best judgement, Lily begins to enter Lucy's isolated and contained world. What starts with Lucy helping Lily find a flat, becomes a hike with friends and then an introduction to Teiji. Lucy's feeling that, no matter what has happened, she is, "not entirely guilty but not entirely innocent" - indeed no character in this book is clear cut. This is an excellent and atmospheric novel, in which Japan itself is a character which flavours and directs the triangle of characters within it. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
poignant love story
Beautifully written story of a girl escaping her past and finding love, and as events come to a culmination finding that the past is reaching out to her in hope. Read more
Published 14 days ago by J. S. Slaughter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read.
Set in Japan, a mystery that isn't explained until the end. Main character a bit odd but believable eventually. Worth reading a sample to see if its the style you like.
Published 16 days ago by Sleighbelle
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit rambling
I found this book written as though thoughts would randomly enter into a person's mind. It did rather draw you in as the way it was written was totally different to most of the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. S. P. Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars
The pay-off is worth the read!
This is a nice quick read narrated by the disconcerting Lucy. She has made her home in Tokyo having escaped East Yorkshire. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
A stark, brilliantly written novel, with a dark, mysterious, enigmatic tone. Interesting in terms of character and story - and also setting; the life of a British expat living in... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Whitestripe71
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling, enigmatic central character...
When Lucy's friend Lily is murdered, Lucy becomes the main suspect. We meet her while she is being questioned by the police and refusing to answer them. Read more
Published 3 months ago by FictionFan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing and unputdownable
I read this book in two sittings. I got carried away by the vivid setting in Japan and the main character Lucy a someone who is described as 'strange'. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jo Whelan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Back
A clever compelling read right to the end really enjoyed this although not my usual type of read will read another book by same author now,
Published 3 months ago by Unknown
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Eartquake Bird
Gives quite an insight to japanese life but this only served to detract from the storyline. No happy ending here.
Published 3 months ago by Valerie Fooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strange!
This book was recommended by a friend. I probably would have passed it by otherwise, but then I would have missed out. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dormouse
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