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Review
Villain is a moving and disturbing novel about loneliness, lies and the gap between expectation and reality. Highly recommended. --The Guardian
`...the interest...will lie in the...details...about contemporary Japanese society...what comes across...is the rootlessness and alienation of the you in Japan...' --Daily Mail
'...impressive...A gripping psychological thriller which shows a very different Japan from the neon-lit Tokyo we are more used to.'
--Financial Times
A bestseller in Japan... his Japanese noir may well turn out to be a winner with western readers. --The Sunday Times
Yoshida...[a] novelist of truly international stature --The Times
'A superlative crime novel with intriguing twists, but it's also a commentary of the rootless existence of twentysomethings in modern Japan' --Sunday Times
'Villain is a moving and disturbing novel about loneliness, lies and the gap between expectation and reality. Highly recommended' --The Guardian
'...a superlative crime novel with intriguing twists, but...also a commentary of the rootless existence of twentysomethings in...Japan.' --Sunday Times
`...the interest...will lie in the...details...about contemporary Japanese society...what comes across...is the rootlessness and alienation of the you in Japan...' --Daily Mail
'...impressive...A gripping psychological thriller which shows a very different Japan from the neon-lit Tokyo we are more used to.'
--Financial Times
A bestseller in Japan... his Japanese noir may well turn out to be a winner with western readers. --The Sunday Times
Yoshida...[a] novelist of truly international stature --The Times
'A superlative crime novel with intriguing twists, but it's also a commentary of the rootless existence of twentysomethings in modern Japan' --Sunday Times
'Villain is a moving and disturbing novel about loneliness, lies and the gap between expectation and reality. Highly recommended' --The Guardian
'...a superlative crime novel with intriguing twists, but...also a commentary of the rootless existence of twentysomethings in...Japan.' --Sunday Times
Book Description
A gripping thriller about the dark heart of Japan. Now a major motion picture
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like many people I am reading an increasing number of crime novels from nationalities other than British and American. Therefore when I saw Villain I was intrigued to see what a Japanese take on the genre was like. It also helped to see that the translator is Philip Gabriel who has translated several of Haruki Murakami's novels. I will admit that it took a while to get into this but I was hooked from about page 30. However it is not fast paced and if you are looking for that type of crime then this is probably not for you.
Near the beginning we learn that a young construction worker has been arrested for the brutal murder of Yoshino Ishibashi. Is he guilty? If he is why did it do it? We are then taken back in time and through multiple perspectives the story unfolds, basically ending where it began.
The murder of Yoshino is the crime that carries the narrative, but Villain is more than a crime novel. It is a story of disaffected youth, the generation relying increasingly on modern technology to meet people and, through boredom, a desire for excitement, moved to take risks. It might be set in Japan but these young people could come from almost anywhere in the developed, technologically advanced world. It also emphasises the increasing emphasis on appearance, the wanting to look different but still fit in, in particular with regard to hairstyles - Yoshino's parents run a barber shop - Japanese youngsters are inclined to be more extreme than many of their western counterparts.
It also explores the way that Japan is changing. Japan is influencing western culture while at the same time the younger generations in Japan are becoming increasingly 'westernised', turning away from the traditions and ritual of their parents. In consequence the different generations find it hard to communicate, to understand each other. Parents becoming oblivious to what their children are really like and how they spend their time.
At the end of the novel I felt as if I was being asked to decide for myself who the real 'Villain' is. Is it the murderer, or one of the other characters, including the victim herself? Or is the real 'Villain' the technological, fast moving society itself, with many youngsters spending more time 'talking' to strangers online then they do in real life. I also found myself wondering about Yuichi's actions towards the end, why does he really behave in this way?
You can read this as a straight crime novel, albeit more a psychological exploration of why the crime was committed than 'whodunnit', but the more I think about the actions, motives and behaviour of the characters the more interesting and intriguing this novel becomes.
Villain is a dark novel but at times it is also very moving and emotional, particularly the last chapter. I will definitely read the next novel by Yoshida, I hope someone is in the process of translating it.
Near the beginning we learn that a young construction worker has been arrested for the brutal murder of Yoshino Ishibashi. Is he guilty? If he is why did it do it? We are then taken back in time and through multiple perspectives the story unfolds, basically ending where it began.
The murder of Yoshino is the crime that carries the narrative, but Villain is more than a crime novel. It is a story of disaffected youth, the generation relying increasingly on modern technology to meet people and, through boredom, a desire for excitement, moved to take risks. It might be set in Japan but these young people could come from almost anywhere in the developed, technologically advanced world. It also emphasises the increasing emphasis on appearance, the wanting to look different but still fit in, in particular with regard to hairstyles - Yoshino's parents run a barber shop - Japanese youngsters are inclined to be more extreme than many of their western counterparts.
It also explores the way that Japan is changing. Japan is influencing western culture while at the same time the younger generations in Japan are becoming increasingly 'westernised', turning away from the traditions and ritual of their parents. In consequence the different generations find it hard to communicate, to understand each other. Parents becoming oblivious to what their children are really like and how they spend their time.
At the end of the novel I felt as if I was being asked to decide for myself who the real 'Villain' is. Is it the murderer, or one of the other characters, including the victim herself? Or is the real 'Villain' the technological, fast moving society itself, with many youngsters spending more time 'talking' to strangers online then they do in real life. I also found myself wondering about Yuichi's actions towards the end, why does he really behave in this way?
You can read this as a straight crime novel, albeit more a psychological exploration of why the crime was committed than 'whodunnit', but the more I think about the actions, motives and behaviour of the characters the more interesting and intriguing this novel becomes.
Villain is a dark novel but at times it is also very moving and emotional, particularly the last chapter. I will definitely read the next novel by Yoshida, I hope someone is in the process of translating it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It was very interesting to take a glimpse at a totally different culture through the pages of this novel. We all live in such a cyber society these days, but the Japanese even more so than us it seems. The feelings of isolation and loneliness and quiet desperation from some of the characters is quite frightening. There is also the juxtaposition of old world versus new in the depiction of the generation gap between grandparent and grandchild -the different values and the increasing alienation. In amongst all this we have a murder and a strange kind of love story. Strange because it is not really conventional, but intense all the same. You feel in this book that everybody is searching for something and it really epitomises the emptiness of lives increasingly spent in seclusion, or in shallow behaviour. To talk too much about the plot itself would give too much away, and to my mind ruin the experience of reading the book. Who is the real villain in this book, are the people involved totally to blame, is society to blame, where does all the anger come from, is its source external or internal,and how far will people go for love?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
A slow burner of a book to begin with but if you persevere it rewards you with a skilful read. Although well written, it isn't your standard detective novel and full of Japanese atmosphere and mores.
I mostly enjoyed how the author showed the ways that the characters are affected differently by the murder.
Ultimately, though, the book left me unsatisfied because it stressed the minutiae of people's feelings. Additionally, the narrative kept retracing the characters' backstories which I found a l little distracting.
I both liked and hated this book because of its interesting ending and the attention to the main characters' motivations. It left me hanging. I won't say any more.
I've only given it 3 stars because although i found it a good book I found it hard work at times.
I mostly enjoyed how the author showed the ways that the characters are affected differently by the murder.
Ultimately, though, the book left me unsatisfied because it stressed the minutiae of people's feelings. Additionally, the narrative kept retracing the characters' backstories which I found a l little distracting.
I both liked and hated this book because of its interesting ending and the attention to the main characters' motivations. It left me hanging. I won't say any more.
I've only given it 3 stars because although i found it a good book I found it hard work at times.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Astonishing, riveting
This is not a crime novel. Crime novels, although entertaining, are often well executed works that take you by the hand and lead you through a journey of guesswork, and can often... Read more
Published 4 months ago by tonupkid
A very good read
This is the first novel that I have read by Shuichi Yoshida. I chose it as I dont usually read murder/crime novels and also I have an interest in anything Japanese simply because... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. R. Breslin
Villain or victim?
The last ten pages of this novel are quite intriguing. Is the killer actually a good guy, and others are at fault for his crime? Or is Yoshida satirizing the `blame culture'? Read more
Published 7 months ago by Fleming
Not what you would expect from a 'crime' novel
First let me qualify this review by saying that I am just getting into reading Japanese crime fiction having exhausted Haruki Murakami's novels and so I am comparing this to... Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. O. HAYNES
Atmospheric and gritty with an emotionally heavy storyline...
First published in Japanese under the title 'Akunin' back in April of 2007, Japanese novelist Shuichi Yoshida saw his novel later becoming translated by Philip Gabriel for its... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Chris Hall
A crime novel with twists and turns!
Yoshino is an insurance salesperson who is looking for excitement in her life. She arranges to meet Yuichi but takes advantage of his inexperience in social situations to drop him... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Caz Mysteries
Intriguing look at Japan
Villain is a fairly simple thriller set in japan that has been translated from Japanese and is intriguing as a look at Japanese culture. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Richard Kelly
A murder and its effects
Yoshino, a young insurance saleswoman, is found strangled on a lonely mountain pass; a construction worker is arrested for the crime. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Eleanor
An insight into modern-day Japan - and a good read, too!
I found 'Villain' to be a genuinely enjoyable and unusual read. I'm not sure if marketing it as a crime novel is exactly right: the plot is set in motion by the murder near the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Roland Cassard
Unusual crime novel
This is a crime novel without a detective. The story switches between character perspectives, gradually developing in richness and complexity. Read more
Published 8 months ago by P Lister
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