Japan Sinks: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Understanding Japan by destroying it.
Review: It's a classic convention of literature - and perhaps life - that people reach their clearest insight only when death is at hand. By creating a model of Japan's death, Komatsu deftly exposes the how the Japanese see themselves, how they believe the world sees them, and who they are. As a foreigner in Japan for nine years who has read copiously on this country, this novel is among the most penetrating I've read. For those who aren't interested in dissecting the Japanese, they'll still be thrilled by this compelling tale of an entire nation's doom.

Rating:
Summary: Now I Want To See The Movie
Review: Though this science fiction book is written about Japan by a Japanese author, an interest in Japan is not necessary to enjoy it. It is a well-written story about a cataclysmic natural disaster; the story is plausible and the disaster possible. It seems strange to me that so many Western reviewers of Japanese novels and films feel concerned about how well a book or movie "reveal Japanese character," as if Japanese character was so difficult to understand. I am not sure whether Americans would react differently from the Japanese if faced with a similar national disaster. I believe that any good book or movie will reveal something about human character. I give it four stars rather than five partly because the English translation could have been a little better. Anyway, just enjoy the book.