There is an odd quality in some Japanese fiction about nihilistic or suicidal or desperate teenagers: it is written so fast that even the most desolate scenes are easy to read. Compare A.L. Kennedy to this! The incidents and the lives in this book are potentially interesting, but the prose runs so quickly and carelessly that the book is forgettable.

The speed of Japanese fiction was noted in the spring 2008 issue of "Calque," an excellent magazine of translations. Michael Emmerich, writing about Matsuura Rieko, says her output of 6 books of fiction is "astonishing" because it's so small. The author Kakuta Mitsuyo, he says, publishes six books every year. I wonder if the conventions of Japanese fiction run counter to some of the subject matter. ( )

The book is about a 19 year old Japanese girl, Lui, who struggles through alienation and a general indifference to life. She dabbles Japanese counterculture in being a Barbie Girl, body modification, tongue forking, tattooing, ear plugs, S&M and alcoholism. Lui feels she cannot tell anymore between moral and amoral, pain and pleasure. The book has a very dark tone and it keeps you guessing what kind of personal journey Lui is on and whether she's going to make it.

My biggest problem with this book is that it relies on the shock value. What if you're like me and not 'shocked' by any of the underground scenes that Lui is involved with? Before I read this book, I knew a fair bit about Japanese subcultures like Barbie Girls, Elegant Gothic Lolitas, Cosplay, etc. And pretty much if I haven't had a friend who has done all the body modifications mentioned, I've seen pictures. When I was younger, I had my hand in many of the North American countercultures... and I felt in the book it was indirectly implied that young people who participate in these activities are somehow 'damaged' in some way. That there is a correlation between body modification and being a lost soul. And I honestly feel that this is a disservice. Not all people who are drawn to being 'different' have 'issues'. So I sort of get my back up when all the characters in Lui's underground life are unstable personalities.

In the end, I had to read the NYTimes review to understand another reason why this book might be worthy of the accolades it has received. Supposedly, it is the the first (or one of the first) Japanese novels to be written about the post-bubble generation (born after the mid-80s) and their struggles to fit into Japanese society. A generation that is disillusioned, that does not always have stable jobs -- Lui is a "freeter" which means she picks up temp jobs whenever she feels like it -- or rejects formal schooling. Apparently, there are no laws in Japan that requires children to attend school and this has led to an under-discussed, but growing segment of the young population that don't have a high school, or even middle school, education. Perhaps if I felt that if these themes were more in the forefront, rather than the background, I would have liked this book more.

Would I recommend this book? Hard to say. If you like to be scandalized or learn more about Japanese counterculture, then yes. If you are going to be bored by pages of description for ear plug gauges because it's old hat (like me), then no. ( )

This book tried so hard to be shocking that it was painful. I was torn between being bored and just being grateful that it was a short 122 pages. Trite at best, this book lacked for character development and any real movement, instead focusing on "how weeeeeird" the characters were and how out of the mainstream they lived. I've read better fanfiction. This is a book for Chuck Palahniuk fans, or people who think that simple things like tongue piercing and light s&m are shocking. ( )

I really liked this book, but its definitely not for everyone. The book is pretty vulgar and graphic, but because of that the story reads as a raw account of life as it occurs. I can't really explain why I feel connected with this story. I found it randomly while browsing for the Burgess novel I wanted; but once I read the preview look in the book thing on amazon, I was hooked into the story. I was excited to read it and wasn't disappointed. The story is gritty and intense but I think thats why I was so enthralled. Lui lives her life truly as she wants and has to live with the consequences and meaning behind the choices that she made. ( )

Disturbing, yet interesting read. Described a lifestyle totally alien to my own and it's good to get jolted out of normality once in a while and delve into weird subcultures......from a safe distance. ( )

This won Japan's top literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, in 2004, and sold more than a million copies. Its heroine is a Barbie Doll. The term is not explained, but I read it as meaning one of those young women with dyed blonde hair, cute clothes and striking make-up who catch the eye around Tokyo, especially in Harajuku. But she's a Barbie Doll who, with no explanation or back story, identifies as a masochist and has appalling things done to her in sexual encounters, only one of which (I'm grateful for small mercies) is graphically described. She also aspires to elements of punkdom, including having her tongue pierced and then cut so as to be forked. She becomes accessory after the fact to two brutal killings, one of them involving prolonged torture, with not a tremor of misgiving. I didn't read this in Japanese, and its finer qualities may have been lost in translation, but I didn't find it particularly well written, and its subject matter is Definitely Not My Cup Of Tea. It left me looking uneasily out of the corner of my eye at the young people, especially the ones with tattoos, who were responding with apparent reverence and cheerful good humour to the art on Naoshima, where I read the book. ( )

Winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2006 for best serious Japanese story published by a new or rising author, [Snakes and Earrings] provides a vivid and graphic window into a part of Japan's culture beyond stereotypes. It is the story set in Japan's punk subculture's rebellious youth - a subculture of tattoos, piercings, sex and violence. The young 19 year old protagonist has just hooked up with a new boyfriend and she's interested in acquiring a 'forked' tongue (split) like his. It's a subculture I wasn't terribly comfortable in and the novella was thankfully short. Still, it was an interesting peek into another part of Japanese culture. ( )

i can see why people would shy away from considering this novel serious literature due to its subject matter. frankly, i didn't expect to enjoy this book; i read some reviews on here before i started it. there's no question in my mind that this book is a next step in japanese and world literature because of the way kanehara relates loneliness and despair to the reader. she also uses powerful imagery that fits in very nicely to the canon of modern japanese literature. this is not just some story about alcoholic, perverted lowlifes - though i suppose it can be if you can't manage to figure out what you're reading. ( )

What a disappointment, I have no idea why this book won such acclaim. It was slow & un-noteworthy. There are so many other S&M works which are sexy and compelling, but not this one. ( )

A quick but highly entertaining read. This twisted novella is filled with nihilism and youthful existential angst. The ending seemed predictable in some ways but the book was not at all disappointing. I can see why it won the Akutagawa Prize. ( )

Quick, interesting read about the power of self-loathing. The descent is quick and the novel is more like an exercise in the act of depravity and self-worth. Does she allegorically turn into a snake in the end? Sex, piercing and murder. A fast read and worth an afternoon for you cringe enthusiasts. ( )

I read Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara last night and my scrotum is still hiding somewhere behind my liver. Damn but this book hurt to read and not in a good way. After reading Japanese writers like Murakami, Kawabata, and Natsume, i can say that this was not a refreshing read by an 'up-and-coming' Japanese writer who was born when i was already deep in my own debauchery. Kanehara won the Akutagawa prize (top Japanese literary award for new writers) with this book. all i can say is Japan must be having a dry run with writers of late. I read this book to take a night off from reading war and peace... sheesh, I'm gleefully retreating back to the Russian front.

Exerpts:

Getting a forked tongue is normally something done by crazy people. They call it 'body modification.' But that didn't stop me from listening intently as he explained how it was done. Apparently, you begin by getting your tongue pierced. You then gradually enlarge the hole by inserting bigger and bigger tongue rings. Then, when the hole has been stretched to a certain size, you tie dental floss or fishing line in tight loops running from the hole down the middle of the tongue. Finally, you cut the remaining part of the tongue that's still connected using either a scalpel or a razor blade. In fact, some people don't even bother going through the whole pierce-and-tie process at all - they just slice their tongue in two with a scalpel.

....
Outside, the sun was setting and the air was so fresh I almost choked. I took the train back to Ama's place. The shopping promenade on the way home from the station was full of too many families. In fact the sound of all those voices made me want to vomit... I really didn't want to live in this kind of world. I wanted to live recklessly and leave nothing behind but ashes in this dark, dull world.

From a review of the book I found this morning:

When whips, spurs and casual murder pale, we are given some post-modernist juvenile delinquent philosophy:

"If you were God, what kind of human would you create, " I asked.

"I wouldn't change how they look. But I would make them as dumb as chickens. So dumb they'd never even imagine the existence of a God." ( )

I'm not entirely sure why this book gained such critical aclaim, other than its bravery in mixing what could be literary fiction with regular sex and violence, but it's a quick and at times interesting read. The characters, though, are fairly unengaging, so that you feel as if you're watching a screen moreso than being engaged in a story, and in general it could have used a bit more--to character, to plot, to meaning, etc. In the end, it is a short entertainment, but it's also fairly unmemorable and not likely to be something you pick up again except as a curiosity in your collection. ( )

This book contains what may possibly be the least sympathetic cast of characters I've ever come across. Young, drunk and without a care, these three form only the most fragile bonds with each other for no reason other than to inflict acts of sexual violence upon one another.

I bought this book because of its award-winning history and because of its very attractive cover design. The fact that it was on the clearance table at the local Barnes didn't hurt either. Despite only paying about a buck and a half for it I still felt cheated when I got to the end. Thankfully, this can be read in about an hour, but I would still only suggest it to anyone who's curious about the daily habits of violent, freeloading losers. ( )

Eighteen-year-old Liu runs away from home to live on the streets and answer to no one. She befriends Ama, a boy whose red mohawk, forked tongue, and multiple piercings seduce her, and Shiba, a tattoo artist whose cold eyes give no hint of the secrets he may be harboring. When their reckless behavior breeds dangerous consequences, Liu finds herself forced to choose between good and evil, life and death, love and hate. ( )

It's a quick read, very dark and very raunchy. Be prepared for sex, s&m, brutality, murder and alcoholism. Oh yeah, and body piercings galore. I really like things that are on the dark side, so I enjoyed this book but it's not incredibly profound. I think it is the first Japanese novel that I've read. ( )

piercings, tattoos, violent sexuality, etc. ( )

A very quick read which I feel isn't worth the price I paid (or the rave reviews/awards).

Tells the story of Lui, who is what one would call a "Barbie girl". At the start of the book, she has an intense attraction to Ama because of his forked tongue. Though he is what one would call edgy with tattoos, piercings and red hair. On the basis of her attraction to his/a forked tongue, she enters into a relationship with him and decides that she must get one of her own. He hooks her up with his tattoo artist guy, "Shiba-san", so she can get hers done (forked tongue + tattoo) .. but the latter brings forth certain conditions and repercussions.

It essentially feels a little empty and lacks depth. You never really get to know the characters - even Lui, the main character, who is in the whole book. You do not understand her or her reasons for doing anything.

The ending is lacklustre. I wouldn't recommend this at all. ( )