Who is Mr Satoshi?

When Rob Fossick’s mother dies she leaves behind an enigmatic parcel with the instruction “the plan is to deliver it to Mr Satoshi”. At first Rob wants to forget about it, but his mother’s best friend persuades him that he should try to deliver it. Next he decides simply to mail it to Tokyo – but the address is incomplete. Eventually he finds himself with no choice but to travel to Tokyo himself and search out the mysterious Mr Satoshi.

This book seems to me to be about the things we search for. Rob isn’t merely looking for Mr Satoshi; he is seeking out memories of his mother’s past, and comparing them with his own knowledge of her. More than that, he seems to be searching for himself; to discover how he can properly live show more his life following the terrible death of his wife in a fire in Greek nightclub.

Although it isn’t a 5* read (for me, at least), this book does have a lot of strengths. The writing is elegant and in places even poetic – Lee has clearly worked at achieving very “visual” descriptions of place and people, and uses some lovely metaphors. The characters are certainly colourful and interesting, even if they do stretch credulity occasionally! I loved the way the relationship between Rob and Chiyoko developed, and I enjoyed the dryly humorous dialogue between them.

On the downside, there isn’t a lot of plot, and what there is unfolds very slowly, especially at the start. Chiyoko is too good to be true, and there is no convincing explanation as to why she should just drop her life and go off with him to look for Satoshi. Similarly the convenient arrival of a air ticket to Tokyo from Rob’s agent is a rather transparent device. And the secrets, when revealed, are really rather ordinary

However, the book does come to a satisfying and very readable ending. I would recommend the book as an enjoyable read, and Lee as an author to watch. show less