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Triangle
A chance meeting draws the shady Otsuki to the home of a master calligrapher, where he is subjected to a bizarre pornographic movie in which shots of a teenage girl alternate with close-ups of insects. Otsuki is then introduced to the calligrapher¡¯s attractive granddaughter, the star of the film, and is asked to shoot the remainder of the work himself. A metaphysical thriller, surreal noir, and ¡°moral tale¡± gone wrong, Triangle is an unsettling peek into the dark and irrational reality lying beneath a city.
216 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Hisaki Matsuura
11?books3?followersHisaki Matsuura (ËÉÆÖ ÊÙÝx Matsuura Hisaki?, born March 18, 1954) is a noted Japanese professor, poet, and novelist.
Matsuura was born in Tokyo. In 1981 he obtained his Ph.D. in French literature from the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle, and 1982 became an assistant professor in the French Department at the University of Tokyo where he is now a professor of culture and representation. He was supported by a 1997¨C98 Japan Foundation Fellowship at Harvard University.
Matsuura has received a number of awards for his literary work, including a 2000 Akutagawa Prize for Hana kutashi (A Spoiling Rain), and the 2004 Yomiuri Prize for Hant¨ (The Peninsula). His serialized novel Kawa no Hikari (River's Light) has been adapted into an anime TV special.
(from Wikipedia)
Matsuura was born in Tokyo. In 1981 he obtained his Ph.D. in French literature from the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle, and 1982 became an assistant professor in the French Department at the University of Tokyo where he is now a professor of culture and representation. He was supported by a 1997¨C98 Japan Foundation Fellowship at Harvard University.
Matsuura has received a number of awards for his literary work, including a 2000 Akutagawa Prize for Hana kutashi (A Spoiling Rain), and the 2004 Yomiuri Prize for Hant¨ (The Peninsula). His serialized novel Kawa no Hikari (River's Light) has been adapted into an anime TV special.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 20, 2021
A surreal neo-noir somewhere between a Takashi Miike thriller and that movie with creepy spiral imagery (Uzumaki), frequently let down by squeamishly poor writing (a barrage of rhetorical questions, slangy prose verging on clich¨¦) and an overly complex plot that relies on creepy folklore to excuse the serious lack of coherence.
March 15, 2014
ARC for review.
Good Lord. This book. So, every "ff" is missing. Every single one. And most of the "fi"s and "fl"s. And all of the "Th"s at the beginnings of sentences (and you know how many sentences begin with either "The" or "That"? Lots of them, that's how many. ) Was this some horrible, horrible error in digitalization, or was this some attempt at a play with typesetting sort of thing? Either way it made this book an agonizing read and it should never have been sent out in this form, even in a galley.
Separate from that the book was....still not great. I'm assuming that this was translated from the Japanese because it was fairly well received there, but this read like a nineteen year old Murakami want-to-be was workshopping a novel in his creative writing class. The main character was a mess and had some major issues with his family (which were presented about 80% of the way through the book and without context). Women were present only as sex objects or as harridans. There's a lot of nonsense about the "all worlds" theory and metaphysics (I guess). None of the loose ends are tied and there are several nonsensical plot holes.
The book escapes being a one star in that it did a good job with the dreamy, "anything is possible" life in Japan that characterizes Murakami's work, but overall it didn't work for me.
Good Lord. This book. So, every "ff" is missing. Every single one. And most of the "fi"s and "fl"s. And all of the "Th"s at the beginnings of sentences (and you know how many sentences begin with either "The" or "That"? Lots of them, that's how many. ) Was this some horrible, horrible error in digitalization, or was this some attempt at a play with typesetting sort of thing? Either way it made this book an agonizing read and it should never have been sent out in this form, even in a galley.
Separate from that the book was....still not great. I'm assuming that this was translated from the Japanese because it was fairly well received there, but this read like a nineteen year old Murakami want-to-be was workshopping a novel in his creative writing class. The main character was a mess and had some major issues with his family (which were presented about 80% of the way through the book and without context). Women were present only as sex objects or as harridans. There's a lot of nonsense about the "all worlds" theory and metaphysics (I guess). None of the loose ends are tied and there are several nonsensical plot holes.
The book escapes being a one star in that it did a good job with the dreamy, "anything is possible" life in Japan that characterizes Murakami's work, but overall it didn't work for me.
July 29, 2014
Japanese books often seem very bizarre, and this one is no exception. On the surface it¡¯s a crime novel, a thriller of sorts, in which all sorts of nasty things happen to all sorts of nasty people. But underlying it all there¡¯s a metaphysical element, which makes much of the word ¡°tomoe¡± which is not only the name of the main female protagonist but also means a triangle. And there¡¯s a lot of talk about ¡°now¡± and how there can be more than one ¡°now¡±. That all passed me by, I must admit. Unfortunately so did much of the plot, which gets increasingly convoluted, and as none of the characters are likeable or indeed even interesting, I remained reading out of sense of curiosity rather than from any real reading pleasure.
The ¡°hero¡± is Otsuki, a dropout form Tokyo University and an ex-drug addict, now leading a feckless sort of life doing not much. One evening he meets an ex-colleague called Sugimoto who persuades him to go to the house of a calligrapher who insists on showing Otsuki a truly unpleasant pornographic film, and then introduces him to the star of the film, his granddaughter Tomoe. Inevitably Otsuki becomes obsessed with Tomoe ¨C who is perhaps not all she seems. Somehow Otsuki finds himself from then on caught up a surreal series of adventures where everyone seems to be connected with everyone else and it all gets very nasty and dangerous and nightmarish.
Although I have a special interest in Japan and love to discover contemporary Japanese authors, this book left me cold. The plot was too convoluted, the characters unsympathetic and the metaphysical aspects too obscure. For those with a penchant for noir crime, though, this might appeal.
The ¡°hero¡± is Otsuki, a dropout form Tokyo University and an ex-drug addict, now leading a feckless sort of life doing not much. One evening he meets an ex-colleague called Sugimoto who persuades him to go to the house of a calligrapher who insists on showing Otsuki a truly unpleasant pornographic film, and then introduces him to the star of the film, his granddaughter Tomoe. Inevitably Otsuki becomes obsessed with Tomoe ¨C who is perhaps not all she seems. Somehow Otsuki finds himself from then on caught up a surreal series of adventures where everyone seems to be connected with everyone else and it all gets very nasty and dangerous and nightmarish.
Although I have a special interest in Japan and love to discover contemporary Japanese authors, this book left me cold. The plot was too convoluted, the characters unsympathetic and the metaphysical aspects too obscure. For those with a penchant for noir crime, though, this might appeal.
December 10, 2018
A very strange and disturbing book--like a noir version of a heroin trip.
January 9, 2024
Artistic, Strange... Great!
I really quite enjoyed this book.
I found the story very intriguing, and unique, and I couldn't put the book down.
The story really reminded me of the wild movie, A Serbian Film. Quite a book indeed!
I'm always interested in weird and wild stories - especially ones that deal with art and film such as this.
Hard to put to words exactly the plot of the book, but it is something purely "Japanese" and really interesting. I did enjoy the first half more than the second half, but it was all good.
The writing was quite outstanding. Especially for a new author like this.
I definitely see a lot of potential in this author's future.
4.5/5
I really quite enjoyed this book.
I found the story very intriguing, and unique, and I couldn't put the book down.
The story really reminded me of the wild movie, A Serbian Film. Quite a book indeed!
I'm always interested in weird and wild stories - especially ones that deal with art and film such as this.
Hard to put to words exactly the plot of the book, but it is something purely "Japanese" and really interesting. I did enjoy the first half more than the second half, but it was all good.
The writing was quite outstanding. Especially for a new author like this.
I definitely see a lot of potential in this author's future.
4.5/5
July 29, 2024
hiÅ·±¦ÓéÀÖ Description:
"A chance meeting draws the shady Otsuki to the home of a master calligrapher, where he is subjected to a bizarre pornographic movie in which shots of a teenage girl alternate with close-ups of insects. Otsuki is then introduced to the calligrapher¡¯s attractive granddaughter, the star of the film, and is asked to shoot the remainder of the work himself. A metaphysical thriller, surreal noir, and ¡°moral tale¡± gone wrong, Triangle is an unsettling peek into the dark and irrational reality lying beneath a city."
My Review:
An experimental turn into a sort of cinematic film noir with its usual fatalistic and ambiguous elements and surprises; veil after veil removed in the protagonist's wild underworld predicament, not only revealing his personal history but peeling away the social motives of other characters.
There are a lot of sexual taboos and shocking scenes toyed with in the novel that are only the superficial reflections of the vicious predatory violence beneath the carnal interactions of the characters.
It's the innocent man caught in the proverbial web of intrigue, deception, and his personal failings, past sins, and uncontrollable desires. The author, a renowned Japanese poet gives the reader a taste of his processing of French Literature (his specialty). The narration and plot movement flow easily and hungrily.
The end ends as it should for such doomed characters who, using reason and having "woken up," attempt to extricate themselves from the inevitable darkness of the cold universe.
- Dr. James
"A chance meeting draws the shady Otsuki to the home of a master calligrapher, where he is subjected to a bizarre pornographic movie in which shots of a teenage girl alternate with close-ups of insects. Otsuki is then introduced to the calligrapher¡¯s attractive granddaughter, the star of the film, and is asked to shoot the remainder of the work himself. A metaphysical thriller, surreal noir, and ¡°moral tale¡± gone wrong, Triangle is an unsettling peek into the dark and irrational reality lying beneath a city."
My Review:
An experimental turn into a sort of cinematic film noir with its usual fatalistic and ambiguous elements and surprises; veil after veil removed in the protagonist's wild underworld predicament, not only revealing his personal history but peeling away the social motives of other characters.
There are a lot of sexual taboos and shocking scenes toyed with in the novel that are only the superficial reflections of the vicious predatory violence beneath the carnal interactions of the characters.
It's the innocent man caught in the proverbial web of intrigue, deception, and his personal failings, past sins, and uncontrollable desires. The author, a renowned Japanese poet gives the reader a taste of his processing of French Literature (his specialty). The narration and plot movement flow easily and hungrily.
The end ends as it should for such doomed characters who, using reason and having "woken up," attempt to extricate themselves from the inevitable darkness of the cold universe.
- Dr. James
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August 6, 2024One of the slimier novels I¡¯ve read. Not sure where it landed with me.
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June 9, 2014Triangle ¨C Hisaki Matsuura
by Scott Beauchamp
[Dalkey Archive Press; 2014]
Not being able to read Japanese makes it twice as hard to review , a stark and disturbing novel by and translated into English by . The problem with reviewing any work of translation is that they¡¯re books twice-written, and I don¡¯t have any idea of what the original Japanese text was like. I take it on faith that there¡¯s a good portion of parallel meaning between the two books, but the details of the relationship are invisible to me. As an example of what I¡¯m talking about, take this excerpt from TRIANGLE¡¯S shady narrator, Otsuki:
Wasn¡¯t that the most terrifying thing that could happen to this world? Since my morning glories were ripped from their vines, that fear ¡ª the stifling fear that had plagued my junk withdrawal had come back to stay twenty-four hours a day. It was a constant reminder that something that was not me could invade my body anytime anywhere. Suddenly, the wall I¡¯d built between myself and the world was punctured with holes, battered so thin, until it no longer served any real purpose, allowing evil spirits to come and go as they please, eating away at my insides.
It¡¯s a wonderful passage. The words tiptoe around some surreal vortex of self-loathing, flirting with annihilation. It¡¯s interesting writing even out of context. But like Jonathan Blitzer wrote recently in Words Without Borders, ¡°There is a certain paradox to reviewing the work in translation. The translation is both utterly immediate (its effects totalizing) and at the same time impossibly elusive.¡± That powerful ambiguity makes translating as difficult as it is necessary. The hidden relationship between writer and translator charge the best translated works with a strange energy, the origins of which should remain a little occult if done well. In fact, the better the translation, the more paranoid it should make the reader: ¡®how much of the original author am I actually reading in any given passage? Who is in charge here?¡¯ The best translations are a perfect conspiracy.
Read the rest here:
by Scott Beauchamp
[Dalkey Archive Press; 2014]
Not being able to read Japanese makes it twice as hard to review , a stark and disturbing novel by and translated into English by . The problem with reviewing any work of translation is that they¡¯re books twice-written, and I don¡¯t have any idea of what the original Japanese text was like. I take it on faith that there¡¯s a good portion of parallel meaning between the two books, but the details of the relationship are invisible to me. As an example of what I¡¯m talking about, take this excerpt from TRIANGLE¡¯S shady narrator, Otsuki:
Wasn¡¯t that the most terrifying thing that could happen to this world? Since my morning glories were ripped from their vines, that fear ¡ª the stifling fear that had plagued my junk withdrawal had come back to stay twenty-four hours a day. It was a constant reminder that something that was not me could invade my body anytime anywhere. Suddenly, the wall I¡¯d built between myself and the world was punctured with holes, battered so thin, until it no longer served any real purpose, allowing evil spirits to come and go as they please, eating away at my insides.
It¡¯s a wonderful passage. The words tiptoe around some surreal vortex of self-loathing, flirting with annihilation. It¡¯s interesting writing even out of context. But like Jonathan Blitzer wrote recently in Words Without Borders, ¡°There is a certain paradox to reviewing the work in translation. The translation is both utterly immediate (its effects totalizing) and at the same time impossibly elusive.¡± That powerful ambiguity makes translating as difficult as it is necessary. The hidden relationship between writer and translator charge the best translated works with a strange energy, the origins of which should remain a little occult if done well. In fact, the better the translation, the more paranoid it should make the reader: ¡®how much of the original author am I actually reading in any given passage? Who is in charge here?¡¯ The best translations are a perfect conspiracy.
Read the rest here:
July 16, 2015
Something tells me I am not missing any sort of deeper, cultural meaning to this book. I admit fully that I could be wrong. Hoping for something a little literary fictiony, I have stumbled into a Japanese pseudo-Lynchian nightmarescape that seems to be more about creating images instead of commenting on anything. Sure, it touches on time and a little on desire, but by and large these are shallow and unfulfilled. The plot meanders, much like our main character. Characters float in and out but serve no greater purpose than moving the plot forward it seems. Things all of a sudden come to light that seem only to serve a specific chapter or two. No one is likeable, though no one is asking to be.
I am curious about to know how this novel was received in Japan, how it has been viewed as an entry into their literary landscape, and where it fits on the greater shelf of Japanese literature. I am curious if there is a commentary that gets lost either in translation or upon my dumbish American brain. These are possibilities when dealing with foreign literature.
Of course, I am always willing to argue with myself and say that it never was meant to make sense in any sort of traditional manner. It is a novel written by a poet and very well may be an antinovel, vignettes tied together by one character and interwoven with others for the sake of looking and feeling like a novel. Maybe the point is to bore and peeve the reader with its meandering and nonresolving ending. A piece written to confront readers so bluntly with their expectations of what a novel should be would be brusque and opaque. It should leave a reader frustrated and lost. It should not be fun. And "Triangle (Tomoe)" was most definitely not fun. There is that argument and one I have now convinced myself of, though that doesn't change the rating I will give it.
I am curious about to know how this novel was received in Japan, how it has been viewed as an entry into their literary landscape, and where it fits on the greater shelf of Japanese literature. I am curious if there is a commentary that gets lost either in translation or upon my dumbish American brain. These are possibilities when dealing with foreign literature.
Of course, I am always willing to argue with myself and say that it never was meant to make sense in any sort of traditional manner. It is a novel written by a poet and very well may be an antinovel, vignettes tied together by one character and interwoven with others for the sake of looking and feeling like a novel. Maybe the point is to bore and peeve the reader with its meandering and nonresolving ending. A piece written to confront readers so bluntly with their expectations of what a novel should be would be brusque and opaque. It should leave a reader frustrated and lost. It should not be fun. And "Triangle (Tomoe)" was most definitely not fun. There is that argument and one I have now convinced myself of, though that doesn't change the rating I will give it.
June 11, 2017
Intriguing, dark, claustrophobic, Triangle feels a lot like a bad dream while you're reading it. As the loser Otsuki stumbles his way through what may or may not be a plot designed to reel him in, his noir-ish Tokyo becomes more and more surrealistic. None of the people involved are who they seem to be, no do any of them have his best interests in mind; but then again, he doesn't really have his own best interests in mind either. He's drawn in by a mysterious job offer, then is obsessed with a young girl (who might not be young after all), goes back to the scene of the crime over and over even though he knows he should flee, and is finally in so deep there's no point in turning back. I couldn't say this is a pleasant book, but if unpleasantness doesn't turn you off and the above sounds intriguing, this could be one for you. Something like Dennis Cooper meets Ballard and Kobo Abe, perhaps. It might rate more than three stars but while I was entertained by the book I felt like something was missing. I might simply be that I wanted Otsuki to own his fate more strongly instead of being the passive object that he is? Not sure.
December 20, 2014
The savagery, the degradation, the malaise, the amorality, the brutality, the loss of one¡¯s way.
Welcome to the world of the outsider Otsuki, our narrator, who we learn in the first two pages of this novel is sleeping with a married woman, Hiroko, is unemployed and broke:
Not job, no money, and only the weakest grasp of another man¡¯s woman. This was a life built by picking up the pieces of one that had crumbled. Darkness was the only thing on my horizon, and I knew no way to come back out into the light.
Otsuki is talked into visiting an ex-co-worker¡¯s current sensei, Koyama, where he is offered employment (as he had conned people into believing he spoke French), is given a theory on the concept of time, whereby it is not a loop, not linear but a case of multiple ¡°nows¡± each within the present ¡°now¡± and is then shown a film ¡°The structure of the film was simple ¨C scenes showing the habits of various insects inter-spliced with scenes of explicit pornography.¡±
For my full review go to
Welcome to the world of the outsider Otsuki, our narrator, who we learn in the first two pages of this novel is sleeping with a married woman, Hiroko, is unemployed and broke:
Not job, no money, and only the weakest grasp of another man¡¯s woman. This was a life built by picking up the pieces of one that had crumbled. Darkness was the only thing on my horizon, and I knew no way to come back out into the light.
Otsuki is talked into visiting an ex-co-worker¡¯s current sensei, Koyama, where he is offered employment (as he had conned people into believing he spoke French), is given a theory on the concept of time, whereby it is not a loop, not linear but a case of multiple ¡°nows¡± each within the present ¡°now¡± and is then shown a film ¡°The structure of the film was simple ¨C scenes showing the habits of various insects inter-spliced with scenes of explicit pornography.¡±
For my full review go to
March 25, 2014
Metaphysical thriller and surreal noir? Sounds interesting, and that's exactly what this novel is - interesting but not something I'm going to go crazy about. It's a rather quick and light read that manages to keep the minimum of interest even though it's slightly repetitive at times.
October 14, 2014
Japan does weird like nobody else. This surreal noir porno mystery is no exception. Interesting read and sure to satisfy anyone looking for a bizarro tale. Not a terribly satisfying story, though, since after reading the whole thing, I'm not really sure what happened.
November 9, 2014
"So weird and full of unlikeable characters and strange situations."
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August 25, 2014
One of the most bat-shit bizarre novels I have ever read.
June 12, 2023
Dark urban setting. My kind of thing. Nothing you haven't read before, but I liked it.
April 2, 2017
Unlike some of the reviewers who state that they don't feel like they're missing cultural context, I am going to state outright that I believe I am. This book was a perplexing read. I couldn't comprehend the calligraphy forms they were talking about, though I did understand the underlying theme of abstracting human experience until it's no longer (well) humanized. There were also definitely some theories regarding time and perception of time happening here. Overall, the book left me feeling uneasy and confused.
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