Reviews

Coin Locker Babies by Ryū Murakami

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bigboibarry's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I haven't read this since high school - I think. I lugged it around with me in my early twenties and abandoned it after a break-up and had it replaced again by a dear friend. Ryu Murakami set my brains on fire in that funky dunk - pupils dilated anime cat drool kinda way. Must re-read this when I get a chance - I miss that pet alligator. <3

dewoes's review

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3.0

this book has the most horrible first sentence i have ever read in my entire life, i hope it'll stop haunting me. it gets better after that but it's not great

rifkautami's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

chantt's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

tomstbr's review against another edition

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5.0

Tragedy, comedy, romance, and an apocalyptic ending. What more do you want?

yukiisatsuki's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

wylsonated's review

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4.0

This is the first of Ryu Murakami I've read and it was a challenge to keep going at the start, given the flirtations with horror-rific violence and gore. What in the kept me moving forward was the sheer audacity of the plot and prose, trying to see what outrageous or insane detail the author would put to words next. As characters, the two titular abandoned children, who grow up to consider themselves siblings, continue to bewilder in terms of both their actions and destinies - I can't say they're sympathetic or redeeming, but perhaps what keeps them interesting throughout might be their singular focus on their goal/need, to the exclusion of anything else - even the terrible outcomes on everyone else they engender during these single-minded pursuits. It feels like a revenge fantasy against an entire society that makes everybody stay within their boxes, or else.