Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Audition

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Audition by Ryū Murakami

37 reviews

flowtjo's review

dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

It's... Okay! I was hoping for more to be honest. The slow burn at the start made me feel like I was in for a thriller or something more psychological. But the ending was just a gorefest, and the motive for the antagonist is kind of... Meh? The violence comes out of nowhere and it feels shovelled in. The ending was way way too short and too fast - when I realised how little I had left, I assumed the victim was going to die and that would be that. Might've been slightly better if they had 🙃

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enchantressreads's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I want to start off by saying this book is not for everyone. It's definitely a slow burn with a traumatic ending. I wouldn't say to continue it if you're not enjoying it, but it is worth it.

Aoyama is a widowed father of his teenage son, Shige. Shige has noticed that his dad may be lonely, and suggests marrying again. Aoyama, who owns a video production company, confides this with his friend and business partner Yashikawa, who tells him in order to find the perfect woman, he needs to hold an audition.

The audition soon ends up with thousands of applicants, and Aoyama needs to reduce it to thirty. As he's looking at the applications carefully, one photo catches his eye. Her name is Asami Yamasaki. When he reads on, she looks perfect. Young, sweet, enjoys music and the finer things, and has gone through trauma in the past that has helped her grow into who she is today. He knows he doesn't want to see any of the girls auditions except for Asami's. He soon asks her out on a date, but he's blinded by her beauty and her grace.

I started reading Audition because I've always been recommended the movie adaptation. I usually like to go into an adaptation having already read the book. I went in pretty blind, and didn't really know much of the plot beyond the audition itself. I think that was best for me. It's a slice-of-life type novel, where you follow Asami and Aoyama as they learn about each other. This is where it can seem boring. And to be fair, it kind of is. But once you've finished the book, it makes more sense and hits a little bit harder.

I enjoyed Audition, and I also enjoyed the movie adaptation. The book shows more about their internal thoughts, while the movie shows more of the darker side of the book.

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