Reviews

Hit Parade of Tears by Izumi Suzuki

Only show reviews with written explanations

lalaylala's review

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adventurous dark funny slow-paced

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

4.0

lindy_b's review

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3.0

I found Hit Parade of Tears to be stronger than Terminal Boredom, Verso's first volume of collected stories by Izumi Suzuki, overall. In this volume, the editors seem less concerned with slotting Suzuki's work into the strictest confines and tropes of science fiction and with convincing the reader that her writing is eternally timeless and relevant. Here, the stories are given space to breathe while firmly tethered to a specific time and place: Japan, in the 1970s and 80s, with a heavy dose of nostalgia for the 1960s. "The Covenant" and "The Walker" are both absolute bangers.

toju's review

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dark mysterious

3.5

makotach's review

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3.0

Flashes of inspiration here, but felt like it dragged in the latter half. Suzuki’s style definitely benefitted from the reduced length of the shortest stories in this collection, but begins to falter as they grow in length.

alle_kat97's review

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dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

bookish_bryn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed the mysterious, sci fi/speculative fiction vibes of the stories but they all blended together a bit for me. Structurally interesting and I'm glad I read a collection of translated stories by a Japanese woman from the 70s -- unlike a lot of other things I've read. As others have mentioned, I definitely see. how Sakaya Murata was inspired by Izumi Suzuki. Favorites were "Hey, It's a Love Psychedelic!," "Trial Witch," and "The Covenant."