Scan barcode
A review by jshawreads
Making Money in Shibuya by Amanda Parsons
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to Netgalley for a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kai is an artist struggling to make ends meet with freelance graffiti work and a service job in a ramen shop to pay his way through university. In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, he makes an account on an escort site, explicitly stating, "No sex." When a mysterious client hires him, paying him above and beyond what he dreamed, Kai juggles keeping it a secret, his studies, and his employers sometimes rude approach, as the two draw ever closer.
Making Money In Shibuya has a really good idea, but unfortunately, it really felt as though the idea had not fully formed. I always look at self-published titles with a less critical eye, as not having editors and external checking can make a huge impact. There were plot points in this book that just didn’t seem to go anywhere, avenues that weren't explored, character development really was minimal, and even character backstory could be explained in two lines. There were also a number of grammatical and punctuation errors and instances of incorrect word use, sometimes with homophones, which made me think of when an Alexa or Siri tries to understand my broad Northern lilt. My final criticism is that this did not feel like it was set in Shibuya... If not for a random mention of 104 and Hachikō it could easily be set in the USA, the language and slang used by characters, and even a use of the phrase "threw the driver a hundred", when a hundred Yen is less than one GBP, just made it feel like the author loves the idea of Japan/Shibuya, but hasn't been.
I hate to really rag on this book. I did enjoy it, I promise! Kai was a sympathetic and lovable main character, and I loved his friendships with Mondo and Yuki especially. The bones of the story were interesting, a punk protagonist and graffiti artist was an interesting concept, and the spice was truly wasabi, I just think with a little editing and external influence this could have been really good. A good quick read to pass a few hours.
Kai is an artist struggling to make ends meet with freelance graffiti work and a service job in a ramen shop to pay his way through university. In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, he makes an account on an escort site, explicitly stating, "No sex." When a mysterious client hires him, paying him above and beyond what he dreamed, Kai juggles keeping it a secret, his studies, and his employers sometimes rude approach, as the two draw ever closer.
Making Money In Shibuya has a really good idea, but unfortunately, it really felt as though the idea had not fully formed. I always look at self-published titles with a less critical eye, as not having editors and external checking can make a huge impact. There were plot points in this book that just didn’t seem to go anywhere, avenues that weren't explored, character development really was minimal, and even character backstory could be explained in two lines. There were also a number of grammatical and punctuation errors and instances of incorrect word use, sometimes with homophones, which made me think of when an Alexa or Siri tries to understand my broad Northern lilt. My final criticism is that this did not feel like it was set in Shibuya... If not for a random mention of 104 and Hachikō it could easily be set in the USA, the language and slang used by characters, and even a use of the phrase "threw the driver a hundred", when a hundred Yen is less than one GBP, just made it feel like the author loves the idea of Japan/Shibuya, but hasn't been.
I hate to really rag on this book. I did enjoy it, I promise! Kai was a sympathetic and lovable main character, and I loved his friendships with Mondo and Yuki especially. The bones of the story were interesting, a punk protagonist and graffiti artist was an interesting concept, and the spice was truly wasabi, I just think with a little editing and external influence this could have been really good. A good quick read to pass a few hours.