Asura Girl

Teenage angst permeates a lot of modern Japanese fiction, and this book is part of that trend as it follows seventeen-year-old Aiko. Aiko has casual sex with a guy she does not like, just because she heard how good his moves are. But she is really in love with a classmate, Yoji Kaneda, but can’t seem to figure out anything other than having sex with him. As the story progresses, a classmate disappears, apparently the victim of the Round and Round Devil, a killer who is making waves on the Internet and being egged on by anonymous people wanting to see more violence. Spurred on by the Internet, the youths of Tokyo riot among each other, and Aiko is caught in the maelstrom.

This book will not appeal to everyone, and it might turn off a lot of people. But I urge readers to give it a shot. At times the story moves through a weird dream state, exploring the trauma of being young and insecure. It is true modern Japanese fiction that delves into the psyche of the youth of contemporary Japan.