writing - visual - misc - huh?
this one is an absolute pageturner. i picked it up out of curiosity, looking to read something completely different.
the story is basically that a big chunk of asia is a totalitarian state that holds warped competitions in which they take classrooms of students, dump them on an island with weapons, and force them to compete to the death until only one student remains.
what makes this book so great is that takami gets into the heads of junior high school kids, which makes these characters believable. they see the world in a simplistic light, and are still in the midst of understanding their own feelings and the world around them. this dynamic makes for many interesting plot developments based around confused emotions and betrayal. there are 42 students involved in the game, and takami explores all of the variations in reaction to impending mortality and attempts at victory.
yes, this book is violent. if you're upset easily then you may skip this one.
otherwise, battle royale has a compelling plot and contains well-drawn character studies. it may not qualify as literature, but it is undeniably gracefully executed fiction.
{April 22, 2004 10:25 PM}