An edgy and gripping novel that keeps the reader guessing through to its close. Piercing begins with the arresting image of a father standing over his newborn child with an ice pick. This thought leads him to the notion that he should seek to murder a prostitute. In one sense, it's typical Murakami shock value at work. In another, Piercing depicts a side of Tokyo that is far from visible to typical visitors; it's more see the underbelly. Both of these observations, however, slightly miss the point. The narrative power of Piercing lies in its psychology. The work owes a certain debt both to Hitchcock and to David Lynch. At its core is how we both live with but also manage to exorcise our inner demons. Everyone, Murakami seems to assert, has skeletons metaphorically in the cupboard that may (continually) come back to haunt them. 9 out of 10.
By Ryu Murakami