-
NP
- Narrated by: Emily Zeller
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 545
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 480
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On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses - until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards.
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- By Booky Nooky on 12-13-19
By: Yoko Ogawa, and others
Publisher's Summary
"Bananamania" has returned in an enchanting new novel of uncanny subtlety, style, magic, and mystery that Frank Ramirez of the South Bend Tribune declares is "every bit as good as Yoskimoto's first book...perhaps better".
A celebrated Japanese writer has committed suicide, leaving behind a collection of stories written in English, NP. But the book may never be published in his native Japan: Each translator who takes up the 98th story chooses death too - including Kazami Kano's boyfriend, Shoji. Haunted by Shoji's death, Kazami is inexorably drawn to three young people whose lives are intimately bound to the late writer and his work. Over the course of an astonishing summer, she will discover the truth behind the 98th story - and she will come to believe that "everything that had happened was shockingly beautiful enough to make you crazy".
Featured Article: 10 Famous Japanese Authors You Have to Hear
Thanks to the work of translators and publishers, Japanese literature is now more accessible than ever to English-speaking audiences. If you've ever wanted to learn more about Japanese culture and literature, you cannot go wrong with listening to audiobooks from Japan. We've compiled a list of the most famous Japanese authors who have helped define Japanese literature, and their notable works across genres and time periods.
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What listeners say about NP
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- skycrystal
- 12-31-20
Interesting ... ish?
Story was on the side of melodramatic - maybe even slightly contrived to my western ears. Not sure how much of that is a 90s thing, Japanese thing, or a 90s Japanese thing. But beautiful and poetic. Sometimes hard to tell which character the narrator is narrating, but it's a good performance overall.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- jaynay
- 05-06-21
Romanticises pedophilia and Incest
The female protagonist had a sexual relationship with her 24(?) year old adult boyfriend, Shoji, at the age of 17 when there was an evident imbalance in power within their relationship. The inappropriateness of this was never addressed at any point in the book, and their relationship was viewed with rose coloured glasses by both the protagonist and other people looking back on her relationship. It also depicts the incestuous relationship of two half siblings in a similar, romanticised light. This would make most readers feel mildly
