Book Review | The Lonesome Bodybuilder by Yukiko Motoya
7 February 2019 Leave a comment
More than surreal, this collection of almost otherworldly short stories are sure to open your eyes wide with the unexpected. I offer a one sentence introduction for each of the 11 tales.
The Lonesome Bodybuilder: A woman working at a department store decides to pursue bodybuilding.
Fitting Room: A retail clerk goes to excessive lengths attempting to find the perfect garment for an unusual customer.
Typhoon: A youth at a train station takes cookies from a stranger who doles out strange predictions about umbrella-wielders in a typhoon.
I Called You by Name: A woman in a business meeting is completely unable to pay attention when she perceives a bulge she thinks may be moving behind a curtain in the meeting room.
An Exotic Marriage: A woman and her husband begin to resemble each other as their marriage progresses and they lose themselves.
Paprika Jiro: A market is repeatedly terrorized by a strange tribe of invaders who may or may not be real.
How to Burden the Girl: The girl next door cries tears of blood and is attacked by a rival gang members, some of whom are killed and buried in the forest behind the house.
The Women: Women challenge their partners to duels and take them to the riverbanks to fight it out.
Q&A: An advice columnist shares truths during a final interview prior to her retirement.
The Dogs: A woman living in solitude on a mountain befriends a pack of wild dogs who encompass her as she sleeps standing up.
The Straw Husband: After taking his wife running, a man made of straw berates her for her careless attitude about his fancy new car.
While some have compared this Motoya collection to writings of Haruki Murakami, I’d have to call the connection slim. Though a few of the stories do bring thoughts of Murakami, for the most part this collection is much farther out there. Though a few tales may leave the reader bewildered, some do provide some food for thought. The book is a quick read and would work well for entertainment while commuting. Check it out from a library near you!