'A brilliant display of pyrotechnics, a compelling tour de force ... by a master jeweller of polished prose' The New York Times A private detective is hired to find a missing person, but nothing is normal about this case. Why has the beautiful, alcoholic wife of the vanished salesman waited over half a year to search for him? Why are the only clues a photo and a matchbox? As the investigator's ever-more puzzling hunt takes him into the labyrinthine depths of the urban underworld, he begins to wonder if it is in fact he who ...
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'A brilliant display of pyrotechnics, a compelling tour de force ... by a master jeweller of polished prose' The New York Times A private detective is hired to find a missing person, but nothing is normal about this case. Why has the beautiful, alcoholic wife of the vanished salesman waited over half a year to search for him? Why are the only clues a photo and a matchbox? As the investigator's ever-more puzzling hunt takes him into the labyrinthine depths of the urban underworld, he begins to wonder if it is in fact he who is lost. An intoxicating blend of noir thriller and surreal dream, The Ruined Map questions identity itself. 'An exciting, imaginative and entertaining novel' San Francisco Chronicle
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Add this copy of Ruined Map to cart. $4.83, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Perigee Books.
Add this copy of Ruined Map to cart. $4.83, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Perigee Books.
Add this copy of Ruined Map to cart. $33.72, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1981 by Perigee Trade.
Kobo Abe is a master of crafting deliberate, suspenseful tales with decidedly surreal twists; The Ruined Map is a haunting, excellent read. Very complex, beautifully drawn characters in a grey world where everyone seems to have something to hide. The story of a detective tracking a man who disappeared without a trace. Although many people want him found, they are also deliberately obtuse and misleading. As the novel progresses, the protagonist begins to see the appeal and beauty of simply slipping off into the mist, until he begins to mentally and spiritually overlap with his quarry. Abe's books move at a glacial pace, slowly drawing you in until the characters problems become your own, and you begin to feel their hopes, anxieties, and frustrations. I have returned to this book many, many times over the years, and will return to it many more. Very, very highly recommended.
