In this gripping novel by the author of The Woman in the Dunes, an alluring woman hires a private eye to track down her missing husband. The detective's investigation takes him deep into Tokyo's sleazy underworld, with its back-alley nude bars, savage gangs, and relentless violence. Before long, he is facing both outward danger and inward turmoil as he comes to identify with the man he is hunting.
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In this gripping novel by the author of The Woman in the Dunes, an alluring woman hires a private eye to track down her missing husband. The detective's investigation takes him deep into Tokyo's sleazy underworld, with its back-alley nude bars, savage gangs, and relentless violence. Before long, he is facing both outward danger and inward turmoil as he comes to identify with the man he is hunting.
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Add this copy of The Ruined Map to cart. $5.93, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Kodansha.
Add this copy of The Ruined Map to cart. $32.13, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Kodansha USA Inc.
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.
