“Devil’s Whisper” (魔術はささやく） Out in Paperback
This Miyuki Miyabe favorite, translated by Deborah Iwabuchi, will be out in paperback in a couple of weeks.
I love the protagonist in Devil’s Whisper. Mamoru Kusaka is a teenage boy with a sad past, a future that grows bleaker by the moment, but several skills that give him some options.
One aspect of Miyabe’s writing that I regret losing in translation is the meaning in her character’s names. “Mamoru,” a common boy’s name, is also the verb for “protect,” and that indeed is Mamoru’s role in this suspense novel. Another character is named “Shinjiro,” a play on the imperative form of “believe.” Both names are revealing. Mamoru spends his time trying to take care of business, while Shinjiro is more interested in what he can make others do.
And that’s as far as I can go without giving it all away!
(Enjoy the bright colors on the cover of this new edition as well as the affordable price!)
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Great news. This is my favorite Miyabe story, so
I’ve placed an order for the paperback version!!
Kazuko
コメント by Kazuko — 2009/11/5 木曜日 @ 14:47:14
Great!! I’ll see if the paperback version is sold at the nearest Kinokuniya. Pamela lent me a copy of its hardcover version several months ago. I ejoyed readint it, though I hesitated to read at first as it was such a thick book.
In one of my English class, I cited a few lies from the story and asked them to draw a map of the scene. It was fun.
コメント by reiko — 2009/11/7 土曜日 @ 10:34:18
Thank you, Kazuko and Reiko! Reiko, I’m delighted you used the book in your class. Let me know if you find it at Kinokuniya!
コメント by admin — 2009/11/7 土曜日 @ 16:21:05