Synopsis
Late one night, Rei Hayakawa, a troubled young freelance journalist, is idling around the alcohol shelves of her local 24-hour convenience store when she catches sight of a man across the way.Suddenly she finds herself embarking on a road journey across the wintry landscape of Japan aboard this stranger's longhaul truck. But can the physical relationship that develops between them offer Rei what she needs, and can she ever free herself from the dangerously self-destructive tendencies that afflict herPart-dirty realism, part-fairy tale, Vibrator is a disturbing and highly original novel about the strange situations that life can put you in. Exploring themes of liberation and entrapment, it drives unflinchingly at the lonely heart of the lost generation.
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About the Author
Mari Akasaka lives in Japan. Winner of the Noma Literature Prize for best new writer in 2000, she is the author of three novels, of which the highly acclaimed Vibrator was made into a film in 2003.
From Publishers Weekly
A 31-year old Japanese journalist finds refuge from her self-destructive impulses with a long-distance trucker in Akasaka's American debut. (She has published three novels in Japan.) Narrator Rei Hayakawa—bulimic, alcoholic, with voices in her head—intends to drink herself into a stupor after a humiliating appearance on a televised panel on juvenile delinquency, but instead, she has a mild freak-out in a convenience stores and meets truck driver Okabe Takakoshi, a former gangster, pimp and delinquent of the very type she has just tried to analyze on the panel. Rei instantly (and nearly without thought) abandons her life to accompany Okabe on the road. They, of course, become lovers, and though romantic clichés are sometimes a hairbreadth away, everything familiar is made strange through the lens of Rei's jumbled consciousness. (Kudos to Emmerich for a translation that impressively conveys the subtleties of Rei's self-loathing.) For a novel about sex and escape narrated by (arguably) a nutcase, the author's restraint and clarity of vision is most impressive: solutions are not easily realized, and the "love story" trashes the traditional mold. (June)
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Vibrator
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Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0571210821I3N00
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Vibrator
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Condition: Very Good. 1780592696. 6/4/2026 5:04:56 PM. Seller Inventory # U9780571210824
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Condition: Very Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # rev5645356635
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Seller: Mr Pickwick's Fine Old Books, Katoomba, NSW, Australia
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Softcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Publishers Proof Copy. Size: Octavo (standard book size). 130 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 0571210821. ISBN/EAN: 9780571210824. Dewey Code: 895.635 22. All our pictures shown here are of the actual item, not stock photos. Inventory No: RB14315. For further info on this title, click on the "Contact Seller" button within this listing. We will try to reply within 24 hours. Otherwise you can order right now (inclusive of shipping options) from the "Add to Basket" button to the right. Seller Inventory # RB14315
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Seller: Book Grocer, Tullamarine, VIC, Australia
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Paperback. , . NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.Author: Mari AkasakaFormat: Paperback Number of Pages: 144'If you live in a world that's controlled overwhelmingly by men, and if you don't want people making remarks about things that are really none of their business, you've either got to be totally indifferent to how you look or else go around looking beautiful all the time. I attempted to look beautiful all the time. But there are limits to how much you can do . . .'Late one night, Rei Hayakawa, a troubled young freelance journalist, is idling around the alcohol shelves of her local 24-hour convenience store when she catches sight of a man across the way. Suddenly she finds herself embarking on a road journey across the wintry landscape of Japan aboard this stranger's longhaul truck. But can the physical relationship that develops between them offer Rei what she needs, and can she ever free herself from the dangerously self-destructive tendencies that afflict her? Part dirty realism, part fairy tale, Vibrator is a disturbing and highly original novel about the strange situations that life can put you in. Paperback. Seller Inventory # 9780571210824-SECONDHAND
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Seller: The Secret Book and Record Store, Dublin, DUB, Ireland
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Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Some very slight shelf wear but otherwise in very good condition. Seller Inventory # 8993
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Taschenbuch. Condition: Fine. ungelesen, leichte Lagerspuren / unread, minor shelfwear---. nein. Seller Inventory # 73335
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