Book Review Beyond The Curve by Kobo Abe

Book Review

Beyond The Curve by Kobo Abe

Book Review – Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe

Author: Kobo Abe

Translator: Juliet Winters Carpenter

Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc (February 1993)

ISBN: 978-4770016904 Pages: 248



A powerful selection of short stories



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A superb collection of twelve short stories by the master writer Kobo Abe. The book starts with “An irrelevant death” when a man finds a dead body in his room in a boarding house and we have a front row view of his thought processes as he decides what to do in Japan. In the West we would just call the police. In “The crime of S. Karma” we learn about the life of a insurance salesman who loses his identity to his business card. The story “Dendrocacalia” shares what it is like for a man who once a year transforms into a plant and the anguish he faces.



Standout stories include: “Record of a transformation” about the horror of war but not as you may think and “Intruders” which is simple but shockingly powerful in its reality, “The Bet” where an architect learns first hand the intricate requirements of a client by visiting his office which is just hilarious.



If you enjoy the work of Kobo Abe you will definitely enjoy this new collection of English language translated short stories.

Book Review – Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe

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