{"product_id":"me-a-novel-paperback","title":"Me: A Novel - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTomoyuki Hoshino\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eKenzaburo OE\u003c\/b\u003e (Afterword by), \u003cb\u003eCharles de Wolf\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A Kafkaesque journey of a lonely narrator being absorbed by an impersonal system.\" --\u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis novel centers on the \"It's me\" telephone scam--often targeting the elderly--that has escalated in Japan in recent years. Typically, the caller identifies himself only by saying, \"Hey, it's me,\" and goes on to claim in great distress that he's been in an accident or lost some money with which he was entrusted at work, etc., and needs funds wired to his account right away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eME\u003c\/em\u003e's narrator is a nondescript young Tokyoite named Hitoshi Nagano who, on a whim, takes home a cell phone that a young man named Daiki Hiyama accidentally put on Hitoshi's tray at McDonald's. Hitoshi uses the phone to call Daiki's mother, pretending he is Daiki, and convinces her to wire him 900,000 yen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThree days later, Hitoshi returns home from work to discover Daiki's mother there in his apartment, and she seems to truly believe Hitoshi is her son. Even more bizarre, Hitoshi discovers his own parents now treat him as a stranger; they, too, have a \"me\" living with them as Hitoshi. At a loss for what else to do, Hitoshi begins living as Daiki, and no one seems to bat an eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a brilliant probing of identity, and employing a highly original style that subverts standard narrative forms, Tomoyuki Hoshino elevates what might have been a commonplace crime story to an occasion for philosophical reflection. In the process, he offers profound insights into the state of contemporary Japanese society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTomoyuki Hoshino\u003c\/b\u003e was born in 1965 in Los Angeles, but moved to Japan when he was two. He made his debut as a writer in 1997 with the novella \u003ci\u003eThe Last Gasp, \u003c\/i\u003e which won the Bungei Prize. His novel \u003ci\u003eThe Mermaid Sings Wake Up\u003c\/i\u003e won the Mishima Yukio Prize, and \u003ci\u003eFantasista\u003c\/i\u003e was awarded the Noma Literary New Face Prize. His other novels include \u003ci\u003eLonely Hearts Killer\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Rainbow and Chloe. ME\u003c\/i\u003e is his latest novel. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eKenzaburo Oe\u003c\/b\u003e is considered one of the most dynamic and revolutionary writers to have emerged in Japan since World War II, and is acknowledged as the first truly modern Japanese writer. He is known for his powerful accounts of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and his struggle to come to terms with a mentally handicapped son. His prolific body of work has won almost every major international honor, including the 1989 Prix Europalia and the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature. His many translated works include \u003ci\u003eA Personal Matter\u003c\/i\u003e (1964), \u003ci\u003eTeach Us to Outgrow Our Madness\u003c\/i\u003e (1969), \u003ci\u003eThe Silent Cry\u003c\/i\u003e (1967), \u003ci\u003eHiroshima Notes\u003c\/i\u003e (1965), and \u003ci\u003eNip the Buds, Shoot the Kids\u003c\/i\u003e (1958).\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.2 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 06, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42700968755263,"sku":"9781617754487","price":19.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/9566585648e50d37752a79d451359ac9.webp?v=1765018844","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/me-a-novel-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}