''Piercing'' is a novel by

Ryu Murakami is a Japanese masculine given name and family name meaning "dragon", "noble", "prosperous", or "flow". Ryū, Ryu, or ryu may also refer to: Fiction * ''Ryū'' (manga), a 1986 series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze * , a 1919 book by Ryūnosuke Aku ...

. Originally published in Japanese in 1994, it was translated and published in English by

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

in 2008. An American

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

starring

Christopher Abbott Christopher Jacob Abbott (born February 1, 1986) is an American actor. Abbott made his feature film debut in ''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' (2011). Abbott's other notable films include '' Hello I Must Be Going'' (2012) '' The Sleepwalker'' (2014) ...

and

Mia Wasikowska Mia Wasikowska ( ; born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut on the Australian television drama '' All Saints'' in 2004, followed by her feature film debut in '' Suburban Mayhem'' (2006). She first became known t ...

, directed by

Nicolas Pesce Nicolas Pesce () is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing and writing the horror films ''The Eyes of My Mother'' (2016), ''Piercing'' (2018) and ''The Grudge'' (2020). Life and career Nicolas Pesce was born, and currently reside ...

, was released in 2019.

Overview

Piercing is set in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and follows Kawashima Masayuki trying to come to terms with his overwhelming desire to stab his

infant An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

child with an

ice pick The ice pick is a pointed metal tool used from the 1800s to the 1900s to break, pick or chip at ice. The design consists of a sharp metal spike attached to a wooden handle. The tool's design has been relatively unchanged since its creation. The ...

. He resolves to divert the impulse into an unsuspecting prostitute. However, as he begins to execute his meticulous crime everything, including his past, begins to unravel.

Critical reception

"...a haunting Japanese version of a David Lynch nightmare" - Chris Petit, Guardian Book Review. "Far from being a cheap gorefest, ‘Piercing’ handles its violence with controlled aplomb, making it seem a natural by-product of Tokyo’s economic dominance. The result is a brief and convincing narrative of a crime and its motivations. With simple language and vividly evoked images, the novel looks at a single moment of horror from every angle." - Ed King, Time Out Book Review.

References

External links

*
Ryu Murakami
at Bloomsbury Publishing 1994 Japanese novels Japanese-language novels Japanese novels adapted into films Novels by Ryū Murakami Novels set in Tokyo Bloomsbury Publishing books Psychological thriller novels {{1990s-thriller-novel-stub