{"product_id":"lady-joker-the-million-copy-bestselling-masterpiece-of-japanese-crime-fiction-9781529394214","title":"Lady Joker: The Million Copy Bestselling 'Masterpiece of Japanese Crime Fiction'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eOne of Japan's great modern writers, Kaoru Takamura, makes her English-language debut with \u003ci\u003eLady Joker\u003c\/i\u003e, the million copy bestselling Japanese phenomenon. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*\u003cb\u003eTHE JAPANESE CRIME CLASSIC - ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD*\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'One of the great masterpieces of Japanese crime fiction and one of the must-read books of this or any year' David Peace\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTokyo, 1995. \u003c\/b\u003eFive men meet at the racetrack every Sunday to bet on horses. They have little in common except a deep disaffection with their lives, but together they represent the social struggles and griefs of post-War Japan: a poorly socialized genius stuck working as a welder; a demoted detective with a chip on his shoulder; a Zainichi Korean banker sick of being ostracized for his ethnicity; a struggling single dad of a teenage girl with Down syndrome. The fifth man bringing them all together is an elderly drugstore owner grieving his grandson, who died in suspicious circumstances.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntent on revenge against a society that values corporate behemoths more than human life, the five conspirators decide to carry out a heist: kidnap the CEO of Japan's largest beer conglomerate and extract blood money from the company's corrupt financiers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspired by the unsolved true-crime kidnapping case perpetrated by \"the Monster with 21 Faces,\" \u003ci\u003eLady Joker\u003c\/i\u003e has become a cultural touchstone since its 1997 publication, acknowledged as the magnum opus by one of Japan's literary masters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A novel that portrays with devastating immensity how those on the dark fringes of society can be consumed by the darkness of their own hearts' \u003c\/b\u003eYoko Ogawa, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Memory Police\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Takamura's prismatic heist novel offers a broad indictment of capitalist society'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eLady Joker\u003c\/i\u003e is a work you get immersed in, like a sprawling 19th century novel or a TV series like \u003ci\u003eThe Wir\u003c\/i\u003ee' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 410g\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 129 x 198 x 44 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9781529394214\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kaoru Takamura","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":44097734246650,"sku":"9781529394214","price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/1659728995386_book.jpg?v=1659984074","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/lady-joker-the-million-copy-bestselling-masterpiece-of-japanese-crime-fiction-9781529394214","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}