Nan-core

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Nan-Core is at its heart a detective story, but its regular incursions into Japan's LGBT community mark it out as a vivid and unusual offering. Ryosuke discovers a mysterious notebook in his home labelled the Nan-Core. In the notes, he uncovers a murder confession and must now figure out whether the contents are fact or fiction. In the vein of Ryu Murakami, Numata combines a day-glo surrealism with explosions of violence and a compelling mystery story. Told from a perspective not usually seen in Japanese literature, Nan-Core is a kinetic, brutal novel.

Author Bio

Mahokaru Numata (1948-) was born in Osaka, the daughter of a Buddhist priest. She married a priest, but later divorced and took holy orders herself. She subsequently ran her own consulting firm in the construction industry for a time before making her literary debut in 2004 by winning the Horror and Suspense Grand Prize with her first novel, If September Could Last Forever. She was already in her mid-fifties at the time, but it wasn't until 2011 that her writing career really took off, when critics launched her into bestsellerdom by writing glowingly of one of her works already in paperback. In 2012 she won the Haruhiko Oyabu Award for her mystery novel YuriGokoro. Her other works include the novels The Birds She Doesn't Know the Names Of, Cat Sounds, and the horror novel Amida Buddha. Incorporating notable doses of sex and violence in her works, she is known for delving deeply into such themes as love and hate, light and darkness, and the unfathomable mysteries of human existence.