Book cover of Audition

Book description

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Audition as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book terrified me, mainly because I happened to read it just after getting out of a long-term relationship. The premise itself is pretty perverse, or maybe sad depending on your viewpoint – a widow who hasn’t moved on since the death of his wife holds auditions for a fake movie so that he can find his perfect mate. As you’ll see in my own novel, auditions can often be the perfect cover for something more sinister. In this case though, it’s the auditionee who gets the upper hand. Very creepy and with a great twist, Audition is definitely one…

Audition is a book that will scar you for life and leave you questioning the mental health of everyone you ever date, as you check to see if your limbs are still intact. It is the story of Aoyama, a forty-two-year-old widower who gets the terrible idea of auditioning as a replacement for his wife, Ryoko, under the guise of a fraudulent movie audition. Discovering his dream girl, a 24-year-old timid beauty going by the name of Yamasaki, Aoyama aims to make this ex-ballerina his new wife. The two hit it off and begin to date. Blind with infatuation, Aoyama…

If you love Audition...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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