In Shadow Family, Miyuki Miyabe draws readers into the amorphous world of Internet chat rooms-a world of people from all walks of life attracted by the possibility of being whomever they want to be.
Police investigating the murder of a middle-aged office worker discover e-mail correspondence on the victim's computer that indicates he had been a regular participant in an Internet chat room, as the "father" in a fantasy "family." Meanwhile, a female detective is assigned to protect the dead man's
real-life daughter who complains of being stalked. As the real daughter confronts her father's alternate life, we are pulled into a psychological drama that pits reality and illusion against each other in astonishing ways.
Reading Guide available
"...The theatrically constructed plot is soon swirling with the naked emotions of unattached, deeply unhappy people eager to express their yearnings for an idealized family life no longer possible in the fractured social structure of modern-day Japan." -The New York Times Book Review
"[Miyuki Miyabe's] true subject is the mystery of modern Japanese identity . . . she is a master of small gestures, the precise geometry of meaning as it moves between people . . . a subtle observer of a country on the cusp. Her American readers can only hope for more chances to see through her
eyes." -The Los Angeles Times
"Nuclear family dystopia is at the center of Miyuki Miyabe's Shadow Family, a smartly observant police procedural about two Tokyo murders linked to the Internet . . . . Shadow Family blossoms into both a suspenseful murder mystery and an astute running commentary on the parallel cyberspace world
inside which millions of people now spend so much of their time." ?The Washington Post Book World
"The [Ruth] Rendell comparison is particularly apt: Shadow Family starts like one of her Inspector Wexford police stories and then slides gradually into the kind of dark psychological mystery she often writes...Of special interest is a portrait of a part of Tokyo?a long way from the sleek electronic
metropolis depicted in films like "Lost in Translation"?where ordinary people live, work and play out their dark fantasies." ?The Chicago Tribune
"Whether it is the loneliness and bitterness of the real and online relationships of Shadow Family, the credit-card fraud and identity theft in All She Was Worth, or the crimes and characters of her extensive backlist, Miyabe's intricate plots are painted on the canvas of contemporary Japan and
played out by the kind of people milling about on the streets below." ?The Financial Times
"The traditional murder mystery a la Agatha Christie is updated in Miyuki Miyabe's cyberspace offering, Shadow Family, where the eerie possibility of strangers entering closed quarters via chat rooms and email, and families deteriorating into strangers behind the locked doors of their respective
rooms become reality." ?Flaunt Magazine
" . . . A psychological drama of the first order." ?Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
"Shadow Family uses Internet role-playing to explore ideas of family and identity. The result is absolutely mesmerizing, and Miyabe skillfully positions the reader in the role of detective, a neat trick that keeps the pages turning." ?Ruminator Review
"Pirandello (Six Characters in Search of an Author) would have reveled in the constant refractions of reality that Miyuki Miyabe presents to the reader: six authors in search of their characters, albeit through false identities that allow them to perform the role of the perfect family they do enjoy
in real life....Shadow Family offers ample proof that Miyabe represents the next cutting-edge crime wave of this postmodern ethnography. May Juliet Winters Carpenter and her fellow translators bring more of Miyabe's work into English posthaste." ?Rain Taxi Review of Books
"What starts as a dry police procedural intensifies into an Agatha Christie-style closed-room puzzle in this intriguing look at contemporary Japanese family life from Miyuki Miyabe (All She Was Worth). . . Miyabe expertly manipulates mood and pace as the action builds to a house-of-mirrors-like
interview that slowly reveals the killer's surprising identity. The clean, crisp translation is the perfect vehicle for this satisfying read." -Publishers Weekly
"...Family ties can be murder, even if they've been forged online...a clever puzzle whose commentary on the fragility and reinvention of families gives it a special edge." ?Kirkus Reviews
"Shadow Family has all the breathless immediacy of a courtroom drama... It is reminiscent of the heart-pounding twists and shocking turns of a Hitchcock film. The revelation of the murderer is only a prelude to the completely unexpected denouement Miyabe lays out in the final pages...at its heart
the novel is about the fractures and disconnects suffered by families in any modern urban culture." -Pages
"Offers a fascinating look at the dark side of the Internet." -Booklist
"Miyabe achieves a brilliant tour de force maintaining suspense throughout. She tells a gripping story while exploring questions such as the breakdown of the nuclear family and the use of the Internet to escape problematic relationships. Highly recommended." -Deadly Pleasures
"Known for her attention to detail and thorough research on the criminal mind and the legal system, she also uses her books to examine Japan's social issues. In this one she explores the breakdown of the family, isolation, and the Internet as a substitute for social relationships." ?Multicultural
Review
"This is a neat little book that might be a breath of fresh air for jaded mystery readers fed up with guns, car chases and hasty, outlandish, impossible endings... As a fresh plot twist we don't have the usual murder...what we have is the police playing a hunch, gathering the main players and
letting them unravel the final threads. As everything gently unfolds it is a tale obviously linked to the mystery of, and need for, 'family.' ?Barcelona Review
"The translation by Juliet Winters Carpenter captures the essence of the author's winning narrative, which has a new-noir flavor." ?Border Patrol
"An interesting cat-and-mouse game with a nice twist at the end. . . . An interesting glimpse of a different type of police department than what one is used to in American crime fiction." ?www.TheCompleteReview.com
"The masterful pacing allows the suspense to build to a nerve-wracking pitch...and the chatroom characters reveal the isolation and longing that led them to pretend to be family...The intricate puzzle of the story is expertly constructed. Miyabe builds her plot layer upon layer, twisting and
turning the readers' attention like a magician... A thought-provoking read." ?www.ReviewingTheEvidence.com
"A Japanese mystery by talented Miyuki Miyabe, this tale offers something different in plot and villain for mystery buffs." ?www.NewMysteryReader.com
"Miyuki Miyabe stands in the tradition of realistic crime fiction that delivers a commentary on contemporary Japanese society as well as a damned good mystery... Miyabe's books have no strong central characters dominating her stories; she prefers to allow the plot to dominate. ...Ultimately it is
Miyabe's superb plotting that keeps this shortish book rolling along and makes it a gripping read." ?www.AsianReviewofBooks.com
"The mystery plot is an interesting one and...it builds into an intriguing police procedural. The characterizations are deft, well-timed and the interactions between [Sergeant] Takegami and his associates are subtle...a most enjoyable read." ?www.InternetWritingJournal.com
MIYUKI MIYABE was born in Tokyo in 1960 and worked in a law office before becoming a full-time writer. She is the recipient of numerous literary prizes, including Japan's most prestigious award for popular literature, the Naoki Prize, in 1998.
Publisher: Kodansha International
Distributor: Oxford University Press USA
Publication Date: 12-09-2005
Pages: 208
Measurements: 5.400in X 8.200in X 0.700in X 0.600lb
