What do you think?
Rate this book
Keshiki - new voices from Japan #8
The Transparent Labyrinth
Okada is on a business trip to Budapest when he meets enigmatic Misa and her Italian girlfriend, Federica. Inexplicably drawn to Misa, he agrees to accompany the couple to a lavish party in Pest. On arrival, Federica ominously disappears, and Misa and Okada find themselves locked in a penthouse room with ten other guests. They are promised that they will be freed at dawn, providing that they follow the commands given to them by five spectators…
A modern tale of memory, sexual tension and kink, Hirano's short story runs through the labyrinth it constructs, the narrative twisting, forking, hiding its secrets just around the corner.
A modern tale of memory, sexual tension and kink, Hirano's short story runs through the labyrinth it constructs, the narrative twisting, forking, hiding its secrets just around the corner.
48 pages, Pamphlet
First published January 1, 2014
224 people want to read
About the author
Keiichirō Hirano
42 books295 followersKeiichirō Hirano (平野 啓一郎 Hirano Keiichirō, born June 22, 1975) is a Japanese novelist.
Hirano was born in Gamagori, Aichi prefecture, Japan. He published his first novel (Nisshoku, 日蝕) in 1998 and won the Akutagawa Prize the next year as one of the youngest winners ever (at 23 years of age). He graduated from the Law Department of Kyoto University in 1999. In 2005 he was nominated as a cultural ambassador and spent a year in France.
Hirano was born in Gamagori, Aichi prefecture, Japan. He published his first novel (Nisshoku, 日蝕) in 1998 and won the Akutagawa Prize the next year as one of the youngest winners ever (at 23 years of age). He graduated from the Law Department of Kyoto University in 1999. In 2005 he was nominated as a cultural ambassador and spent a year in France.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 21, 2019
I'm no prude but this was just ick. Not to mention ridiculous and tropey.
August 22, 2019
This book reminds me of Arthur Schitzler's 'Traumnovelle' since there was a surrealistic dreamlike event happened. After I've finished it, I kept thinking all about this story. So, I felt that I was traped in the labyrinth the same as Okada. However, it's a love-hate relationship between me and this book. I love how surrealist it was, but there is a part that I found disgusting.
September 5, 2018
Read this for the second time, but only just putting it up now. Not bad. I think the opening premise is so crazy. Perhaps there's something more to this, and it should be a longer work.
November 30, 2019
If you are looking for a dreamlike, weird story, you’ll enjoy this one.
https://elifthereader.com/books/trans...
https://elifthereader.com/books/trans...
May 2, 2017
Wandering around the web one recent evening I came across the site for Strangers Press and KESHIKI, their series of chapbooks featuring "eight of the most exciting writers working in Japan today." The covers promised fun: I bought the whole set. Transparent Labyrinth is the first one I read. Its short introduction compares it to Seven Japanese Tales by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (which is probably right but I don't know; that book is still unopened somewhere at the back of my bookshelves). The introducer also compares it to The Comfort of Strangers, which is stretching. I was reminded more of the ominous novellas by Rachel Ingalls. Keiichirō Hirano's story starts in Budapest so you know right away something bad is about to happen. It's the right length for a pot of Matcha and a couple of those incredible Japanese sweets.
August 25, 2021
(Spoilers)
Japanese guy goes to Europe for business, meets a Japanese woman, Misa, in a cafe. She's in an abusive relationship with a European woman. The man and Misa are coaxed to a party where rich people make the protagonist and Misa have sex in front of an audience. They escape the party and spend the night together, then lose contact.
Months later, the guy is contacted by Misa, and they meet up and start a relationship. Her full name is Misaki. He heals a bit via the relationship (and making sex tapes in order to work through the trauma of being forced to have public sex), but then Misaki disappears. Months later there's a reveal: there are two "Misa"s - Misaki (who he dated in Japan), and Misato (who he met in Europe). The guy has some issues deciding what to do but somehow ends up making a sex tape with Misato.
I admire that the protagonist in this is trying to deal with a particular sexual traumatic event and acknowledges that in Japan he has no one to talk to about it, and that's why he's unable to move beyond it. I think it feels pretty feasible in terms of the way sex/kink can be used as healing for trauma under the correct, trusting circumstances. I think it's good he does end up talking it out with Misaki and Misato.
Re: the twist, maybe it's getting at how the protagonist seems obsessed with this "mysterious dream girl" (Misato), a woman who's 'wild' enough to travel Europe alone. So when he ends up dating Misaki in Japan (a more 'regular' person), he's still stuck on this weird projection of Misato (the 'dream girl'), and wonders 'where the old Misa went."
At times this feels like a criticism of the typical male yearning for 'dream girls' and 'wild experiences abroad', but at other times it feels like sort of rambling male musings on 'love' or whatever...passages about 'oh, who do I really love..who could I have loved... etc'
I do like that the "Transparent Labyrinth" as a symbol seems to be how one can be trapped in the reverberations and shadows of trauma, and that's an interesting image.
Japanese guy goes to Europe for business, meets a Japanese woman, Misa, in a cafe. She's in an abusive relationship with a European woman. The man and Misa are coaxed to a party where rich people make the protagonist and Misa have sex in front of an audience. They escape the party and spend the night together, then lose contact.
Months later, the guy is contacted by Misa, and they meet up and start a relationship. Her full name is Misaki. He heals a bit via the relationship (and making sex tapes in order to work through the trauma of being forced to have public sex), but then Misaki disappears. Months later there's a reveal: there are two "Misa"s - Misaki (who he dated in Japan), and Misato (who he met in Europe). The guy has some issues deciding what to do but somehow ends up making a sex tape with Misato.
I admire that the protagonist in this is trying to deal with a particular sexual traumatic event and acknowledges that in Japan he has no one to talk to about it, and that's why he's unable to move beyond it. I think it feels pretty feasible in terms of the way sex/kink can be used as healing for trauma under the correct, trusting circumstances. I think it's good he does end up talking it out with Misaki and Misato.
Re: the twist, maybe it's getting at how the protagonist seems obsessed with this "mysterious dream girl" (Misato), a woman who's 'wild' enough to travel Europe alone. So when he ends up dating Misaki in Japan (a more 'regular' person), he's still stuck on this weird projection of Misato (the 'dream girl'), and wonders 'where the old Misa went."
At times this feels like a criticism of the typical male yearning for 'dream girls' and 'wild experiences abroad', but at other times it feels like sort of rambling male musings on 'love' or whatever...passages about 'oh, who do I really love..who could I have loved... etc'
I do like that the "Transparent Labyrinth" as a symbol seems to be how one can be trapped in the reverberations and shadows of trauma, and that's an interesting image.
December 31, 2018
Premise: Okada meets Misa in Budapest; that evening, they are forced to make love "in the Japanese way" in a strange Eurotrash sex party; when they meet again months later, she helps him heal from the resulting PTSD—but even when he thinks her methods are working, Okada still has long to go before he can find his way out of the transparent labyrinth.
Thoughts: This was the first of these stories that I read, and, I have to say, in the section of my brain where I store information about everything I read, my memory of it struggles to stand out among that of its Keshiki brethren. All the same, I found 'The Transparent Labyrinth' appropriately claustrophobic and disturbing, twisty and twisted. I also have to agree with John Freeman, who writes in his preface that "Hirano is such a modern writer that he feels 100 years old"—if it didn't have air travel and videotapes, I could have been fooled into thinking that this was one of those foundational genre texts written in the late nineteenth century—perhaps an influential fragment of horror-erotica anticipating Freud and Dracula.
For a complete guide to the Keshiki series, head over to my blog, Strange Bookfellows: https://strangebookfellowsblog.wordpr...
Thoughts: This was the first of these stories that I read, and, I have to say, in the section of my brain where I store information about everything I read, my memory of it struggles to stand out among that of its Keshiki brethren. All the same, I found 'The Transparent Labyrinth' appropriately claustrophobic and disturbing, twisty and twisted. I also have to agree with John Freeman, who writes in his preface that "Hirano is such a modern writer that he feels 100 years old"—if it didn't have air travel and videotapes, I could have been fooled into thinking that this was one of those foundational genre texts written in the late nineteenth century—perhaps an influential fragment of horror-erotica anticipating Freud and Dracula.
For a complete guide to the Keshiki series, head over to my blog, Strange Bookfellows: https://strangebookfellowsblog.wordpr...
July 4, 2018
What if all our lives, we've only been wandering a labyrinth, and it's transparent so you're never sure where the walls are, where you are? In a foreign country, the narrator wanders for the few days he is free, and meets a fellow Japanese who's been wandering for half a year. Suddenly he feels protective of the woman, and agrees to come to a party with her (after this woman's (girl)friend goes hysterical), only to find himself a "captive," made to perform sex in front of spectators.
There's a thin line between dreams and reality, but what is frightening is the equally thin line between what is normal and what is unacceptable. When the line blurs, do you question yourself or the others? Do you only accept things so you can live with the debauchery of what you've done, or are you simply accepting things you used to think were wrong? As the characters here say, maybe they can erase the memory by becoming spectators themselves. Questions of memory, where you think you are (when home becomes more foreign than other places), who you are with, and ultimately, who you are, are all in this philosophical story, which raises up a mirror for the reader to look at herself.
There's a thin line between dreams and reality, but what is frightening is the equally thin line between what is normal and what is unacceptable. When the line blurs, do you question yourself or the others? Do you only accept things so you can live with the debauchery of what you've done, or are you simply accepting things you used to think were wrong? As the characters here say, maybe they can erase the memory by becoming spectators themselves. Questions of memory, where you think you are (when home becomes more foreign than other places), who you are with, and ultimately, who you are, are all in this philosophical story, which raises up a mirror for the reader to look at herself.
February 17, 2022
I really like Hirano's two novels that are available in English, A Man, and At the End of the Matinee. This short story may have been written earlier than those works because it is not as well written.
On the meta level the novel works well. The Transparent Labyrinth refers to how our lives are lived as if we are in a maze. The author makes that metaphor very clear and it makes sense with the story.
However.
The story itself depends on stalwart fantasies from standard pornographic novels and movies - the lonely businessman in a strange city meets a beautiful young woman; they get tricked into an orgy; they are forced to have sex, and she works diligently to get him excited. You get the idea. The explicitness of a porno novel are not included, but the situations are.
I wish the author had found another story to use for this book. His metaphorical message is a good one and it deserves a more respectable story.
I remain a fan of Keiichiro Hirano and I hope to see more of his novels translated soon.
On the meta level the novel works well. The Transparent Labyrinth refers to how our lives are lived as if we are in a maze. The author makes that metaphor very clear and it makes sense with the story.
However.
The story itself depends on stalwart fantasies from standard pornographic novels and movies - the lonely businessman in a strange city meets a beautiful young woman; they get tricked into an orgy; they are forced to have sex, and she works diligently to get him excited. You get the idea. The explicitness of a porno novel are not included, but the situations are.
I wish the author had found another story to use for this book. His metaphorical message is a good one and it deserves a more respectable story.
I remain a fan of Keiichiro Hirano and I hope to see more of his novels translated soon.
February 16, 2023
The last and final chapbook of the Keshiki series (you’ll note I skipped seven -mainly as I had the serious “ick”, after reading just the first)
Transparent Labyrinth is an interesting (if slightly perverted dreamlike) exploration, of how one becomes trapped in the reverberations of trauma. And how these past; experiences, encounters and situations, can continually loom over us and our lives. And also how over time, our memory (or misremembering) of these “events” becomes increasingly clouded over -essentially blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
I won’t lie, I’ve been fairly disappointed with majority of this series. Which is such a shame as I LOVE translated fiction (especially Japanese fiction) but this series of seven (technically 8) seriously falls short I’m afraid.
1.5/2 stars
Transparent Labyrinth is an interesting (if slightly perverted dreamlike) exploration, of how one becomes trapped in the reverberations of trauma. And how these past; experiences, encounters and situations, can continually loom over us and our lives. And also how over time, our memory (or misremembering) of these “events” becomes increasingly clouded over -essentially blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
I won’t lie, I’ve been fairly disappointed with majority of this series. Which is such a shame as I LOVE translated fiction (especially Japanese fiction) but this series of seven (technically 8) seriously falls short I’m afraid.
1.5/2 stars
September 27, 2024
The Transparent Labyrinth is a beautiful, while equally horrifying, exploration of trauma and the lasting effects it has on people. The premise for the book is very disturbing, emphasised straight away through the extremely shocking start to the story. I love how Hirano takes time to explore the lead up to the event, and the lasting effects it has on Okada. The twist at the end makes the already horrifying situation even worse, but it is incredibly done, with getting readers to ask themselves questions about what it means to love someone and what constitutes as a connection between people who are seemingly the same. All in all, I'd highly recommend this story.
November 19, 2022
Interesting story about a Japanese man who visits Hungary on a business trip, meets a Japanese woman there and they both go through something very traumatic. This explores themes of memory and trauma and how this manifests in daily life after the event, the image of being trapped in a transparent labyrinth is used to great effect. I was not so sure about the ending, there are some unexpected twists.
February 14, 2023
Jos asiasanoittaisin tämän sanoilla (vastentahtoiset) seksiorgiat, Budapest, Tokio, kaksoset ja labyrintti, niin lukisitko? Mies kohtaa unelmanaisen, joutuu orgioihin, yrittää pelastaa ko. naisen, ahdistuu ilman naista, kohtaa naisen kaksosen, kuvailee seksivideoita tämän kanssa, kohtaa molemmat naiset ja kuvaa toisenkin naisen kanssa seksivideon. Varmasti tässä oli jokin korkeampi taso, mutta kun ei jaksanut KIINNOSTAA YHTÄÄN.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2020
I wish this was longer. Not necessarily for the plot but for the characters. Usually with short stories I don’t really care that much about them, but with this one I’m somehow dying to get to know them and their individual motives better.
July 15, 2024
? :? ???? so confused by yet another selection in this series. this short chapbook does not showcase anything particularly promising about this author's writing. this story as it is right now is too short to show any depth, and it's sort of disappointing considering the aim of Keshiki.
September 8, 2021
It was a very short story. I was like whats going on/ what I have been reading?? after reaching the end of the book.
February 28, 2022
Enjoyed how wack it is with so many elements going on and that ambitious ending.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews