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    ME
    ME
    ME
    Audiobook8 hours

    ME

    Written by Tomoyuki Hoshino and Kenzaburo Oe

    Narrated by David Shih

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This novel centers on the “It's me” telephone scam-often targeting the elderly-that has escalated in Japan in recent years. Typically, the caller identifies himself only by saying, “Hey, it's me,” and goes on to claim in great distress that he's been in an accident or lost some money with which he was entrusted at work, etc., and needs funds wired to his account right away.

    ME's narrator is a nondescript young Tokyoite named Hitoshi Nagano who, on a whim, takes home a cell phone that a young man named Daiki Hiyama accidentally put on Hitoshi's tray at McDonald's. Hitoshi uses the phone to call Daiki's mother, pretending he is Daiki, and convinces her to wire him 900,000 yen.

    Three days later, Hitoshi returns home from work to discover Daiki's mother there in his apartment, and she seems to truly believe Hitoshi is her son. Even more bizarre, Hitoshi discovers his own parents now treat him as a stranger; they, too, have a “me” living with them as Hitoshi. At a loss for what else to do, Hitoshi begins living as Daiki, and no one seems to bat an eye.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    TranslatorCharles De Wolf
    Release dateJun 13, 2017
    ISBN9781515989240
    ME
    Author

    Tomoyuki Hoshino

    Since his literary debut in 1997, Tomoyuki Hoshino has published twelve books on subjects ranging from “terrorism” to queer/trans community formations; from the exploitation of migrant workers to journalistic ethics; and from the Japanese emperor system to neoliberalism. He is also well known in Japan for his nonfiction essays on politics, society, the arts, and sports, particularly soccer. He maintains a website and blog at http://www.hoshinot.jp/.

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    Reviews for ME

    3/5

    26 ratings11 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This book. Was. Nuts. And that isn't necessarily a good thing. ME, or Ore Ore, started out as a tame story following a protagonist, named Hitoshi, who decides to initiate a phone scam. What follows is a bizarre descent down an even more bizarre rabbit hole as he begins to realize that he's one of millions of MEs--human replications that look like him and who share a consciousness. All of these MEs in turn end up wanting to "delete" others, and soon Hitoshi ends up on the delete list.Hoshino writes a novel that is difficult to continue, yet difficult to put down, because while I started to hate it toward the middle, I still found myself needing to watch the train crash. Meaning, I still wanted to know what happened to Hitoshi. The plotting and pacing in this vein is good in the sense that it builds tension, but it isn't quick enough to build urgency or interest. It was such a struggle to continue reading.It's hard to gauge the writing because I read this in translation, in English, but I feel like some nuances were lost from the Japanese. Even with my limited knowledge of the language, I can tell some thing are less impactful symbolically, and that some ideas didn't translate as they could have.At the end of it now, it's just not a "good" book in the same way that reading Banana Yoshimoto or Haruki Murakami are enjoyable. I feel like this book works academically, but not as a recreational read. ME is more of a study on simulacra and identity within contemporary Japanese society wrapped up in a pseydo-dystopian setting. Yet, I would not pick this book up again given the choice. It was given to me by the publisher and that brings us to where we are now--me leaving this review.
    • 4/5
      My introduction to the work of Tomoyuki Hoshino was through We, the Children of Cats, a volume containing a selection of his short stories and novellas which left a tremendous impression on me. Since encountering that collection, I've made a point to seek out and read everything of Hoshino's that has been translated into English. (Sadly, there hasn't been very much.) I was very excited to learn that Akashic Books would be publishing Charles De Wolf's translation of ME, a book which quickly become one of my most anticipated literary releases of 2017. After Lonely Hearts Killer, ME is only the second of Hoshino's novels to be released in English. Originally published in Japan in 2010 under the title Ore Ore (It's Me, It's Me, a reference to a common telephone scam), the novel would go on to win the 2011 Kenzaburō Ōe Prize and was later adapted as a live-action film directed by Satoshi Miki in 2013. In addition to the main text, the English-language edition of the novel also includes an afterword by Kenzaburō Ōe as well as a brief essay from the translator. Hoshino's works can be challenging and demanding, but in my experience they can also be powerfully rewarding and meaningful; I was looking forward to reading ME a great deal.When a stranger accidentally leaves his cellphone on the wrong food tray at a McDonald's, the novel's narrator Hitoshi Nagano makes an impulsive decision–he simply walks out of the restaurant with it. As a joke he calls the mother of the cell phone's owner, pretending to be her son Daiki Hiyama. But he ends up taking the prank a little too far, not quite intentionally convincing her to transfer ¥900,000 into his bank account. Much to Hitoshi's surprise, a few days later Daiki's mother suddenly shows up at his apartment acting as though he is in fact her erstwhile son. Understandably and extraordinarily confused by this turn of events, Hitoshi makes a point to visit the home of his own mother only to discover that there's already a Hitoshi Nagano there. And what's more, he isn't the only one to have recently visited claiming to be Hitoshi Nagano. With multiple people seeming to be posing as him, the only identity that remains available for Hitoshi to take appears to be that of Daiki Hiyama. And that's when things start to get really strange.Themes of identity and the fluidity of self can be found in many of Hoshino's translated works, but they are particularly prominent in ME where they form the absolute core of the story being told. Both Hoshino's long fiction and short stories can often be fairly surreal and ME is certainly no exception, although I do feel that the novel is probably one of his more readily accessible long-form works. Granted, none of the characters are especially likeable, but the basic premise of ME, while incredibly and increasingly strange, is still straightforward enough to follow at the surface level. However, to truly and fully appreciate the entirety of the novel and its depth not only demands but requires a particularly careful and close reading of the text. It would be very easy for readers to get lost if they don't pay close attention to what is happening and how the novel and its language subtly shifts and changes along with the narrator's identity. Even the genre isn't fixed and transforms as the story progresses–ME begins as a peculiar comedy but by its end has dramatically evolved into dystopic horror. The narrative development of ME is both fascinating and perplexing.Similar to other works by Hoshino, reading ME is an immensely thought-provoking but disorienting experience. The novel's narrator, who is always himself but not always in the ways he expects to be, is enduring a fantastical identity crisis which, on occasion, still manages to be oddly relatable. He encounters more and more people who are him but not him, their backgrounds and personalities slowly blending together with less and less to differentiate among them. At first there is a sense of euphoria in finding like-minded people, but eventually a tremendous uneasiness begins to develop–hatred of others becomes hatred of self and vice versa, ultimately erupting in a violent confrontation which is part of a vicious cycle that is extremely difficult to escape or nullify. ME is intensely psychological and philosophical, the story using speculative fiction to outline a cerebral exploration of self, society, and the relationship between them. The novel can be simply read for entertainment, but if allowed it also prompts readers to examine the volatile nature and meaning of identity. Hoshino's work tends to stick with me and I'll be thinking about ME and the ideas it presents for quite some time.Experiments in Manga
    • 4/5
      A young man, living in Tokyo, on a whim engages in a popular telephone scam. This is the set-up for an unusual and complicated novel, about identity, individuality (or lack of individuality), and human relationships.The novel is an experiment in taking an absurd situation, and pushing it to its furthest reaches. In my opinion, the experiment is successful, and as the plot became more and more absurd, there was a logic that pulled me through.
    • 4/5
      The cover text makes this book sound like a psychological thriller, but this is really more of a thematic think piece: It starts as a thriller with an unreliable narrator, becomes a literary meditation on identity and isolation in modern urban life, and then escalates into a surreal, poetic dystopia about self-actualization and the relation of the individual to society.Personally, I had trouble finishing it. I have some familiarity with Japanese literature, and the themes and language patterns aren't that far off from some of the more literary works and authors I've read, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on the description. The fluidity of characterization is half the point, but it makes it really hard to stay anchored as the plot goes surreal. This seems like the author's intention, but it makes the short novel slower to get through.If you're looking for a mistaken identity thriller or a psychological horror or a plot-driven body swap story, you may want to give this a pass. If you like surreal and metaphor-heavy Japanese literary fiction, then this may be to your taste. Just don't take the cover blurb at face value.
    • 1/5
      DNF at 50%I won a copy of this book from Librarything in exchange for my review. I requested it because I thought it was going to be some sort of surreal sci-fi. Man steals another man's phone, answers when the other man's mother calls, cons her out of money, then suddenly she shows up at his house and now he IS that other man? Cool!That's NOT what this book was. That's my problem. I didn't realize what type of book this was. After the cell phone swiping and the mother showing up at this guy's apartment, this book rapidly digressed from any sci-fi elements it might have contained and moved on to higher grounds, leaving me in the dust.This book was too deep for me. I also think there are several cultural differences between like in America and Japan, where the book takes place, that I just couldn't reconcile. This book is more about being the same, being part of a whole where all people are in agreement and share the same mindset and where "others" are frowned upon. Honestly, it's more complex even than that, this is just all I could pick up on. I quickly became equal parts bored and confused and once the main character(s?!) started talking about how women couldn't be part of this 'ME' because they're too dimwitted, I called it quits. Likely this is a book some people will read, but I expected a different tone and genre and couldn't get into it after I realized how I'd misunderstood the book. I'll be donating this to my local library.
    • 3/5
      The premise of this book is fascinating and you can't help but be drawn into the idea of MEs in our world. However, the translation is too literal and it makes for an awkward read. I would have liked to see the translator take a few more liberties with the intent of the author rather than being rigidly true to a word-for-word translation.If you're a Japanophile like me, you eagerly grab any book about Japan to immerse in both Japanese culture and the story. I think that this is worthy on both levels. For a non-Japanophile, I would imagine that the story is much harder to follow and even just keeping the names straight would be a bit of a chore. However, if you can hang in there it's an intriguing world that Hoshino offers up to the reader.
    • 3/5
      I accepted an ‘Advance Reading Copy’ of ME by Tomoyuki Hoshino from Akashic Books in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.The book was originally published in Japanese in 2010 by Shinchosha.This edition was translated by Charles De Wolf with an afterword by Kenzaburo Oe.There are 6 chapters with an afterword and a translator’s note.The translator’s note was very interesting and helpful. The afterword was interesting (in that it tried to explain the plot a bit) but it left me even more confused. According to the book jacket and press release, this book ME and its author enjoyed much success and raving reviews.I must confess (embarrassingly) that after finishing the book and rereading several passages multiple times, I still didn’t understand the story. It ‘seems’ to be about self-identity and takes place in contemporary Japan. It is a very strange story and, at times, feels like a story about zombies. But except for the ‘contemporary Japan bit, I am lost.Notes/Reactions/Questions:The language, while very descriptive, sharp and personal, is a bit ‘off’ in its cadence. Maybe it is the awkwardness of a translation or just Japanese speech patterns - I don’t know.I am very put off by the constant trips to McDonald’s. I cringed every time it was mentioned. It was nauseating.I am very confused. I started off by not liking the (I think) main character, Hitoshi Nagano, for being a petty thief and an immature whiney guy. But I didn’t like Daiki Hiyana, either (The guy at McDonald’s whose phone was taken by Hitoshi). When Daiki’s mother turned up at Hitoshi’s apartment, I was shaking my head. Huh? I don’t think I ever really followed the plot even when I read the ending, the afterword, the book jacket and press release. And then there is the Hitoshi imposter at Hitoshi’s house. Yikes!Important words seem to be self-identity, self-worth, selfishness and self-absorption. He (I think I mean Hitoshi) kept feeling non-existent and belonging nowhere.p. 109 MEs are US (3 people as 1) An attempt at an explanation.Are MEs immature or symbols of immaturity?We have multiple stabbings, a hanging, people pushed in front of trains, fires, cannibalism and zombie-like creatures. Is any of this real?I have no sense of a Japanese consciousness/personality or sense of place.As you can guess, I didn’t ‘get’ the book, but I did appreciate the opportunity to read something completely different and intriguing.
    • 4/5
      Somehow I read the oddest translated fiction. And I love it. The concept of this novel is so unique yet so obvious, I'm surprised it isn't already an existing story. The main character steals a phone left on his food tray and gets a call from the guy's mother. She doesn't seem to notice anything amiss so he decides to scam her for money, as she thinks he is her son. But then she arrives in his apartment without warning, cooking him food. He then starts seeing MEs, people who look like him and seem to be the same person. It's so easy to get along with MEs, until it isn't... and it all goes downhill fast. Really dismally bad. I love the concepts -- of identity, self, personality (and maybe overpopulation?) And the main character is somehow very sympathetic though actually very shifty and changeable. But is evident from the few typos in the book that possibly the translation isn't as fluid as it could be. (But I never really like judging translation/versus original language if I don't actually know that language.) But the story and most things in the book are universal. If you like this one, try 'Silence Once Begun' by Jesse Ball, 'The Vegetarian' by Han Kang and Kafka (is it just what I read or is Kafka the champion of influence in books these days?! He would be proud and he deserves to be.)
    • 4/5
      I received an advance copy of ME Advance via LibraryThing. What begins as a story that is about telephone scams quickly turns into a con artist being conned, but conned by his own self or the self he posed himself to be? While I was entertained while I read, I soon found myself trying to deconstruct the underlying message of the book, which to be honest, I found to be more complex than I thought.The inter-weavings of “ME” left me thinking about what it means to be defined as one complete whole and how the “ME” in all of us is not always true given certain sets of circumstances. I found the juxtaposition of a Westernized Japan — McDonalds, with a stereotypical Japan — technology & cameras, perhaps the basis of the movement between traditional and modern Japanese paradigms expected by a broader reading audience.While not my favorite read — certainly not a story I regret reading. Would I recommend this one? Yes….will I read it again down the road….probably not. But then again, that is just ME.
    • 4/5
      ME is a novel taking off from the slender premise of a common telephone scam in Japan. The con artist calls at random, beginning with “ore-ore” (“It’s me. It’s me”), hoping the (usually elderly) recipient will assume it’s a son or grandson. That’s followed by some story of impending disaster that might be alleviated by an infusion of cash to a bank account. Tomoyuki Hoshino starts off his story with the protagonist, Hitoshi Nagano, pocketing a misplaced cell phone in a restaurant. Later, he accepts a call from “Mother” and gives her a story about needing 900,000 yen. Much to his amazement, it shows up in his bank account. But when he goes home, he finds “Mother” in his apartment, fixing dinner for him, and addressing him as “Daiki.” To make matters worse, when he goes to visit his own parents, they don’t recognize him. Another man shows up and introduces himself as “Hitoshi Nagano.” When they look at each other, they recognize a special relationship: each is a ME; they seem somehow to be the same person. Over the course of the novel, the circle of people who are ME keeps growing. The relationships among the MEs grows as well, from almost intimate identification and understanding to hate and aggression. Hoshino handles this fantastic material with low-key narration, lending a normalcy to the story that forces the reader to notice the questions he’s asking about what individuality is. It reminded me of work by Kōbō Abe, a similarity also noted in an afterword by Kenzaburō Ōe. The translation by Charles De Wolf is unobtrusive and he does well with the trickiness of the pronouns and the subject matter.
    • 5/5
      This started out as if it were going to be about telephone scams, but it turned into something else--a dystopian world of almost interchangeable ME's. Just when it seems to be headed in one direction, it makes a turn and is off somewhere else. A great read. Advance review copy via LibraryThing