Yasutaka's Hell isn't engrossed in flames nor is it a scene of unbearable tortures. In fact, those who enter it simply feel nothing. They might meet their murderer, or the man who had an affair with their wife, and still, feel nothing. Simply, they are able to peer into the other's mind and see what it is that so haunted their thoughts while they were living. It's an interesting book that starts off simply then builds and builds like an avalanche, picking up more characters as it goes, building this incredible network of interpersonal connections that you didn't think were going to come up. At the end everyone is linked together somehow and its really fun to see how. This is less of a character study and more a book for those interested in the surreal and seeking a little bemusement. I had fun reading this one and then ending was actually quite pleasant. ( )

What a fun book! I’m sure it’s also one that is will drive many readers crazy.

The story starts off simply enough. Three boys are playing on a high platform, when two of them force the third to fall off. The boy who has fallen sustains what becomes a life-long leg injury. When he later dies and ends up in Hell, he is suddenly able to walk with no further difficulty. There in Hell, he meets his two former friends (could he call them friends after what they did to him?) as well as many other characters whose lives intersect their own. Hell has quite a cast of characters!

Take the advice of this reader who has a poor memory and do keep a pad and pencil nearby as you read this book. You’ll need to take lots of notes to keep all the characters straight. The similarity of Japanese names is also kind of tricky for English-speaking readers. Remembering who’s who is kind of a Hell of its own.

If this sounds difficult, it’s not at all. This novel is a well-written, quick, and enjoyable read. It’s a satire on the Japanese psyche and becomes very whimsical at times. I see it as the author simply playing with his readers. If you dislike experimental writing, perhaps this might not be the book for you. If you like this type of writing, jump into this novel and have a merry adventure in Hell! ( )

'The false death of dreams. The real death of the afterlife. Hell and the world of the living. They're all connected.'

Yasutaka Tsutsui has taken an eraser and rubbed out that line that separates life and death; the two become intertwined flowing seamlessly through dreams and wakefulness. In death there is Hell. In life there is Hell. And after recently finishing Ubik this was one helluva book to start.

'You know what Hell is? It's just a place without God. The Japanese don't believe in God to begin with, so what's the difference between this world and the world of the living?'

One difference... in Hell you're stripped of the emotions of desire, revenge, and hatred which is a good thing because you also have the ability to read each other's minds. You can come face to face with your murderer and feel no need for revenge. Or you can see your best friend or boss screwing your wife and look on with indifference.

The book has no chapters but many small breaks. Yasutaka floats us from character to character, revealing small tensions and conflicts that eventually become intertwined. Hell and earth, death and life, merge. Death is not an end but a continuation.

At one party a man just collapsed and died. A crowd of greying heads peered down at the pale man lying on the floor. It was clear from the looks on their faces that they were all imagining themselves in his position.

The book, Hell, is not a horror; it's a surreal slice of life and death, or just a window into 'being'. It's poetic, funny, and surreal. The author's shifting focus from one character to another and from life to Hell gives the book a dreamlike quality. A funny and tragic and intense moment in the book is a 7 page narrative of passengers on a plane about to crash. Here's a sample:

A passenger who understood English jumped up and shouted, 'They're saying they can't fly the plane!' The cabin filled with panic, people screaming and wailing.

'We're going to crash!'
'We're going down!'
'No!'
'This can't be happening! We're going to die!'
'You've got to be kidding!'

The middle-aged man sitting next to Izumi suddenly clasped his hands together and began to mumble a stream of words: 'Kuchichuchipa, kuchuchipa, kuchuchikuchikuchichuchipa, kuchukuchuchipakuchikuchikuchikuchi...' Izumi supposed that the man was speaking in tongues. How had he ended up sitting next to someone like this? How could he come to terms with his own death with that going on next to him?

A stewardess, her hair dishevelled, ran towards the rear of the plane crying, 'Mother! Mother!' This, more than anything else, made the hopelessness of the situation clear. People became hysterical.

A company president, realizing this was his last chance to reveal his true feelings, turned to his vice-president and embraced him. 'I love you. I want you!'
'Sir! I'm sorry! I just can't!' cried the vice-president. 'Please just let me die with dignity!'
'Am I that repulsive?' yelled the president, starting to choke the other man.

A stewardess, naked from the waist down, stumbled down the aisle in a frenzy of lust. She clung to the chest of a muscular man and pleaded sultrily, 'Let's do it! Please, fuck me!'
'You idiot! You think I can get it up at a time like this?' said the man, pushing the stewardess away.

And it goes on and on... until they all just land in Hell. There is no death. There is no life. There is just Hell. ( )

lovely book I definatly recommend it to anyone ( )