I wish Goodreads would let us give half stars, because this is definitely 3.5 stars, but not quite 4. The book is about a therapist who has a sexual addiction, and he acts on that addiction with patients that he finds fascinating (both female and male). In the meantime, he deprives his loving wife of her sexual needs. The book is written in very short chapters and moves quickly. While the main character is entirely unlikable, he's so fascinating, that we actually have to see what he does next. This book is only recommended to people who can handle strong language and descriptions of sex(not extremely detailed, but sometimes disturbing). ( )

Note: An uncorrected advanced reader's copy was provided to this reviewer by the publisher (Coffee House Press) through the First Reads giveaway.

Netsuke is primarily a character study of several characters. The first is the psychoanalyst who uses his practice to take advantage of several of his clients, many of whom deal with sexual issues. The first thing that become apparent is that the main character has the same issues as many of his clients, that being a sexual addiction and a self-destructive nature, the latter of which manifests through his dropping clues about his infidelities to his wife, Akiko. The main character is only different from his clients in that he has a position of authority over them and uses it to take advantage and indulge in his own sexual desires.

The other main character in the novel is Akiko herself. She is a wife in denial. She clearly knows what her husband is up to, although not necessarily with whom, but she tends to turn a blind eye. There are looks of recognition when her husband drops clues about his infidelity, but then a denial until she is directly confronted with it, such as when he confesses to her about an indiscretion from years before. She simply doesn't want to know, but this denial slowly eats away at her, causing her to start to appear older and worn as the novel progresses.

It's an interesting dynamic in what is a very short novel (only 128 pages; more of a novella), and I would have liked it more, but there are some definite issues with the narrative. First the shifting perspective, primarily a chapter told from the perspective of one of the psychoanalyst's clients (he refers to them as “clients” rather than “patients,” a distinction which becomes important in the novel) felt like it could have been handled better, probably through a longer conversation between the psychoanalyst and said client. The change in perspective is more jarring than I believe was intended, and actually pulled me off the page. What's more jarring is when the perspective shifts from the psychoanalyst's first-person perspective to third-person. I am aware that this is an uncorrected galley copy, so this may be changed in the published novel, but it was extremely jarring and problem, not handled all that artfully, and reminding me that I was reading a book and not watching or living these characters' lives.

The second issue that this novel has is the language used, particularly when it comes to the characters' introspection, of which there is a lot. It felt unnecessarily flowery. Yes, it becomes clear that the psychoanalyst and Akiko are supposed to be part of the more well-to-do societal class, but it reminded me quite a bit of some French novels, such as those by [a:Muriel Barbery|643126|Muriel Barbery|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1262638110p2/643126.jpg], particularly [b:The Elegance of the Hedgehog|2967752|The Elegance of the Hedgehog|Muriel Barbery|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1240508801s/2967752.jpg|1531887]. Only the subject of this introspection is a lot more base, primarily having to do with sexual desires or the sexual act. Unlike some other reviewers, I was not offended or felt assaulted by the use of the f-word or description of this f-word being carried out.

But be warned: Readers of this novel will need to have a slightly thicker skin.

Again, I felt that I should like this novel more than I did. I'm giving this novel three stars, although I feel it deserves three and a half, but since we can't give half stars on Goodreads, the novel feels like it leans more towards the three star level. While it's an interesting character study in its purest form with a textbook ending (meaning that it's both surprising and expected), there were enough problems threaded throughout the novel that I just couldn't give it a higher recommendation. ( )

I'm surprised this has such low ratings. There is not much of a plot and the ending is not satisfying, but I still think 5 stars is appropriate for the beautiful and insightful writing. ( )

After [b:The Fountains of Neptune|379259|The Fountains of Neptune|Rikki Ducornet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403200762s/379259.jpg|1144243] and [b:The Jade Cabinet|379261|The Jade Cabinet|Rikki Ducornet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329592325s/379261.jpg|369078], I just couldn’t applaud this one with the same élan. ( )

What makes fiction "literary" instead of, you know, good, is a focus on language instead of story or character, on how the story is told instead of telling a good story. I can't think of a better review of Netsuke than that. ( )