Audition (W W NORTON & CO)

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don t intend to produce. As the resumes pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama s attention Yamasaki Asami a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his instant and total infatuation, Aoyama is too late in discovering that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be. The novel s fast-paced, thriller conclusion doesn t spare the reader as Yamasaki takes off her angelic mask and reveals what lies beneath."