Audition - Ryu Murakami

Audition is the long-awaited translation of the novel behind the cult classic Japanese movie.

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 r sum s 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.