Review: A Man

A Man by Keiichirō Hirano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this pretty much on a whim, and I'm glad I did. The story is an interesting and original one, and it makes the reader think about identity. It reminded me, in this sense, of The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, by Umberto Eco, although the angle is a bit different. Rather than ask if one's memories can be recreated in order to recreate a person the way they were before, this asks more what you would do if you were to switch lives with someone else (and they with you) at some point. Would someone else be excited to be living your life, with your past and background? Would they make more out of it than you? What about you in someone else's life? 

Anyway, I found it interesting throughout, although the convolution of the story was a bit much for me, and I kept having to try to remember who was being discussed. Also, I felt there wasn't much closure with the main protagonist's story arc. 

Regardless, I look forward to reading more by the author. 

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