THE GUN
Fuminori Nakamura
Soho Press
January 2016
A bored university student, Nishikawa, one night wanders through the dark streets of Tokyo and discovers a gun beside a bloody body. Instantly fascinated by the weapon, he steals it—and his mundane life degrades into a blur of violent fantasies. Soon he is battling the vile impulses of an all-consuming obsession: he must fire the gun. Possessed by his mania, he stalks his victims. But can he kill?
THE GUN is Nakamura’s skillful foray into the mind of madness. He leaves noir to enter raw blackness, leading you down a dim road to an even darker end. From the haunting prose to the breathless climax, each page is chilling and tense. Nakamura’s finely crafted characters are reminiscent of Poe’s, descending vividly and palpably into lunacy. This is an unforgettable, heart-pounding journey into the world of psychological suspense.
Funinori Nakamura is the winner of the 2010 Kenzaburo Oe prize for his work, THE THEIF, which was listed on the Wall Street Journal’s Best Fiction of 2012. The same book secured Nakamura’s nomination for the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category. In 2014 he won the David Godis award and has earned various national writing awards in Japan. He’s the author of twelve novels and eleven short story collections. THE GUN was originally released in Japan in 2003.
Ava Black
