きみにしか聞こえない(Kimi ni shika Kikoenai) ＣＡＬＬＩＮＧ ＹＯＵ by 乙一 Otsuichi

 

Title: 君にしか聞こえない　CALLING YOU
Author: Otsuichi
Illustrator: Miyako Hasumi
Publication Year: 2001
Publisher: 角川書店
Pages: 201

I loved this book! I think Otsuichi has become one of my favorite authors after reading this, despite the fact that most of his works are horror, his short stories for young adults are well written. There's something almost magical about the way his clear prose flows.

Summary:
This book is a collection of short stories by Otsuichi which were originally published in The Sneaker light novel magazine. It contains three stories:

Calling You:
The titular story is about a girl who really wants a cell phone, but has no friends to call. One day she finds she suddenly has a cell phone that only she can see, and it starts ringing...

傷 -KIZ/KIDS-:

This story is about an 11-year old boy who is places in a special class for misbehaving children.
Once there, he befriends a shy child who has an interesting ability to heal others' wounds, but does it come at a price?

鼻歌:
A patient finds himself in a hospital after a train accident, comes upon a flower with the face of a girl, whose singing brightens the lives of his and the other hospital patients.

Thoughts:

Plot & Characters: All the stories are told in first person, which makes it easy to "get inside a character's head", and fairly easy to read. I didn't think I would get into this book, but by the end of the first and second stories I was in tears, and I don't cry easily. The third story, particularly the ending, seemed a bit rushed, and I ultimately didn't enjoy it as much as the others. It was still good, but not great like the others. Still, the first two stories were such page-turners near the end it more than made up for the third story.

Prose & Readability: The prose flowed well and was easy to read. The author has a way of really making one connect with the characters. All the stories were in first person, which any person who has read a few manga volumes should be able to follow without much trouble. I wouldn't recommend this as a first book, but maybe a second or third.

Who would I recommend this to: People starting out reading Japanese books, people who want an easy read that leaves a lasting effect.

First Paragraph:
わたしはおそらくこの高校で唯一(ゆいいつ)の、携帯(けいたい)電話を持っていない女子高生だ。その上、カラオケにも行かないし、プリクラを撮(と)ったこともない。今時こんな人間は珍(めずら)しいと、自分でも思う。
校則では禁止されているけれど、携帯電話なんてだれでも持っている。正直なところ、教室でクラスメイトがちらつかせるたびに、平静でいられなくなる。教室に着信のメロディーが流れるたびに、取り残された気分になる。みんながあの小さな通信機器に話しかけているのを見ると、あらためてわたしには友人がいないのだと気付く。

The first paragraph provided for readers to help judge for themselves whether a book is a good fit for their current level, and is presented with all furigana shown in the actual book.