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Jul
02
Book Review: Taroko Gorge by Jacob Ritari
2010 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published July 1, 2010 by Unbridled Books
American reporter Peter Neils is visiting Taroko Gorge, Taiwan’s largest national park, with his much younger (and much drunker) photographer Pickett when three Japanese schoolgirls who are in the park on a class trip go missing. Neils and Pickett, having stumbled upon a story far more interesting than the one that brought them to Taroko Gorge, find themselves playing the unusual dual roles of suspects and investigators in the disappearance that lies at the center of Jacob Ritari’s fabulous debut novel Taroko Gorge.
Ritari skillfully employs multiple narrators to help readers piece together what could have happened to the missing girls and to explore the question of how we respond to crisis, both socially and psychologically. Joining Neils in relaying the story are students Michiko Kamakiri, who views this final class trip as her last chance to find a boyfriend (confessions of love apparently abound on this outing) and whose hyper-awareness of her rank and social status within the complex rules that govern adolescent interactions makes her simultaneously jaded and hopeful, and the uber-responsible “Class Rep” Tohru Maruyama, who, unbeknownst to any of his peers, has dreams that give him visions of impending disaster. Tohru is fascinated by one of the missing girls’ new-age spirituality and wonders if it, rather than evil or malevolence, is responsible for the disappearance.
It must be cool to be religious—to feel like all those weird things out there have something to do with you.
Tohru is intelligent enough to know that his hoped-for explanation is unlikely, but it is easier to believe that “Kari didn’t belong in this world” than to face the possibility that one of his classmates—or the American reporter and photographer, who seem nice enough—or some unknown person took his friend.
Rounding out the cast of narrators is Detective Hsien Chao. Chao’s years of his experience tell him to suspect the Americans Neils and Pickett, but he’s also unwilling to let the students’ chaperon Mr. Tanaka off the hook, as he resents the Japanese “for coming here and throwing their money around.” Chao’s voice reveals the stereotypical cynicism of the hardened detective, familiar to readers of police procedurals and crime fiction, but also provides a level of insight that takes the detective beyond caricature and makes him a compelling if relatively minor character.
In the three hours between the girls’ disappearance and the detective’s arrival, the students waste no time going all lord-of-the-flies on each other, hurling accusations one minute and revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to each other (and then making out) the next. Ritari nails the complex social dynamics of adolescents in turmoil and reminds us that the human response to tragedy and loss is often related to seeking intimacy and physical connections.
After the initial panic dies down, most of the students return to Taipei, leaving Michiko, Tohru, and two of their classmates at the park with Mr. Tanaka, Neils, and Pickett, who plan to continue their search in the morning while they wait for the police to send the helicopters and search dogs they’ve promised. When a monk from a nearby monastery visits the park, he leaves Neils thinking about the human desire to find explanations for tragedy that give them meaning in the context of the Big Picture. Much as he might like to, Neils can’t quite sell himself on the idea.
“Some things are very hard to explain,” the monk had said, and he was right, but a supernatural explanation is just another explanation. Deus ex machina.
As the search continues, each narrator reveals his or her own concerns, neuroses, biases, and proverbial skeletons-in-the-closet to the reader, and many hint at their potential involvement in the disappearance. In fewer than 300 pages, and in a story that occurs within a 48-hour window of time, Ritari develops interesting characters with distinct and believable voices (his female teenage characters are remarkably realistic), and the multiple narrative lines create a book whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Taroko Gorge is a literary mystery to be read and enjoyed just as much for the wonderful writing as for the edge-of-your-seat plot, and it establishes Ritari as a strong new player in the literary scene. 4.5 out of 5.
Learn more about Taroko Gorge at Jacob Ritari’s website, and visit Unbridled Books for more great reads.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Rebecca Schinsky
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This sounds fantastic! I love literary mysteries!
Sounds like a fascinating book. Definitely going on my want list. I love the complex portrayal it seems to give of each of the characters.
Amy´s last [type] ..Review- Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rebecca Schinsky, Rebecca Schinsky. Rebecca Schinsky said: Need a great read this weekend? Look no further than TAROKO GORGE by @jacobritari. http://bit.ly/94VovY @unbridledbooks [...]
Thanks for this review. I’m an Unbridled Books subscriber and have a copy of this in my ever-expanding TBR pile, but haven’t made it that far yet. You’re review makes me look forward to it!
Glad that you liked this one!! I am reading this one right now, and can attest to the fact that it is really engrossing!
Aths´s last [type] ..Friday Finds – July 02- 2010
Ah, I almost forgot this book. I remember ogling it a bit at Unbridled’s BEA booth, but I wasn’t convinced it was the sort of thing I’d like. I think I am now. Fantastic review!
Megan´s last [type] ..Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
sounds as if it would fit in with some of the noir suspense films/books that have come out of asia in the last 15 years. a great genre overall.
i will definitely grab a copy of this, but will need to make sure i have room on the selves first.
erisian23´s last [type] ..Disco-stick womanizer like a circus
This looks great! Definitely want to read it at some point. There’s been some great reviews of Taroko Gorge including yours. I like the mixing of Japanese and Chinese, sounds interesting.
sakura´s last [type] ..A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
[...] The Book Lady’s Blog gives Taroko Gorge 4.5 out of 5 stars. I’ve retrieved my copy from the pre-moving “donate” pile and will give it a go! [...]
[...] The Bare Necessities is a series in which writers and bookish folk share annotated reading lists of the books they can’t live without. Today’s guest is Jacob Ritari, author of Taroko Gorge. [...]