'You don't lie to friends, right? But you need to deceive each other if you're going to be lovers.'

The debut novel from Izumi Suzuki, coming to us after the release of two short-story collections. Here is less of the cyber-punk, sci-fi feel and much more an autobiographical vibe, as our narrator 'Izumi' recounts her experiences in the bars and clubs of 1970s Tokyo. Unashamedly upfront about sexuality, love and relationships, this is a world of music, drugs and mistakes. And always, always, there is that thought in your mind as you read it of the desperate, tormented life of the author. Similar to Mishima and Dazai, for example, I find it almost impossible to distinguish between the narrative voice and the author behind it, so strong are their own life stories.

For me, this lacked some of the power and intensity of the short story collections, but make no mistake, Suzuki was an astonishing writer and lived her life on the edge, and this is a powerful and compelling piece of work.

Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

i enjoyed the way the book was written but not the actual story... i thought the pacing was off and it all felt kinda boring and lowkey uncomfortable to read

Nothing exceeds like excess.

And this one definitely exceeded my tolerance for excess.

Izumi Suzuki writes well and she makes some interesting observations about relationships, but this is largely a fictionalized memoir about sex and drug abuse, and there’s just so much of it there and so little plot that it gets old fast.

I generally have a pretty high tolerance for this kind of content as long as it isn’t grotesque, but it needs to at least feed movement in the narrative or spur character evolution, and this book is extraordinarily stagnant on both counts.

It leaves the reader without much to root for, frustrated by the protagonist’s repetitive bad choices that lead to the same cycle of self-destruction over and over without her ever appearing to grow or change. I’m not necessarily of the opinion that a character or the reader always has to learn something or change for the better, but I need a better story than this to let go of any idea need for growth, and I definitely need more self-awareness on the part of the character. To that end, there’s a martyred self indulgence to this that is hard to look away from, but even harder to enjoy.

This seems to be an autobiographical novel from Izumi Suzuki, the author of short story collections also published in translation by Verso, before which she was very little known in the English-speaking world. I say "autobiographical" because the details of the story hew very close to the author's own biography. This makes some parts of the book quite poignant. Unfortunately it is also choppy and uneven in tone. I have enjoyed Suzuki's short stories in the past and would read more of her sci-fi work but this novel was not for me, even though I can see the value in its being published.

I enjoyed following young Izumi around through her adventures and relationships. She often finds herself in peculiar situations and definitely is a chaos agent. It was an entertaining read that kept me wanting to see how Izumi would pull herself through these strange situations and relationships, but I was ultimately unsatisfied and a bit uncomfortable with how she would handle people’s feelings. This is all probably part of her charm, being a chaotic uncontrollable woman, but that character type isn’t for me sometimes.

I thought this book was very good, if uncomfortable at times. It felt like watching a car crash where you can’t really look away and don’t necessarily like what you are seeing. You should definitely give it a read but look up trigger warnings! Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC.

Set in Tokyo's underground scene in the 70s, Set My Heart On Fire offers an edgy backdrop brimming with rebellion and complex relationships; this is exactly what got me interested in picking up this book however the novel ultimately fell flat for me. I found the narrator quite boring and thought the pace of the book was sluggish which coupled up made it difficult for me to engage with Izumi. Though this wasn't for me, I did enjoy the style of writing and will definitely be picking up the author's short story collections in the near future.

Thank you Verso and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC!

2.5

I'm sorry but I found this book quite boring. It tells the story of Izumi who spends her time having sex with members of bands who she doesn't ever seem to particularly like. They whistle (or ring) and she goes to them - sometimes they have sex and sometimes they seem to get bored of the idea before they begin and so Izumi goes home.

She doesn't seem to mind if the young men are addicts or mentally ill or married or into her even.

This would be okay for one or even two short stories but an entire book of them becomes tedious.

Sadly there's very little else to the book. It didn't even feel that erotic to me.

The writing is good and that's the only positive I took from this book.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Verso Books for the advance review copy.

I struggled with this book. I liked the idea of vignettes to tell stories, and I loved the musical details throughout the book. I just really did not love the way the characters described other women, and men. Disparagingly. Being set in the 70s, , with the drug use and grunge, it fits the time period. Izumi’s relationship with Jun was heartbreaking, how he treated her and made her feel. It was hard to read.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

I’ve found Izumi Suzuki’s short stories uneven but always compelling, so this - her debut novel, translated into English more than 40 years after its original publication - was a bit of a disappointment to me. It has recognizable tropes from her short fiction - music, unlikeable women, a persistent sense of nihilism - but it lacks the speculative elements that I’ve enjoyed in many of her stories. It’s very dialogue heavy, which is not usually my favourite, and the heterosexual dysfunction does get to be a bit much. I enjoyed the ambivalent narrator, her odd psychological profile, and the irreverent tone of the novel. But not a stellar read for me.

i’ve been intrigued by izumi suzuki’s work for a little while, but i held off on reading her until now because i’m not a huge short story person. so i was excited to see that her debut novel was finally translated into english! i found this book to be fine - the writing was sharp, it was a quick read, and i found the later parts of the story to be pretty compelling.

set my heart on fire follows izumi, a girl in her 20s drifting through the japanese music scene in the 1970s. she goes through life in a drug-induced daze, hopping from lover to lover and eventually marrying a musician. the beginning of the book fell flat for me - it was repetitive and i had a difficult time keeping track of all of the musicians izumi was involved with. however, once she gets married, the story takes a more troubling turn, and that was when i found myself getting more invested. the darkness between izumi and her husband was reminiscent of the relationship at the center of vigdis hjorth’s if only, but the brevity of set my heart on fire kept it from feeling too bloated.

the writing style was straightforward and sharp, which i always appreciate. this was a quick read that i was able to finish in one day. i think it might be better read over a few days due to the subject matter. i’m not sure if i’ll read suzuki’s short stories after reading this, but i’m glad to have given her a try.

Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki is a captivating dive into the complex emotions and surreal scenarios that have become her signature. With a delicate blend of dark humor and poignant introspection, Suzuki crafts a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is deeply affecting. Her ability to explore human vulnerability in strange, futuristic settings is unmatched, and this work is no exception. Suzuki’s writing feels both intimate and otherworldly, making Set My Heart on Fire an unforgettable exploration of love, loneliness, and the human condition.

Thank you to Netgalley and Verso for giving me access to an ARC!

I really liked the premise of this novel- following a young woman in 70s Japan exploring the rock scene? Count me in! A lot of the writing fell flat as it felt the novel had no discernible direction . I love novels with no clear plot and filled with introspection but the narrator felt half-baked.

On the plus side, the translation itself was seamless! It read well and I think it was due to that, I as a reader was really able to explore my gripes with this book!

Another very absorbing look at adolescent discontent, in a convincing Japanese setting. The other two books by the author available in English are slightly more refined in theme and execution, but this novel was very convincing. A disenchanted narrator who seeks to find love, but in all the wrong ways,

All the trigger warnings.

This was borderline horrendous, and yet I get the sense that this was exactly the feeling the author was trying to express. We have a group of friends-slash-groupies living the rocker lifestyle in the 70s and beyond. Everyone sleeps with everyone else (heterosexually, of course). Everyone cheats and abuses and self-harms and drugs it up. I couldn't grasp the point. Nearly everything was a put-off ... except when the music was described. The whole scene, livid.

The vapid and disturbing sentiments expressed by the characters ... by the end of the book, I still couldn't figure out if it was author commentary, a misguided attempt at representing the times, or unintentional schlock. The utter racism about the "mixed" guy whose skin "changes colour." The utter racism about Chinese men being "filthy b*****ds in bed." The utterly racist sentiments expressed in "I find a girl has to be at least half Japanese for me to get there" and "I slept with this foreign eighteen-year-old the other day ... she smelled bad, had pretty intense BO. I couldn't get in the mood at all." And also "I followed her like I was r*****ed," says Izumi. Ticking off pretty much every prejudice you can imagine. I almost, almost laughed at the comment about the Beatles being "so short" until the author threw in "Were the Beatles a dwarf band?" I mean, it was crass in every way.

But it gets worse. All the cheating and backstabbing aside, there's an "eating disorder for love" plot line and a rape framed as romantic rejection. Actually, all of the sex scenes were written like voyeur fanfiction featuring livestock. And then the big reveal: Izumi's first husband cut off her pinkie toe, an expression of "true love"! Somehow! Nothing makes sense and everything is toxic.

Anyone who's lived in Japan a while has probably noticed a curious pattern when overhearing everyday conversations: the gender pattern. Here we have a hundred cases in point. Again, I can't decide if the author is raising the issue or merely replicating it. Have a go:

"'Very manly thing to say. Men are such realists.'"
"Most men do exactly that. Fall for someone because that person's been kind to them."
"I decided. Women are all talk."

What do you think? If you feel this is accurate, then I'm sorry to break it to you, but I gender-swapped the subjects here. Hopefully the one good thing we can get out of this mess is an opportunity to recognize our own unconscious biases.

Izumi Suzuki’s Set My Heart on Fire is a visceral exploration of youth, love, and disillusionment set against the backdrop of 1970s Tokyo’s underground music scene. Through thirteen poignant vignettes, Suzuki narrates the turbulent twenties of a young woman named Izumi, who navigates the chaotic world of jazz clubs, fleeting relationships, and self-destructive habits. Each chapter, cleverly titled after iconic tracks by bands like The Zombies, The Supremes, and underground Japanese artists, infuses the narrative with the spirit of the era.

The novel’s raw, candid tone resonates with the fraught tenderness of Marguerite Duras’ The Lover and the decadent dissolution found in Ryu Murakami’s Almost Transparent Blue. Yet, Suzuki’s voice remains distinctly her own—sharp, witty, and deeply introspective. Izumi’s journey is one of self-exploration, marred by addiction, mental health struggles, and the elusive search for love and fulfillment. The novel’s pacing mirrors the protagonist’s erratic life, moving between whimsical moments of youth and the darker, more reflective periods as she grows older.

Set My Heart on Fire is not a comfortable read; it’s a brutally honest portrayal of a woman grappling with her identity in a world that often seeks to define her. Suzuki’s depiction of the underground music scene, with its blend of glamour and grime, provides a vivid backdrop to Izumi’s inner turmoil. This novel is a powerful, unsettling, and ultimately unforgettable glimpse into a life lived on the edge of society, making it a must-read for those who appreciate raw, introspective literature.

Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki is a visceral dive into the underground music and club scene of 1970s Tokyo. It follows the turbulent experiences of its protagonist, also named Izumi, as she navigates passion, complex relationships, and the intensity of the psychedelic rock scene. Suzuki’s raw and candid writing style makes the narrative both intimate and disorienting, reflecting the chaotic nature of the lifestyle she portrays. With an emphasis on desire, regret, and self-discovery, the novel taps into the punk and countercultural energy of its time. It's a short but powerful read, complemented by an evocative soundtrack that spans Japanese underground bands and Western rock influences. This novel is a captivating exploration of transgression and self-reflection, perfect for fans of Suzuki’s distinct, misanthropic, and hauntingly beautiful voice.

“Set My Heart on Fire” – Izumi Suzuki (translated from Japanese by Helen O’Horan)

“I’d always be the one to get obsessed when I first met someone. Then he’d get ignited by my fire. He’d decide we should start going steady. And just about then, every time, a new man would magically appear. It’s not nice to admit it, but I’d then have zero problem betraying the first one. I ran at a different tempo to most of my lovers…. There’s an affected quality to my affection.”

My thanks to @netgalley and @versobooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on 12th November.

Her first novel to be translated into English after two short story collections, “Set My Heart on Fire” is still quite story-based, but is linked through the central character Izumi, a version of the author herself. Set in the clubs and bars of 70s Tokyo, we see a young woman in her twenties struggling with life and relationships (especially relationships), set to a background of classic American and Japanese rock.

I haven’t read “Terminal Boredom”, which seems to be more dystopian but with a punky edge (if someone could confirm this?), but this book wasn’t really for me. I’m past the point in my life where I’m going to care about dull relationships between young people stuck in mundanity whilst yearning for more. There’s some great writing at points, and Izumi struck me as an interesting and nuanced character, but the conversations bored me and were a slog to get through, to the point where I almost didn’t finish it.

This book has an audience, but it isn’t me, despite the references to a lot of music that I love. Could it be more for fans of Sally Rooney?

"‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴,’ 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮."

As all debuts go, this one's imperfect, cluttered, and unfocussed, but Suzuki's brilliance shines through in her observant eye for the nuances in men and women in the underground rock scene of Japan in the 70s. She's looking at appetite and carnage. She's following the blues, the hues of it, how it's tracked in romance, lust, and desire.

Though it falls flat in direction, spurts of Suzuki's brilliance shine through, like rushing through the rough to find her odd glows and glimmers, diamonds in her sensitivity and awe for the universe, how vast it is and how small it crafts her world:

"..𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘦."

Examples like this set the stones for the soft sci-fi she writes into her later short stories.

*I regret the fact that I hadn't written more when I was younger. I think so much of it runs with a ferocity, a desire to live, or live a bit longer than we had hoped, to see its worth. Suzuki kept a gaze in worth's eyes, only to be left with hollow eyes, an unfocussed vision. But it's her writing that keeps the focus there.

"𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦."
"𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺."