Member Reviews
Audition is an experimental-ish novel, divided into two parts. Both relate the interactions of the narrator, her husband Tomas, and a man, Xavier, who is either her son or isn't. At the same time, she is performing in a play where her character undergoes a major shift midway through, which seems to mirror her own in this book. She's most definitely unreliable, but the book doesn't necessarily lead you straight to the answer of what reality is. There's plenty of plot, some dialogue, and clear characters - I was frequently immersed in them - but you need to draw your own conclusions at the end. I enjoyed the writing, but, I suppose, appreciate more obvious answers in books. I'm sure Kitamura's fans will like this a lot; others might be unpredictably hot or cold on it.
I adore Kitamura. I thought it was interesting how many times the word "intimacy" or "intimacies" appeared in /this/ work. She continues to astound and reveal and I have nothing of value to comment as a result other than that I highly recommend.
This book was like “black swan” level of you don’t know what is real and what is not. The narrative really did play out like some dark psychological Arronofsky movie in my head, or at least that’s how it felt for the last half of it where you’re like whaaaaat is happppening.
Kitamura is a master of mood and tension - her other two novels Intamacies and A Separation gave me this unsettling feeling of inhabiting this weird, otherworldly and liminal space. Audition really expands her writing within that same mode in my opinion. Her sentences are so beautifully constructed and read so smoothly *chefs kiss* - I really liked it for that reason and I couldn’t put it down…
However, did I want the plot to make a little more sense? Sure the part of me as a reader who wants answers wanted something a little neater I guess. On the other hand, I have total respect for a novel that lets you speculate and question every detail in a kaleidoscopic rabbit hole, making you wonder if a particular bit of dialogue or character behaviour may or may not matter or give you answers.
Audition is a novel that gives readers a lot to ponder on about performance and interpretation and reception - not only within artistry but also life. But aren’t the lines between artistry and life pretty blurry? They definitely are in this book.
I have a strong feeling Audition might be a super divisive book for mass audiences, but love it or hate it, there’s something rare and bold about Katie Kitamura’s writing that is wholly her own and unique. I can promise you that it is quite extraordinary to read and experience.
"Tension grew out of every scene, scenes in which nothing took place and people said very little, and yet the pressure grew and grew so that by the end of the play I realized I had been in a sickening state of unease for sometime." - Katie Kitamura, Audition
This quote from Kitamura's latest novel perfectly encapsulated how I felt about the book overall. Audition follows the first person point of view from an older actress who is approached by a younger man claiming, perhaps impossibly, to be her son. The perspective of the protagonist in this novel is incredibly claustrophobic. She is constantly searching every other character for signs of suspicion or unease. Even though nothing much happens in Audition, Kitamura is able to create a taut string of tension to propel the book forward. Sometimes I found this compulsive and other times grating. Overall, Audition is very a skillful story, even if not always the most enjoyable one, but one has the sense that this was the author's design.
Fastidiously expressed, finely nuanced and tirelessly intriguing, Kitamura’s latest delivers the goods. Not a big book, but one with tireless layers of discernment as one woman, or perhaps two, sifts the shifts of connection between herself, her husband and a possible son. Is the ending too tidy? Too clever? Not sure, but the process was so enjoyable that I didn’t mind.
While I did not think this was the book for me, I do think my library patrons would enjoy this. Kitamura has always done well in our circulation numbers and I thoroughly enjoyed "Intimacies", so I was excited to read this new work from her. I found the narrator too neurotic, but I can see how others may enjoy seeing how this character fleshes out. I look forward to purchasing this book for our collection and seeing what our patrons think about it!
Unfortunately not for me. In a world with SO many books being published, I just don't see this as a must in our collection. Thought I would like this from the description, but alas.
I’m not quite sure how to feel about this one, honestly. I’m an actor myself, so I struggle to buy into fictionalized accounts of the boundaries between performance and reality. I think it ties into a romanticization or magical thinking about acting I just can’t relate to.
Overall, I found the conceit interesting, but it didn’t quite stick the emotional landing for me.
I love Katie Kitamura's attention to interiority. Many passages are repetitive as a narrator tries to untangle her thoughts or goes over scenes to re-interpret what has happened -- her writing mirrors the repetition of thought. This book is a tricky one and has an intriguing premise: a man claims he is the son of a woman who says that is impossible. A book about performance, missed opportunities, motherhood. Kitamura is brilliant.