Terminal Boredom: Stories
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- Author：Izumi Suzuki
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Summary
The first English language publication of the work of Izumi Suzuki， a legend of Japanese science fiction and a countercultural icon。
In a future where men are contained in ghettoized isolation， women enjoy the fruits of a queer matriarchal utopia – until a boy escapes and a young woman’s perception of the world is violently interrupted。
The last family in a desolate city struggles to approximate 20th century life on Earth， lifting what notions they can from 1960s popular culture。 But beneath these badly learned behaviors lies an atavistic appetite for destruction。
Two new friends enjoy drinks on a holiday resort planet where all is not as it seems， and the air itself seems to carry a treacherously potent nostalgia。 Back on Earth， Emma’s not certain if her emotionally abusive， green-haired boyfriend is in fact an intergalactic alien spy， or if she’s been hitting the bottle and baggies too hard。
At turns nonchalantly hip and charmingly deranged， Suzuki's singular slant on speculative fiction would be echoed in countless later works， from Margaret Atwood and Harumi Murakami， to Black Mirror and Ex Machina。 In these darkly playful and punky stories， the fantastical elements are always earthed by the universal pettiness of strife between the sexes， and the gritty reality of life on the lower rungs， whatever planet that ladder might be on。
In a future where men are contained in ghettoized isolation， women enjoy the fruits of a queer matriarchal utopia – until a boy escapes and a young woman’s perception of the world is violently interrupted。
The last family in a desolate city struggles to approximate 20th century life on Earth， lifting what notions they can from 1960s popular culture。 But beneath these badly learned behaviors lies an atavistic appetite for destruction。
Two new friends enjoy drinks on a holiday resort planet where all is not as it seems， and the air itself seems to carry a treacherously potent nostalgia。 Back on Earth， Emma’s not certain if her emotionally abusive， green-haired boyfriend is in fact an intergalactic alien spy， or if she’s been hitting the bottle and baggies too hard。
At turns nonchalantly hip and charmingly deranged， Suzuki's singular slant on speculative fiction would be echoed in countless later works， from Margaret Atwood and Harumi Murakami， to Black Mirror and Ex Machina。 In these darkly playful and punky stories， the fantastical elements are always earthed by the universal pettiness of strife between the sexes， and the gritty reality of life on the lower rungs， whatever planet that ladder might be on。
Reviews
R。 W。
，
Several of these stories were great， the titular one in particular， but others felt rushed， with spacey elements not given enough time to unfold on the page。 Also features a lot of that 'dialogue —explanatory aside to the reader — dialogue' pattern， which is immersion-breaking in repetition。 But it's fun to read something so forward-looking， and BLEAK （stylishly though）。 Way ahead of its time in some ways。 Would definitely read a longer piece by IS。 Several of these stories were great， the titular one in particular， but others felt rushed， with spacey elements not given enough time to unfold on the page。 Also features a lot of that 'dialogue —explanatory aside to the reader — dialogue' pattern， which is immersion-breaking in repetition。 But it's fun to read something so forward-looking， and BLEAK （stylishly though）。 Way ahead of its time in some ways。 Would definitely read a longer piece by IS。 。。。more
Liz Cettina
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4。5。 Title story， women and women， that old seaside club， and forgotten were my faves
Amanda Tamane
，
Beautiful and tragic short tales。 Sci-fi so prescient and modern that I was shocked to read that the author passed in 1986。
Erika Thornton
，
This story collection is amazing。 At different turns comedic， tragic， horrifying。 They will definitely stick with me for quite some time。
Lee
，
（3。5） Everyone should at least try these stories -- I imagine they'll land much better for a lot of readers。 Full of thought-provoking ideas， delivered in an unfussy and impressively accessible prose style。 （3。5） Everyone should at least try these stories -- I imagine they'll land much better for a lot of readers。 Full of thought-provoking ideas， delivered in an unfussy and impressively accessible prose style。 。。。more
Patrick King
，
What a weird， wonderful book。 It was a bit of a slow ramp up for me， but by “That Old Seaside Club” I was hooked。 “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “Forgotten” were the definite standouts。 Lots of good exploration of self-perception， reckoning with personal history， the inability （despite drugs/therapy/radical change） to distance yourself from your self， the true inability for others to know the “true” you， and the power of memory （and of forgetting！）。 Truly wild and wonderful sci-fi。
Emily
，
‘There is something wrong with our present society， and I can’t stand SF written by people who don’t understand that。’ – Izumi Suzuki。 AR Women and Womentt4。5/5ttYou May Dreamtt5/5Night Picnicttt4。5/5The Old Seaside Clubtt4/5Smoke Gets in Your Eyest3。5/5Forgottenttt5/5Terminal Boredomtt4/5 A fantastic， surreal collection of stories dipped in dark/dry humour （or am I just misreading it？）。 Satire。 Satire。 Satire。 Mental health， gender politics， and an exploration of Japanese ‘counterculture’。 ‘There is something wrong with our present society， and I can’t stand SF written by people who don’t understand that。’ – Izumi Suzuki。 AR Women and Womentt4。5/5ttYou May Dreamtt5/5Night Picnicttt4。5/5The Old Seaside Clubtt4/5Smoke Gets in Your Eyest3。5/5Forgottenttt5/5Terminal Boredomtt4/5 A fantastic， surreal collection of stories dipped in dark/dry humour （or am I just misreading it？）。 Satire。 Satire。 Satire。 Mental health， gender politics， and an exploration of Japanese ‘counterculture’。 And existential dread in the air。 They are all set in a post-apocalyptic world， some with ‘aliens’， and others without。 I really enjoyed the narrative， the characters， and the strange world（s） so brilliantly put together by Izumi Suzuki。 It’s a shame she left this one so quickly。 Who can blame her though？ “Once you’re above a certain age， if you decide you want kids， you go to the hospital。 Even if you’re unmarried， it’s fine as long as you can raise them。 They probably inject you with some medicine or something。‘You’re not going to look for a job？’‘I’m not cut out for it，’ Rei replied shamelessly。 ‘Even if this doesn’t work out， I’ll just find an arranged marriage。’ Rei has a pretty face and pale skin， giving her good reason to be confident of finding someone to support her。 Long ago， it was normal for the men to work while the women took care of the household chores， and that arrangement hasn’t really changed – all that’s new is that it’s the more masculine woman who goes to work， while the more feminine partner takes care of the sundry other tasks at home。” – ‘Women and Women’I found ‘Women and Women’ treading close to the story patterns/themes/feminist writings of Margaret Atwood。 It’s basically a dystopian world without men。 Men are locked up in special institutions away from women because apparently they’ve caused too much harm and damage their world （in the novel）。 At the start I found the whole ‘masculine woman’ concept a little unsettling – in terms of how they’re shoved into the family dynamics as a replacement for men （but only because I think that in a queer/lesbian relationship， there is no ‘standard’/’default’ setting/dynamic; like how maddening it is when someone looks at a queer relationship and then say something madly ignorant like ‘so who’s the man/woman in the relationship？’）。 However， Suzuki cleverly makes a few twists later in the story and totally flip the readers’ expectation – and as a result， making this a very thought-provoking， and obviously fantastic piece of writing。 The grandmother of the protagonist （in this particular short story） weeding off thoughts of romantic ideas in the family and calling it all an ‘adolescent fantasy’ is a spectacular way to end the story; beautifully haunting。 “While I fielded her questions， I had to ask myself: What was it about her that was turning me into a man？ Got to be all that femininity。 She’s acting like such a woman （as society defines the role， anyway） that I have to play the man just to keep the balance。 What if I ran into a boy？ Could I even play the part of a woman？Syzygy？ Androgyny？ I’m no man and I’m no woman。 Who needs gender anyway？ I just want to get out of this place， to be on my own。I’ve got no desire to see the collapse of humankind or the end of the world。 I just want everyone to enjoy their lives。 That’s why I came here — to a different time stream， a different planet， a different universe。” – ‘You May Dream’‘You May Dream’ and ‘Forgotten’ are stories in this collection that I like best。 ‘You May Dream’ opens with a friendship between two young women – and one of them is about to be ‘put to sleep’ （not a euphemism for death， I don’t think） temporarily because the world is too populated to handle so many ‘waking’ humans all at once。 However， she wants her consciousness to be linked with her waking friend （the protagonist） so she can appear and live in her friend’s dreams。 Their relationship reminds me of the one Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation， except this one’s mad surreal， and deals with gender politics and the class system in society with a more surreal but brutal approach， with a slightly bigger serving of existential dread。 I thought the ending was a bit sudden and unimpressive; might work much better as a longer piece of writing （novella）。 “There was no way anyone could live in a world like this with a fully functioning mind。 You only found yourself feeling angry from morning until night。 If she ended up joining some kind of political movement as a result， her mother and father would be upset。 Using drugs， she told herself， was her way of being a good daughter。” – ‘Forgotten’ “I’m not particularly eclectic in my tastes， and I’m not interested in anything that feels too much like hard work。 The Kamiroi aesthetic doesn’t really do it for me， although I hear that you Terrans really go for it。 And Balians are way too irrational。” – ‘Forgotten’While I’d complained about how in ‘You May Dream’， Suzuki ends the story with a weak fizzle， I almost didn’t have time to catch my breath in the last few pages of ‘Forgotten’。 On the surface， it’s an interplanetary/intergalactic， interracial love story – green alien men and all。 But what lies underneath it all is a hot and political mess – internal/mental and external/physical abuse。 The translation in this one didn’t feel very ‘Japanese’ to me in terms of language and esp。 tone; I don’t know if Suzuki wrote it this way， or if it was totally washed away in translation。 But it didn’t bother me too much because the characters， narrative， and the story/plot were absolutely stunning; I was rendered speechless at the end of it – like a fish out of the sea， gasping for dear life。 “I will avoid a casual approach to life at any cost。’ But Dad immediately qualified himself， to smooth things over。 ‘I simply don’t want us to wind up the butt of the joke。 When people behave shamefully， their children follow suit。 Children only notice when their parents make mistakes。 One false move， and pretty soon they’re … You know， whatever you call it。” – ‘The Night Picnic’ “She must be thirty-six years old， in this world。 Naoshi must be out of the facility too， then。 He took off from that planet three days earlier。 No need to look in a mirror。 I already know the score: I’m a dejected housewife， in my thirties – impatient and frustrated， yet too limp and lethargic to do anything about it。 And I live in one of those hideous， uniform， low-rent apartments I can see out the window。” – ‘The Old Seaside Club’I’ll finish up the rest by comparing them to popular films。 ‘The Night Picnic’ is basically ‘The Others’ （film） by Alejandro Amenábar – except for the jarringly different settings/worlds， and a much quicker pace。 And instead of ghosts， you have ‘aliens’。 I love the post-apocalyptic， stagnant， urban backdrop of this one; and of how Nature slowly reclaims the land。 This one makes me think of ‘anime’ （dark， psychological thrillers） – in particular， 新世界より Shinsekai Yori based on a manga with the same name by Yusuke Kishi。 Again， the characterisation in this one is fucking spectacular – exploring gender and gender roles in strange， extra-terrestrial ways。 ‘The Old Seaside Club’ is a bit like ‘The Matrix’ by the Wachowskis， but with a semi-romantic twist。 No guns/pills， but for me， the commonplace/ordinary ‘human’ issues in the story makes it even more unsettling – especially with the concepts of age and time （and of how – humans can’t escape our mortalities even if we can manipulate/mess with time and space）。 “After getting back from the arcade， I didn’t feel like going anywhere。 I watched the 3-D television with the sound off。 My favourite thing is to be by myself。 I can’t take drugs， I don’t smoke， and I can barely drink， but I still know how to pass the time。 These days， I only work one day a week， if that。 Right now， I do illustrations for a living， but I’ve had around twenty different jobs。 Physical labour is better。 I don’t have to think about things。 When I begin thinking， I start to dislike myself。” – ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ treads on very similar themes， but without the concept of separating/transferring one’s ‘consciousness’ into a different ‘space’。 It also explores how the world/society views/deals with people with mental health issues – and of how it’s all a massive heap of a bad joke since being completely ‘sane’ is just an illusion/Utopian ideology。 This concept is further satirised in the last story of the collection – which is basically a less American， and much more condensed sci-fi version of ‘The American Psycho’ （more of the film， than the actual novel it was based on） by Mary Harron。 “Older folks are amazing。 They’ve got so much energy， so much stamina。 They go to work every day， and somehow they still find it in them to have love affairs。 My mum had a steady stream of them until recently。” – Terminal Boredom “Things like respect and awe are long since gone。 Everyone lives in a happy-go-lucky depression – they only take life half-seriously， you might say。” – Terminal BoredomOverall， I enjoyed the book tremendously。 I could’ve finished it all in one go without a problem， but I intentionally took my time with it because I wanted to savour every page of it。 Izumi Suzuki， what a legend。 In the strangest way possible， I miss her even though I’ve never met her。 This must be the transcending power of great writing/literature。 Oh， dear。 “'Do you have any idea how hopelessly in love with him I was？’ What the hell am I supposed to say to that？ ” – ‘Terminal Boredom’ 。。。more
Johanna
，
Oh my God if only I could read the title story over and over for the first time！ It's probably the best story in the collection， with The Old Seaside Club a close second。 A lot of the other stories are a bit confusing （you don't know who is speaking when）， and sometimes the sense of ennui that Suzuki paints so beautiful gets in the way of the story （Forgotten） but this is a great collection of stories by a rare POC science fiction （rare for her time， definitely！） Oh my God if only I could read the title story over and over for the first time！ It's probably the best story in the collection， with The Old Seaside Club a close second。 A lot of the other stories are a bit confusing （you don't know who is speaking when）， and sometimes the sense of ennui that Suzuki paints so beautiful gets in the way of the story （Forgotten） but this is a great collection of stories by a rare POC science fiction （rare for her time， definitely！） 。。。more
Elyse Walters
，
As soon as I learned of this book - thanks to an outstanding/powerful review by Blair， and my own semi-obsession/passion for female Asian authors， I downloaded the ebook immediately。 I’ll start by quoting， Blair: “THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS I HAVE EVER READ”。 （Amen to Blair）。。。。I was so taken with her review 。。。 （read it 3 times）， that I started to understand and digest the voice of Isumi Suzuki， before I took my own turn with these seven short stories: “Women and Women”， “Y As soon as I learned of this book - thanks to an outstanding/powerful review by Blair， and my own semi-obsession/passion for female Asian authors， I downloaded the ebook immediately。 I’ll start by quoting， Blair: “THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS I HAVE EVER READ”。 （Amen to Blair）。。。。I was so taken with her review 。。。 （read it 3 times）， that I started to understand and digest the voice of Isumi Suzuki， before I took my own turn with these seven short stories: “Women and Women”， “You May Dream”， “Night Life”， “That Old Seaside Club”， “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”， “Forgotten”， and “Terminal Boredom”: timeless relevant stories — disenchantment tales about society 。。。。 driving home just how messed up and absurd & disturbing current life is 。。。（ especially male dominance power）。 In these stories - literally and figuratively - ‘women’ rule power。 （ but with absolutely mind blowing thought provoking prose 。。。。NOTHING IS STEREOTYPED。Six different translators translate these combined seven stories。 There’s also a complicated， fascinating， tragic， story about the author herself— so compelling— that I almost couldn’t separate the individual stories from the authors true life story。 Izumi Suzuki， was born in Ito Shizuoka， Japan， in 1949。 She came of age during the 1960’s during the era of drugs， rock n’ roll， and protests。 In 1986 （age 36）， she died from suicide， in Tokyo。 Izumi dropped out of High School - worked as a keyboard operator， worked as nude model， had a brief acting career in both stage theater and films， （acted in Pink films） and won a writers runner-up award for best new writers。 Suzuki married an avant-garde saxophone player， Kaoru Abe。 They had a child （a girl， Azusa）， in 1976。 They were living in Tokyo- but Azusa went to live with Suzuki’s parents， in Ito Shizuoka。 In 1977， Izumi and Kaoru got divorced but continued to live with each other。 A year if either Kaoru died from a drug overdose。 In the 80’s， Azusa went to live with her mother， Izumi。 Izumi supported she and her daughter publishing stories in science fiction magazines。 Her health started to deteriorate。。。。and in 1986 she committed suicide by handing herself in her own home。 I found it interesting learning about “How Izumi Suzuki broke the Science Fiction’s ‘Boy’s’ Club。 Izumi said， “There is something wrong with our present society， and I can’t stand SF written by people who don’t understand that”。 I still remember a time when a female radio host was unheard of。 And it wasn’t ‘allowed’ to have two females speaking to one another on radio air time。 Pretty absurd besides crazy injustice - wouldn’t you say？Suzuki was so ahead of her time [died much too young] 。。。。。she dismantled power struggles。 She also said。。。。”I turn my dreams into stories”。 She must have had wild bizarre dreams。 The more I tried to learn about Izumi （ she cut off one of her toes in front of her husband？/！。。。。。and her writing （I’m in NO WAY a die hard science fiction fan， but the exceptions exceptional）。。。。。I came to in conclusion of understanding why the public was often more fascinated with Izumi Suzuki’s personal life than her ‘messed-up-society stories。 As I said - I had a hard time separating these ‘stories’ from Suzuki’s soulful ‘self’。 “For Suzuki， every day life is science-fiction， and her sense of alienation from the suspicion of contemporary society was ultimately linked to Sci-fi。” These stories deal with struggles of every day life， the counterculture， anti-establishment， anti-government， anti-men， grim relationships， sexual identity & gender， feminism， etc。。。。。。and they are deeply thought provoking in ‘challenging’ our own thoughts。 Radically inventive — terrifying truth — engrossing as all get up！ 。。。more
Angela
，
I don't usually read short stories， but was interested in this mainly because the author died by suicide sometime after writing the last story。 Whatever the reason， I'm glad I did。 Several stories seem to hint at the despair of not knowing what life is about or why are here。 But addresses them in a other worldly sci-fi realm。 But as you read， you see hints and similarities of our lives today。 I don't usually read short stories， but was interested in this mainly because the author died by suicide sometime after writing the last story。 Whatever the reason， I'm glad I did。 Several stories seem to hint at the despair of not knowing what life is about or why are here。 But addresses them in a other worldly sci-fi realm。 But as you read， you see hints and similarities of our lives today。 。。。more
Sarah
，
3，5*'I end up putting a frame around everything I see，' HE murmured， seemingly to himself。 'It makes it seem fresh， helps me relax as a viewer。' 'That Old Seaside Club'& 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'& 'Terminal Boredom': **** 3，5*'I end up putting a frame around everything I see，' HE murmured， seemingly to himself。 'It makes it seem fresh， helps me relax as a viewer。' 'That Old Seaside Club'& 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'& 'Terminal Boredom': **** 。。。more
Matt Miles
，
The storytelling in these dark tales about what it means to be human， part of a family and society is at least as unique and remarkable as deceptively simple phrases like “passive， ambiguous contentment，” and “stewards of a new anxiety。” The phrases and stories they come from are even better in context。
Alison Fincher
，
"The stories collected in Terminal Boredom take up themes that might feel familiar to readers of contemporary Japanese fiction。 The characters criticize， challenge， or defy social conventions。 Narrators raise questions about identity and agency。 But unlike， say， Mieko Kawakami or Sayaka Murata， author Izumi Suzuki died more than three decades ago。。。""。。。Critics have hailed Terminal Boredom as a long-overdue translation of an important minority voice in a genre dominated by men。 And it is。 But th "The stories collected in Terminal Boredom take up themes that might feel familiar to readers of contemporary Japanese fiction。 The characters criticize， challenge， or defy social conventions。 Narrators raise questions about identity and agency。 But unlike， say， Mieko Kawakami or Sayaka Murata， author Izumi Suzuki died more than three decades ago。。。""。。。Critics have hailed Terminal Boredom as a long-overdue translation of an important minority voice in a genre dominated by men。 And it is。 But this collection is worth reading for more than its historical importance。 Suzuki’s feminist spirit is as relevant and her stories as piercing today as they were more than thirty years ago。"Complete review at Asian Review of Books>。 。。。more
Alan
，
So， 35 years after her suicide at the age of 36， Verso Books - together with various translators - bring us the first work to appear in English of this remarkable woman。 This collection of 7 short stories would be interesting enough but， given the distance in time， the science fiction and dystopian worlds that Izumi Suzuki depicts become even more intriguing。The opening story of the collection （'Women and Women'） portrays a society where men are imprisoned in underground ghettos， women are in re So， 35 years after her suicide at the age of 36， Verso Books - together with various translators - bring us the first work to appear in English of this remarkable woman。 This collection of 7 short stories would be interesting enough but， given the distance in time， the science fiction and dystopian worlds that Izumi Suzuki depicts become even more intriguing。The opening story of the collection （'Women and Women'） portrays a society where men are imprisoned in underground ghettos， women are in relationships with each other， and the planet has been devastated by human exploitation。 In another story， teenagers video call each other， struggle with eating disorders and watch real-life video clips of violent street attacks filmed by strangers。 Other stories feature drug use， a small group of human survivors struggling to survive， and a couple of friends having a 'holiday' on a resort planet。 Not all of the stories fully grabbed my attention， but on the whole this is a remarkable collection， well worth a read。 And， as someone who normally doesn't read speculative SF， that is a big recommendation！ I hope that more of Suzuki's writings will get future publications now， on the back of what is （hopefully） a successful and well-received outing for this book。 The final title story， where the state offers an implant to take away stress and boredom， is a chilling and timely one indeed。 To escape real life， to see the world as if it were just a reality TV show， becomes the dream:'Even in this day and age， we still revere truth。 But at the same time， we devote ourselves to the task of erasing the distinction between truth and fiction。'Astonishing for its vision - and indeed for the author herself - this is a must-read collection that deserves to be out there。 。。。more
Simon Butler
，
A really impressive collection of seven sci-fi stories from a serious talent。 They feel surprisingly contemporary despite being written close to 40 years ago。 Most of them have not previously been available in English。Endemic industrial pollution has dramatically affected the future of human reproduction in ‘Women and Women’。 Men have almost died out completely; the few unimpressive male specimens left are kept in zoo-like reservations。 But when a young woman briefly sees a boy from her bedroom A really impressive collection of seven sci-fi stories from a serious talent。 They feel surprisingly contemporary despite being written close to 40 years ago。 Most of them have not previously been available in English。Endemic industrial pollution has dramatically affected the future of human reproduction in ‘Women and Women’。 Men have almost died out completely; the few unimpressive male specimens left are kept in zoo-like reservations。 But when a young woman briefly sees a boy from her bedroom window she is put in a danger she doesn’t yet understand。In ‘You May Dream’ the government runs a compulsory lottery to determine which citizens to put into cryosleep， to be woken when times are better。 A woman agrees to have the consciousness of a fearful soon-to-be-frozen friend to be transferred to her mind。 The friend becomes omnipresent in her dreams。‘Night Picnic’ depicts a group of alien mimics who inhabit the abandoned ruins of a spacefaring human settlement。 Drawing on leftover human cultural artefacts from the late 20th century， the aliens recreate conservative gender roles and the nuclear family。 In ‘That Old Seaside Club’， patients in a psychiatric hospital undergo a therapy that has them re-experience their bad relationship choices over and over。‘Smoke gets in your eyes’ is a kind of sombre Rip van Winkle story about a drug addicted woman who ages 30 years in just 3 years。In ‘Forgotten’， as interplanetary war looms a woman is trapped in an unhappy relationship with a Meelian man， a visitor to Earth from an alien race whose greatest purpose in life is to achieve absolute despair。Suzuki completed the title story ‘Terminal Boredom’ not long before she ended her own life in 1986 aged only 37。 It portrays a future where political elections as we know it are gone – instead people can vote only for TV celebrities。 The most popular celebrities in turn select which politicians will form government。 It’s difficult not to link the deep alienation and lethargy of the story’s narrator with the severe mental health struggles Suzuki must have been facing at the time。 “Nothing eases the boredom， of course。 Aside from maybe when a pop star I’ve decided I like is on。 It’s not that I like the content of the programming itself。 So much of it is total trash。 I just enjoy the feeling of sitting there spacing out in front of the TV set。 Because I don’t have to be active。 Doing anything of my own volition is so painful that I can’t handle it。 If I can just avoid that pain， that’s enough for me。” Not all of the stories in this collection are quite so despondent: others are more darkly mischievous。 All are coolly insubordinate and provocative。 I'm hopeful that more of Suzuki's fiction will become available in English。 。。。more
Ann
，
This is a collection of seven short stories， written by Izumi Suzuki in Japan， in the 1970s。 So 。。。 a woman science fiction writer in the 70s。 That's remarkable already。 Other than possessing that mark of prescience， however， the stories have not aged so well。 I enjoyed the first and last -- "Women and Women" & "Terminal Boredom。" My overall opinion of this collection: The translations seem uneven and awkward in places， perhaps due to different translators for each story。 The stories are dialog- This is a collection of seven short stories， written by Izumi Suzuki in Japan， in the 1970s。 So 。。。 a woman science fiction writer in the 70s。 That's remarkable already。 Other than possessing that mark of prescience， however， the stories have not aged so well。 I enjoyed the first and last -- "Women and Women" & "Terminal Boredom。" My overall opinion of this collection: The translations seem uneven and awkward in places， perhaps due to different translators for each story。 The stories are dialog-heavy， with much of that dialog stilted and weighted with info dumps。 Still， Japanese fiction and science fiction are my jams， so this was a must-read for me。 [Thanks to Verso Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。] 。。。more
Ola G
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8/10 starsMy full review can be found on my blog here。Don’t let the publication date fool you: Izumi Suzuki committed suicide in 1986， at the age of 36， and her SF dystopian short stories were all written in the period between mid- 1970s and mid-1980s。 Her works were both highly controversial and influential， diametrically different from mainstream， and the publication of Terminal Boredom， a collection of seven of her most famous stories， is a good opportunity for the English-speaking readers to 8/10 starsMy full review can be found on my blog here。Don’t let the publication date fool you: Izumi Suzuki committed suicide in 1986， at the age of 36， and her SF dystopian short stories were all written in the period between mid- 1970s and mid-1980s。 Her works were both highly controversial and influential， diametrically different from mainstream， and the publication of Terminal Boredom， a collection of seven of her most famous stories， is a good opportunity for the English-speaking readers to get acquainted with Suzuki’s world。Suzuki creates a very intriguing world， indeed。 Deeply dystopian， populated by unhappy people bound in equal measures by the societal norms， their own fantasies and their fears， it features green-skinned aliens， potent drugs， elaborate medical procedures designed to deal with very mundane relationship and psychological problems， and even a post-apocalyptic matriarchal society where men are held in prison-like structures， kept alive only for procreation purposes， like drones in a beehive。 No one is truly happy; some have forgotten what happiness even means。 The suffocating mood of ennui seems to arise from a number of moods and feelings: social constraints， regrets， inability to feel empathy， bad life choices haunting the present and the future， and the overwhelming boredom all conspire to create a nauseating lack of will to live。 The mood， the feeling of these stories is prescient: four decades on， we deal with the very issues so clearly intuited by Suzuki – from the crippling emotional numbness among individuals to the aggressive， grasping behaviour of societies。While Suzuki introduced many typical SF tropes into her works， from humanlike aliens and interplanetary travel to nearly miraculous technological advancement， she didn’t pay them much attention: they are there as props in the everyday， banal yet tragic drama of the protagonists。 Indeed， the main strength of her stories lies in this intimate focus on the characters: their flaws and vices， their dreams and fears， their unhappy relationships marked by lack of understanding。 The main theme of her stories is alienation; and while she didn’t say break any new ground in this area， what she did say is still important， and profound – maybe even more so today。 Some of her stories seem indeed prescient: the problems already arising in the 70’s， noticed by the sensitive， non-normative few like Suzuki， in our times became widespread societal maladies。I must say the stories’ mood affected me a little: the pervasive ennui， unhappiness， despair hidden beneath a very thin surface of the bustle of everyday life are depicted in a thoroughly realistic way。 There is a disconnect between Suzuki’s characters and their life; there is a feeling of desolation that contradicts John Donne’s optimism: in Suzuki’s world every man is an island， separate and isolated， and hopelessly alone。[。。。]In the case of Suzuki’s anthology the whole becomes something more than sum of its parts; the collection in its entirety gives off a unique vibe， and it doesn’t hurt that it ends on a strong note: the titular story， Terminal Boredom， was for me the best of them all。That said， however， I must end my review with two caveats: these stories are old， and their age is noticeable。 What was unique and ground-breaking in the 70’s now， four decades on， has turned into something more obvious and at times tropey。 Secondly， Suzuki’s stories are focused predominantly on creating a certain mood and exploring mostly psychological ideas of alienation， addiction， exhaustion; there is barely any action， worldbuilding， or even character development。 In short， they are vignettes， not full histories – psychological portraits frozen in time。 I read them with interest and appreciation， if not exactly enjoyment: they do tend to dampen one’s mood。I have received a copy of this book from the publisher Verso through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 My thanks。 。。。more
Aaron Noy
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Izumi Suzuki was a Japanese actress， writer， and counterculture figure who took her own life in 1986。 Terminal Boredom is the first time she has been published in English。Like James Tiptree Jr， another female writer of short science fiction from this time who committed suicide， the unhappiness of her life seems to have seeped into the themes of her stories。 Drug addiction， ennui， troubled relationships， and distortion of time seem to pop up in a lot of these stories。The quality varies， which mig Izumi Suzuki was a Japanese actress， writer， and counterculture figure who took her own life in 1986。 Terminal Boredom is the first time she has been published in English。Like James Tiptree Jr， another female writer of short science fiction from this time who committed suicide， the unhappiness of her life seems to have seeped into the themes of her stories。 Drug addiction， ennui， troubled relationships， and distortion of time seem to pop up in a lot of these stories。The quality varies， which might be partially down to it being a group of translators rather than a single person。 The stories are mostly quite interesting though and some of them strangely prescient of modern times， especially the title story which explores screen addiction and has people voting for celebrities who then pick the politicians。My favourite is probably the funniest story which is 'Night Picnic' where a group of aliens acts out the roles of a nuclear family on a planet colonised by earthlings who are now extinct。 It reminded me of 3rd Rock from the Sun but with an empty planet。It does make me wonder how much access Suzuki had to Western writers of sci-fi as there are tons of references to European and Old Hollywood movies in the stories。 She seems quite fascinated with the culture and some of these stories would have fitted in nicely in the collections being published in US science fiction magazines at the time。Overall an interesting collection from what seems like a very interesting person， I would love to learn more about her life。 。。。more
L。S。 Popovich
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A quick read。 The first thing by Izumi Suzuki to make it into English。 Can we get some more please？First off， the comparison to Black Mirror is apt。 Ignore the rest of the blurbs。 That's enough of a hint。 Base your reading decision on that fact alone。With this stellar collection of mind-bending short stories， the author enters the ranks of the criminally undertranslated alongside Shuichi Yoshida， Shin'ichi Hoshi， Yūten Sawanishi， Ryūnosuke Akutagawa， and many， many others。 While her prose could A quick read。 The first thing by Izumi Suzuki to make it into English。 Can we get some more please？First off， the comparison to Black Mirror is apt。 Ignore the rest of the blurbs。 That's enough of a hint。 Base your reading decision on that fact alone。With this stellar collection of mind-bending short stories， the author enters the ranks of the criminally undertranslated alongside Shuichi Yoshida， Shin'ichi Hoshi， Yūten Sawanishi， Ryūnosuke Akutagawa， and many， many others。 While her prose could be compared to Hoshi's， her ideas transcend her era， predicting an amazing number of inventions and trends ahead of time。 Combining an easy， pulpy style with extreme subtlety and a restraint so palpable that many readers will mistake it for mere competence。 The problem with that assessment is it ignores the immense troves of world building taking place in the background。 You could pass the collection off as a diverting analysis of modern satirical metaphors， but it is much more。 The collection showcases a myriad of tones: seductive， charming， light， dark， disturbing， silly， quirky， melancholic， gritty， comedic， etc。 making for a pristine assuredness which is hard to pin down。 Whereas Atwood and Murakami do predictable things with practiced mastery， this author seems willing to try unexpected tactics， without the clout， and gets away with it seamlessly。 She is called a "legend of Japanese science fiction，" but I have never heard her mentioned anywhere before。 I guess I shouldn't be surprised， since most of the Japanese science fiction anthologies I've read aren't up to this standard。The main draw of her writing style is the straightforward narration。 Characters saying and doing things that are not out of the ordinary for them - depicting their lives as they are lived without explaining the situation to the reader， who must voyeuristically peek behind the veil of narrative distance。 But we suddenly find out it's not taking place on Earth， or one of them is an alien， or they have things implanted in their brains。 The astute reader will find social commentary bubbling like magma， underlying layers of subtext。 These things include: television addiction， ennui， prostitution， drug addiction， suicide， robot appliances， video phones， "cinebooks" （ereaders）， dreams， memes， family relations， friendships， siblinghood， loneliness， gender politics， virtual life， people rubbernecking with camcorders， and a lot more。 I have a feeling these stories will reward my inevitable second reading。Chilling， masterful， easy to misread by a passing， casual reader who thinks they know how science fiction should be written。 This book communicates a plethora of deep truths disguised as "light" or "soft" science fiction。 Challenge yourself to discover what lies in store here， especially during the "terminal boredom" of our quarantined age。 。。。more
Translator Monkey
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Three and a half stars。 For as old as the stories are， they are surprisingly fresh and - as with most good science fiction from the last 30 years or so - are difficult to pin down in terms of age。 But the collection was a bit up and down for me - some of the stories were outstanding， some were little more than a curiosity。 To be fair， I stayed with the book to the end， so that certainly says something for Suzuki's writing， as well as her cadre of translators。I hope to check out the late author's Three and a half stars。 For as old as the stories are， they are surprisingly fresh and - as with most good science fiction from the last 30 years or so - are difficult to pin down in terms of age。 But the collection was a bit up and down for me - some of the stories were outstanding， some were little more than a curiosity。 To be fair， I stayed with the book to the end， so that certainly says something for Suzuki's writing， as well as her cadre of translators。I hope to check out the late author's other translations。 I'm not unhappy I read this collection， I simply feel a little vacant after having done so。I'd like to express my appreciation to NetGalley and Verso Fiction for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Queralt✨
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I was intrigued by this collecting the second I noticed it was tagged as sci-fi。 Most of the stories have to do with dystopian worlds and space， which was great， but there was this other pervasive topics of fusing consciousness and time not being lineal that would confuse me all the time。 I feel that if there had been some sort of explanation or context as to why "time doesn't work"， I may have found myself inside the stories， but some of them just had me as a （confused） spectator。 "Women and Wo I was intrigued by this collecting the second I noticed it was tagged as sci-fi。 Most of the stories have to do with dystopian worlds and space， which was great， but there was this other pervasive topics of fusing consciousness and time not being lineal that would confuse me all the time。 I feel that if there had been some sort of explanation or context as to why "time doesn't work"， I may have found myself inside the stories， but some of them just had me as a （confused） spectator。 "Women and Women" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" were my favorite ones， 4 stars for them。 The rest were just okay for me （I've seen reviews stating "Terminal Boredom" is the strongest story， but I'm not sure I agree。 At least， I myself didn't enjoy it too much）。 After a quick Google I realized Izumi Suzuki， the author， committed suicide a long time ago。 "Terminal Boredom" （the story） did feel like reading about the depression epidemic in Japan， not sure if she was struggling while she wrote it， but the 'feeling' did transpire。 She would've been an author to look after， I have to say， I would've loved to read a full-length novel from her。ARC provided by NetGalley。 。。。more
Kaffeeklatsch and Books
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I'm usually not a big fan of short story collections， but I love Japanese/Asian fiction so I had to pick this one up and I was positively surprised。 The stories were odd， thoughtful and some were unsettling even that left an interesting "aftertaste" for the lack of a better word。I can't believe that those were written almost 30 years ago， because the stories felt very dystopian and futuristic to me。 I do enjoy "what if。。。" stories。Some I enjoyed more， some parts I enjoy less， but altogether I ca I'm usually not a big fan of short story collections， but I love Japanese/Asian fiction so I had to pick this one up and I was positively surprised。 The stories were odd， thoughtful and some were unsettling even that left an interesting "aftertaste" for the lack of a better word。I can't believe that those were written almost 30 years ago， because the stories felt very dystopian and futuristic to me。 I do enjoy "what if。。。" stories。Some I enjoyed more， some parts I enjoy less， but altogether I can recommend this to fans of Sayaka Murata or even Murakami。Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kristopher
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Find me on Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteIzumi Suzuki was born in 1949。 After dropping out of high school， she worked in a factory before finding success and infamy as a model and actress。 Her acting credits include both pink films and classics of 1970s Japanese cinema。 When the father of her children， jazz musician Kaoru Abe， died of an overdose， Suzuki’s creative output went into hyperdrive， and she began producing the irreverent and punky short fiction， novels and essays。She took her own life Find me on Instagram | Facebook | WebsiteIzumi Suzuki was born in 1949。 After dropping out of high school， she worked in a factory before finding success and infamy as a model and actress。 Her acting credits include both pink films and classics of 1970s Japanese cinema。 When the father of her children， jazz musician Kaoru Abe， died of an overdose， Suzuki’s creative output went into hyperdrive， and she began producing the irreverent and punky short fiction， novels and essays。She took her own life in 1986， leaving behind a decade’s worth of ground-breaking and influential writing。This is an excellent little collection of short stories and serves as a great introduction to Suzuki's work。 Each has a unique brand of Sci-fi， often focussing on both themes of Gender and an over-reliance on technology。 They're all short enough to read in small doses， or like me， you can devour the set over a couple of sittings。Full review coming soon。 。。。more
Stephen
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The seven stories of this volume I think of as stories of the mind。 Overt science fiction memes are not in evidence。 Rather， Suzuki explores the minds of her generally female characters in often quite dystopian worlds。 If stories like this appeal， then the collection will appeal。I was pleased to read a collection where the narrators are by and large female， in stark contrast to much of sci fi。 Yet， it is disappointing that although the author is Japanese and is apparently quite well known in Jap The seven stories of this volume I think of as stories of the mind。 Overt science fiction memes are not in evidence。 Rather， Suzuki explores the minds of her generally female characters in often quite dystopian worlds。 If stories like this appeal， then the collection will appeal。I was pleased to read a collection where the narrators are by and large female， in stark contrast to much of sci fi。 Yet， it is disappointing that although the author is Japanese and is apparently quite well known in Japan， I do not have a sense that there is a particular Japanese quality to these stories。 I was hoping that reading a collection in translation would be more challenging given the cultural difference， but I am inclined to see these stories as having little attachment to Japanese culture。My thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy。 。。。more
Shona
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Thank you to #NetGalley and to the Publisher， Verso， for this ARC。Oh。 An absolute no from me 😓 Not going to make some kind of witty remark on the title， but， basically， you know。TW: suicide， GBV， etc。
Blair
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I was stunned by this book。 I wasn’t able to keep this review short， so here’s the one-sentence version: this is one of the best short story collections I have ever read。The review copy doesn’t include any biographical details about Izumi Suzuki; I don’t usually read introductions （at least not until I’ve finished the book）， but this is a case in which I would have appreciated one。 The publisher’s website says she was a model and actress in the 1970s， became a prolific writer after the death of I was stunned by this book。 I wasn’t able to keep this review short， so here’s the one-sentence version: this is one of the best short story collections I have ever read。The review copy doesn’t include any biographical details about Izumi Suzuki; I don’t usually read introductions （at least not until I’ve finished the book）， but this is a case in which I would have appreciated one。 The publisher’s website says she was a model and actress in the 1970s， became a prolific writer after the death of her partner， and died by suicide in 1986。 The original dates for the stories aren’t given。 Information about her in English is frustratingly scarce， and most of it seems to stem from a press release about this collection; I eventually found this short bio， which gives publication years for some of her work。The reason I was so curious about this is that ‘prescient’ is too weak a word to describe the stories in Terminal Boredom: ‘prophetic’ would be more like it。 Over and over again， I was mind-bogglingly thrilled by the fact that these stories featuring video calls and robot vacuum cleaners， reality TV， live streams and screen-addicted people， in which Suzuki treats gender as a progressive 21st-century writer would， must have been written in the mid-80s at the latest。The crown jewel of the book is ‘You May Dream’， translated by David Boyd。 In it， a dispassionate young woman meets her more emotional friend， whom she regards with disgust。 The two have differing opinions of the government’s latest population-reducing scheme， in which citizens are selected at random to enter cryosleep， after which they’ll only be able to live on by transferring their consciousness to another person’s dreams。 It’s a story about grappling with loneliness and nihilism and detachment， with being the sort of person who will say I’m a hardcore people-pleaser， even in my dreams on one page and I’ve always enjoyed making fun of other people， cornering them on the next。 Reading this story， I began to understand Suzuki’s grasp on her characters’ voices – the voices being the other remarkable thing about these stories。 Suzuki has this ability to pin down a person’s worldview in just a few lines。 The things they say feel so accurate somehow， as well as so modern， that it’s often unnerving。 Like most people these days， I don’t overthink things。 I’ll go along with whatever。 No firm beliefs， no hang-ups。 Just a lack of self-confidence tangled up in fatalistic resignation。 Whatever the situation， nothing ever reaches me on an emotional level。 Nothing’s important。 Because I won’t let it be。 I operate on mood alone。 No regrets， no looking back。 I know exactly who the narrator of ‘You May Dream’ is。 If she was young now she’d describe herself as blackpilled in her Twitter bio and make memes that seem vaguely fascist， and she’d be delighted that nobody could figure out whether or not she was kidding， due to her horror of sincerity， which she’d believe to be the highest form of cringe。 I mean， how 2021 is a line like I devote myself to the acme of emptiness。。。 the sadistic act of self-creation？ I’m obsessed with this story。 It’s incredible。 It’s going straight on my list of favourite short stories of all time。The other standout is ‘Terminal Boredom’， translated by Daniel Joseph。 Set in a world of mass unemployment and screen addiction， it finds a young man and woman wearily going through the motions of some kind of relationship， the real world seeming less real to them than what they see on TV。 They’re indifferent to violence， hide their emotions beneath a cool veneer of disinterest， and find human interaction exhausting。 Again， they feel like they could have been written yesterday。 I couldn’t tell whether I was genuinely pissed off or not。 The performance had just become a part of my personality。 If nothing else， I can be pretty sure I’m not happy， I thought vacantly。 Without a doubt， this is the most uncannily clairvoyant of all the stories in Terminal Boredom， with its celebrities as politicians， reality TV shows， a character who routinely films his daily life， live recordings of suicides and killings。。。 It also gives us the clearest articulation of the mood of Suzuki’s fiction， when the narrator states that everyone lives in a happy-go-lucky-depression – they only take life half-seriously。 That attitude is typical of the people we meet throughout the book。 That serious half is one of profound sadness and exhausted apathy， but the detachment it fosters allows Suzuki’s characters a kind of deadened joy。‘Women and Women’， also translated by Daniel Joseph， is a barnstorming opener which I loved: a tongue-in-cheek story about a female-dominated society in which men are relegated to the ‘Gender Exclusion Terminal Occupancy Zone’。 But one girl， 18-year-old Yūko， is beginning to question the order of things， especially after she actually sees a boy。 It’s so funny and irreverent， but spiked with thought-provoking details， and the characters have startling depth。Several stories take place in alien worlds。 In ‘Night Picnic’， translated by Sam Bett， a family on a far-off planet try their hardest to act normal， attempting to play out traditional roles: Mom and Dad， Junior and Sis。 They’re the last remaining humans。。。 or are they？ ‘Forgotten’， translated by Polly Barton， is a haunting love story about the relationship between Emma， a human， and Sol， an alien。 It is the most plot-driven story in the book， culminating in interplanetary war， yet its key strength is how it shows us the inherent incompatibility of these two people， and the pain that causes。Addiction is a recurring theme: in ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’， translated by Aiko Masubuchi， a woman is hooked on drugs that make her age rapidly。 ‘That Old Seaside Club’， translated by Helen O’Horan， presents a more offbeat take， following two young women who appear to be having the time of their lives in a beautiful seaside resort。。。 though their memories of the past are oddly blurry。 Emma in ‘Forgotten’ also sustains herself through drugs and drink， and of course， the characters in ‘Terminal Boredom’ are numbed by their screen addiction。 Always， it is not necessarily the stories that matter， but the way Suzuki tells them。 She will make you laugh out loud， then punch you in the gut with an observation so acute， so seemingly personal， that it hurts。I don’t think I’ve read a collection like this before: stories originally written by the same author， but translated by a variety of translators。 I was worried the latter would dilute the authorial voice， would be distracting – but as I discovered， there’s little chance of that。 If I had to compare it to anything， I’d say it’s Anna Kavan’s short stories spliced with Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings， but really， Suzuki’s vision stands alone。 ‘You May Dream’ is an instant classic， ‘Terminal Boredom’ and ‘Women and Women’ are also outstanding， and the entire collection represents a striking body of work I’m thrilled to have been able to discover。I received an advance review copy of Terminal Boredom from the publisher through Edelweiss。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
Ayami
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Hmm， 2。5 rounded up？ I have very mixed feelings about this collection， will have to think about it for a while before I can post a review。
Caroline
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Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review。 This was an utterly fascinating collection of short stories。 If I had not already been aware that the author had been dead for more than 30 years before starting this collection， I would have had no problem believing the stories were recently written。 Suzuki's speculative sci-fi here uses futuristic， unsettling backgrounds to then focus on the human condition。 Using the unfamiliar to emphasize the famil Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review。 This was an utterly fascinating collection of short stories。 If I had not already been aware that the author had been dead for more than 30 years before starting this collection， I would have had no problem believing the stories were recently written。 Suzuki's speculative sci-fi here uses futuristic， unsettling backgrounds to then focus on the human condition。 Using the unfamiliar to emphasize the familiar: everything is different and nothing ever changes。 The focus here is definitely on introspection over action and the best way I could describe most of the stories is a meditation on apathy， nostalgia， and the trap one's place in society sets。 These are exactly the kinds of stories you would expect from a young Japanese woman， who lived outside of societal expectations， writing in the 60s and 70s as part of the counterculture of a deeply traditional country like Japan。 Each of these stories I found to be both strange and poignant。 At the end of each one I was eager to read the next， but definitely felt that each story required contemplation before starting the next。 This is a collection that will stay with you and I am deeply hopeful we will soon be seeing more of Suzuki's work in English。 。。。more
Maddie
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“Terminal Boredom”， by Izumi Suzuki， is a collection of seven short stories， written in Japan， in the 1970s。。 This English translation， around 30 years later， was made possible because of a group of translators， namely Polly Barton， Sam Bett， David Boyd， Daniel Joseph， Aiko Masubuchi， and Helen O’Horan。 It is also worth mentioning that， despite this being Suzuki’s English debut， she is recognized as a star of science-fiction writing in Japan。 While on the surface it’s clearly a science fiction c “Terminal Boredom”， by Izumi Suzuki， is a collection of seven short stories， written in Japan， in the 1970s。。 This English translation， around 30 years later， was made possible because of a group of translators， namely Polly Barton， Sam Bett， David Boyd， Daniel Joseph， Aiko Masubuchi， and Helen O’Horan。 It is also worth mentioning that， despite this being Suzuki’s English debut， she is recognized as a star of science-fiction writing in Japan。 While on the surface it’s clearly a science fiction collection， I personally felt that Suzuki was using science fiction themes and settings to point out deeper societal issues like drug addition， alienation from society， mental health issues， and toxic relationships。 The reading experience felt to me like watching a season of “Black Mirror”， where the science fiction aspect is within reach， and the issues explored are very relevant to our world today， which considering these stories were written 30 years ago is very impressive。 The writing itself felt very detached， which looking back at， feels like it was used as a great tool to point out the coldness and alienation of the characters in this collection。 My favorite stories from the collection were “Women and Women”， a story set in a dystopian world where due to lack of resources， men are no longer considered “citizens” of the world and are locked in restriction zone camps; “You May Dream”， a story set again in a different dystopian world where due to overpopulation， citizens are randomly chosen to become cryogenically frozen and can chose to appear in another person’s dream so their memory doesn’t fade from the world; “That Old Seaside Club”， a story about a rehab resort from a different planet where people can go recharge when life on Earth is too overwhelming; and the title story， “Terminal Boredom”， a story in which the alienation from society and overuse of screen devices to stimulate the brain have shocking consequences。 I definitely recommend this collection to those who like their fiction a bit on the darker side。 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Verso Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 Watch out for this one coming out in April 2021。 。。。more
Anna T。 （booksilovegr）
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