Ruined Map

Kobo Abe

Book cover for Ruined Map
Image for variant 9780375726521
Book cover for Ruined Map
Image for variant 9780375726521

Ruined Map

Ruined Map

Kobo Abe

Member Benefits

  • 30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
  • Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$16.95 $11.87
Non-Member Book Price $16.95

An annual membership will be billed at $48/year.

Discount applies to first-time members only. Already a member? Log in here.

View full details

Description

'A brilliant display of pyrotechnics, a compelling tour de force ... by a master jeweller of polished prose' The New York Times

A private detective is hired to find a missing person, but nothing is normal about this case. Why has the beautiful, alcoholic wife of the vanished salesman waited over half a year to search for him? Why are the only clues a photo and a matchbox? As the investigator's ever-more puzzling hunt takes him into the labyrinthine depths of the urban underworld, he begins to wonder if it is in fact he who is lost. An intoxicating blend of noir thriller and surreal dream, The Ruined Map questions identity itself.

'An exciting, imaginative and entertaining novel' San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Kobo Abe was born in Tokyo in 1924, grew up in Manchuria, and returned to Japan in his early twenties. In 1948 he received a medical degree from Tokyo Imperial University, but he never practiced medicine. Before his death in 1993, Abe was considered his country's foremost living novelist, and was also widely known as a dramatist. His novels have earned many literary awards and prizes, and have all been best sellers in Japan. They include The Woman in the Dunes, Kangaroo Notebook, The Ark Sakura, The Face of Another, The Box Man, and The Ruined Map.

Critical Reviews

"A disquieting and original work of art."-The New York Times

"A compelling tour-de-force.... A horror story of such magnitude that it stuns the mind."-The New York Times Book Review

"An exciting, imaginative, and entertaining novel."-San Francisco Chronicle

Publishing Information

Publisher: Vintage
Pub date: 2001-12-04
Length: 304 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.