Review: Netsuke by Rikki Ducornet

ISBN #: 978-1-56689-253-7 (sc)

Page Count: 127

Copyright: 2011

Book Summary:

(Taken from back cover)

Ruled by his hunger for erotic encounters, a deeply wounded psychoanalyst seduces both patients and strangers with equal heat.  Driver to compartmentalize his life, the doctor attempts to order and contain his lovers as he does his collection of rare netsuke, the precious miniature sculptures gifted to him by his wife.  This riveting exploration of one psychoanalyst's abuse of power unearths the startling introspection present within even the darkest heart.

Mandy's Review:

I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing in their Early Reviewers Giveaway this past April.  I've decided for this review I'm not going to follow my usual format of breaking it down into four sections.  Instead, I'm just going to do a regular review:

Starting off, we are introduced to a psychoanalyst whose name we do not know.  Right away, we are aware of his somewhat disturbing sexual appetite ... whether it is with a random woman while jogging, a patient who's known as 'The Cutter' or a transvestite.

As the story progresses and we encounter deeper recesses of the doctor's mind, it becomes apparent that, perhaps, the doctor is in need of a psychoanalyst himself.  His sexual encounters endanger the relationship he has built with his wife, Akiko.  His obsession with these encounters becomes so much that he acquires a new office space in town to better facilitate these bizarre activities.

Part two of the book introduces us to Akiko, the doctor's wife who is an artist.  I believe she knew all along what the doctor was up to, but chose to turn a blind eye in the hopes that he would be able to stop the acidic relationships on his own.

By the end, it was never said if the doctor and Akiko stayed together or not, but the ending definitely gave you a strong sense of where their relationship was heading.

This book, though short, was definitely different.  It's the type of story that sticks with you in the back of your mind long after you've finished reading it.  If you're looking for a book that is a quick read, but gives you an deep intimate look into the mind of serious sexaholic, then this would be the book for you.