Life for Sale

By: Yukio Mishima

Narrated by: Kotaro Watanabe

“A propulsive, madcap story” (The New York Times) about a salaryman who decides to put his life up for sale in the classifieds section of a Tokyo newspaper after a botched suicide attempt. • "An outstanding writer not only of Japan, but of the world." —The Atlantic

After salaryman Hanio Yamada puts his life up for sale, interested parties quickly come calling with increasingly bizarre requests. What follows is a madcap comedy of errors, involving a jealous husband, a drug-addled heiress, poisoned carrots—even a vampire. For someone who just wants to die, Hanio can't seem to catch a break, as he finds himself enmeshed in a continent-wide conspiracy that puts him in the cross hairs of both his own government and a powerful organized-crime syndicate. By turns wildly inventive, darkly comedic, and deeply surreal, in Life for Sale Yukio Mishima stunningly uses satire to explore the same dark themes that preoccupied him throughout his lifetime.

Critic reviews

“A propulsive, madcap story. . . . It’s the book’s looseness and weirdness that provide its appeal.” —The New York Times

“[A] big deal . . . the first English translation of a piece of engaging pulp fiction . . . by one of [Japan’s] literary greats. . . . This surreal tale offers a trenchant critique of a city that has misplaced its soul.” —The Guardian

"Funny and horrific and curious and thoroughly entertaining. . . . [Life for Sale] should win Mishima a new generation of fans." —The Independent

“A sexy, camp delight. Beneath the hard-boiled dialogue and the gangster high jinks is a familiar indictment of consumerist Japan and a romantic yearning for the past. . . . Life for Saleis replete with Tarantino-like scenes of smuggling and murder, as well as philosophical musings on Japanese attitudes to the sword, the warrior and honour.” —Evening Standard

“This dark, funny social satire feels like something only Mishima could’ve written. . . . A slapstick comedy with a complex moral underpinning, and an intriguing departure from his introspective work. . . . Pungent insights into the challenges of postwar Japanese life are threaded brilliantly throughout.” —Publishers Weekly

“Exhilarating, surreal.” —The Spectator

"Wildly funny." —The Millions

“A terrific example of Mishima’s fecund imagination at its most free-wheeling and unfettered best, teeming with complex ideas about the paradoxical nature of existence, delivered with trademark panache and a winking smile. . . . Wildly comedic and filled with picaresque flights of fancy. . . . There’s more than a touch of James Bond about Life for Sale.” —The Japan Times

Mishima or Murakami?

This is indeed an oddball one off novel by my literary idol. If you allow yourself to ride a Murakami wave throughout this novel, it works. If your preference is the introspective and social disapproving prose, then you will be disappointed. Kudos to the reader who should NOT be critiqued for reading a Japanese author with a Japanese accent. Does anyone notice that there is no social advantage based on race to be gleaned on this type of comment?

Captivating in parts

This is a bit different, with some wild characters and situations - I found it captivating in parts and an interesting enough listen. The Japanese accented narration actually adds more flavor to the dish and is a plus. The story lost steam at the very end, the closing encounter lacking the super punch needed - can still be recommended for fans of H. Murakami and similar.

Good beginning followed by a weak ending

It’s started as a very good interesting idea but then continued weak and ended with a weak note …

Minor Mishima

Mishima, like Graham Greene, wrote two types of novels -- "serious" ones and ""entertainments." This is in the latter category. And I'm not sure if it even succeeds at that. It's an absurdist tale that is only marginally interesting. Every so often, though, we get flashes of Mishima's brilliance and for that reason, provided you're a fan of his, you should give this a listen. Otherwise, this will almost certainly disappoint. I have to say, too, that while the narrator speaks English well, it is not his first language and he does have trouble pronouncing a few words. (Definitely listen to the sample.) This might not be fair, but Mishima spoke English with little traces of a Japanese accent, so I don't think the narrator was the best choice for this book.

Entertaining and absurd.

I loved every character and just ate this novel up.
Fantastic escapism.
The narrator was fantastic, his Japanese accent made the listener feel more impeded in the culture and scenes.