Synopsis/blurb...
A private investigator - a stranger in a strange land - searches for a missing girl in Tokyo.
Two brothers have a life-long pact. But what happens when a deal goes wrong?
A homeless man gives up his drug and alcohol-fuelled life. But is the good life all it's supposed to be?
Stopped by police one night, a group of friends runs into trouble. Soon, one of them must confront his past.
These and other lives collide in Tokyo Jazz & Other Stories, a collection of crime and literary stories set in Japan and Australia.
This book contains graphic violence and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
Tokyo Jazz and Other Stories is a cracking collection of fifteen short stories from Australian author, Sean O'Leary.
The stories are primarily about people and relationships.
Some have a criminial undertone ... drugs, cops, prison, lawyers, death, mistakes, poor choices.
Some don't ... drugs, death, mistakes, accidents, poor choices, memories, regrets, travel, friendships, romance, family, histories, secrets.
Each of the fifteen held my interest and had me wanting to know what was going to happen to the characters. Not everything has a life altering event at it's heart, but it's often the little dramas involving everyday folk that puts you in other people's shoes and holds the attention.
Table of contents...
Tokyo Jazz ... a missing girl, a case, a trip to Japan
Connections ... old friends, a prison cell, a debt, fear, a daughter, protection, a family addition
The Pledge ... promises, family, almost brothers - two paths - a lawyer and a dealer, an arrest, maybe prison time, a deal with the cops, give a little, take a little
Shooting Stars ... friends, life is fun, a bit of dealing, a bit of using, a pub, a fight and everything changes in a flash
Sasha ... a relationship, care, mental health, dealing with life, meeting strangers, coping
Opal Beach ... a past, some shared history, a return, a family unit, jealousy, a not so subtle warning, a confession, a connection, a trip
Jazz ... relationships, regrets, memories. I think it's a universal fact that all relationships are unequal insofar as both partners don't hold each other in the same regard as they are held in. One always loves a little bit more than the other, always gives a bit more than the other, always gets hurt a bit more than the other.
The Past ... friends, a run in with a cop, life changes
Fremantle ... a couple, a move, as a single or a double?
Ode to Darwin ... life on the bottom rung of the ladder
Satellite City ... couple plans
Stars ... life, accidents, death, enduring
Bully ... school life, home life, a dad, an enemy, bunking off, a train, a gun, a pawnshop, the cops, a heart to heart, secrets and confessions
The Streets... a relationship, drugs, a death, guilt
4.5 stars from 5
I enjoyed Jorge Jaramillo's narration which added to the stories.
Read - (listened to) April, 2022
Published - 2022
Page count - 197 ( 4 hrs 46 mins)
Source - review copy from author
Format - Audible
This does sound like a great collection, Col. I like the fact that, even though there's a variety of different sorts of stories, at the same time, they have an underlying theme that holds them together. That's not easy to do. It's also not easy to create a consistently good collection, either, and I'm glad you found one here.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I relly enjoy Sean O'Leary's work. I'm enjoying another of his at the minute. He's a great author and fast becoming a firm favourite.
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