"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
