RaveThe Guardian (UK)Deft translation ... Ichikawa uses the vantage point of her disability for a particular insight into human nature, but we mustn’t condescend to call this novella autobiographical. Its structure – beginning and ending with a story, the latter possibly written by the narrator, possibly not – would tease us if we do.
Michel Houellebecq
PositiveThe Telegraph (UK)Houellebecq tells uncomfortable but enlightening truths about the heterosexual male mind ... Two love plots develop. Both are surprising, and quite moving ... Nothing if not realistic.
Pedro Almodóvar
MixedThe Telegraph (UK)I was too often reminded of watching Falso Amor, a Spanish reality television show in which contestants guess whether pictures of their lovers committing adultery are real photographs, or deepfaked images. It was (presumably) meant to be a playful, meta-televisual idea: in reality, its blurring of distinctions was just confusing and unpleasant
