A review by lucasgarner
The Box Man by Kōbō Abe

2.0

The concept of this book is fascinating; a man decided to give up his life to live inside of a cardboard box that he wears on his head. It's the kind of absurdism that I love to read. However, it only took a couple of pages to realize that there was a lot more going on here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when it's written in Abe's dry writing style and with a plot that jumps around in a very Pynchonesque fashion, it becomes hard to follow, and what whimsy there may be in the novel, it feels flat because of the writing style. I read about 2/3 of the novel before just skimming the rest, and it makes me sad because the whole idea of the book still intrigues me. If you are in the mood for a book that will leave you mostly confused and semi-bored, you may love it, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.