Underground - Sibi Books

366 pages

English language

Published 2001 by Vintage International.

ISBN:: 978-0-375-72580-7
OCLC Number:: 505175061

(1 review)

"The Tokyo Gas Attack left twelve people dead and over thousands injured; many suffering from after-effects such as blindness, memory loss and paralysis as a consequence of inhaling sarin gas. In Underground the survivors recount their thoughts and feelings at the time, marvel at the slow response of the emergency services, and reveal how the attack has changed their view of society.

We are left with a sense not only of the nightmarish quality of the assault, but also of something amiss in Tokyo itself, perhaps in modern city life everywhere. In the second half of the book, Murakami interviews members of the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) cult, in the hope that they might be able to explain how their guru, Shoko Asahara, instilled such devotion in his followers and why he resorted to terrorism."--BOOK JACKET.

11 editions

das_@bookwyrm.social reviewed Underground by Haruki Murakami

Multifaceted but always highly emotional

5 stars

Incredibly emotional interviews that retell one of the most horrific terrorist attacks that miraculously barely killed anyone. What's particularly fascinating about this is that it not only explores the victims' stories (sometimes through the lens of their family members), but also those of the members of the cult responsible for the attack. It dissects the minds of the people who decided to dedicate their lives to this spiritual community, while constantly drawing parallels to the Japanese society at large.

Murakami is a great interviewer, and you can truly feel his determination to uncover the story behind this tragedy. And he undoubtedly succeeded in that: not only is this intimate way of experiencing the events very touching, but the book is basically considered the best English-speaking primary source on this topic.

Subjects

Oumu Shinrikyō (Religious organization)
Terrorism -- Japan