In
general I try to avoid reading Crichton’s books if I have seen the film taken
from them. I prefer to leave them for last, when, alas, there won’t be others
left. This time, however, I made an exception, also because it’s been so many
years since I saw “Rising Sun” at the theatre. I didn’t exactly remember the
plot and it was nice to rediscover it in the pages of this novel, even if some
details came to my mind as I went on.
I
must admit that during the reading I often found myself imagining Sean Connery
and Wesley Snipes playing the main characters and it was a great feeling. It
was like reliving that film, but in a much more diluted and in-depth way.
The
story itself is about the murder of a young high-profile prostitute in a Los
Angeles skyscraper belonging to a large Japanese company, which took place at
the same time with an important party that involved many famous people (some
real ones, who are mentioned by the author, even if they are never seen in a
scene). The game of deception, the technological element and the succession of
events (the story takes place in two days) full of twists and turns make this
novel a fast read, despite its length. But what makes it even more interesting
is all that in the film, for obvious reasons of time, could only be mentioned:
the technological war between the US and Japan in the 90s. Crichton, mixing
reality and fantasy, makes us learn more about Japanese industrial practices
and the culture of the rising sun. He does so in particular through the
character of Connor, an experienced policeman with a love-hate relationship
with Japan, made of understanding and respect for its rules despite this does
not correspond to a total acceptance or even approval of the same, who leads
the protagonist, Smith, in a difficult case that everyone, for one reason or
another, wants to close as soon as possible. This is the death of a woman of
“no importance”, as defined by the Japanese characters, but that somehow is
able to upset many other lives, perhaps even Smith’s.
What
I also found very interesting is the technical aspects concerning the tampering
of surveillance videos, even though now, with direct recording on files, it
appears obsolete.
Overall,
in this novel, as usual, Michael Crichton manages to combine a page-turning
plot with valuable insights, able to leave a mark well beyond the time
dedicated to reading.
Rising Sun on Amazon.
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