In The PoolA divorced man angry at his wife finds a painfully prominent outlet in a permanent erection; a model thinks every man on the street is a stalker; an overbearing magazine editor relieves his mid-life crisis by long-distance swimming . . . These are some of the patients who descend to the basement consulting room of Doctor Ichiro Irabu, an obese, eccentric neurologist with an injection fetish, an Oedipus complex. and a pea-green Porsche. This collection of five wacky stories has been adapted for TV and the movies in Japan. Hideo Okuda won the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2004. "It helps put into perspective the annoyances and disappointments we all face in modern society as well as giving the reader a chance to reflect on ways to make his or her life a bit better." -- The Daily Yomiuri "My favorite was 'Cell,' a story in which high school student becomes addicted to his cell phone...The story offers great insight for every one of us, from Luddite to geek, regarding this pervasive contemporary phenomenon." -- Hillel Wright, Metropolis Japan "Sardonic and funny." -- JapanVisitor.com "So while In the Pool has many laugh-aloud moments, at a deeper level, this comedic collection has some intellectual backbone. These are stories about characters tamping down their neuroses and getting on about life." -- hackwriters.com "It's hilarious...By these off-the-wall portrayals of ordinary people in seemingly harmless but nonetheless extraordinary predicaments, In the Pool delivers a good time indeed." -- Mark Schriber, The Japan Times
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