Dissatisfied with his parents and police’s vapid response to his sister’s kidnapping, Adam takes law enforcement into his own hands and flies to Tokyo to search for his sister Charlie. I’m a sucker for sibling relationships in fiction. Adam’s decision to fly to Japan to save his sister was endearing. However, Adam proved to be an irritable and purely unlikable character. I trudged through this book. Trudged. Adam spent half the book in the UK wondering whether or not to go to Japan in the first place and feeling irritated by his parent’s response. Once he arrived in Japan, he spent the last half wondering if he was doing the right thing. Lesson to you readers – if you don’t think you should do it, don’t do it. According to Charlie’s best friend, Alice, she left the host bar she was working at with a strange man and hasn’t been seen since. Adam investigates the bar and questions some workers and figures out some things are amiss. Adam’s adventure in Tokyo was interesting to read, to an extent. The voice and writing style was appropriate and I appreciated the quirky chapter titles (note; Marks used Janglish he found when he was in Tokyo. They have no relevance to the story). However, the pace wasn’t sufficient enough. There were some things that lacked. One, the conflict and purpose wasn’t strong enough. It was silly and almost laughable. I believe Marks could have created a much more appealing ‘missing person’ drama if he concentrated on the family life of the missing person. During the early investigation on of the English police officers is skeptical of Adam because he was the only one who knew Charlie was in Japan in the first place. It would be a whole lot interesting if Marks continued down that path. Also, Adam’s resolve was questionable. His actions were ill timed and lacked common sense. Is it because he’s seventeen? I don’t think so, probably just bad characterization. For example, if I were missing in Japan I wouldn’t want my brother to arrive in one of the most populous cities in the world (without telling my parents) and binge drink and have random romps of romance. Yes, romance. Marks included a love sequence that really had no place in the story. It was random and maybe even a little racist. It seemed fetishized. If you plan to read this book, prepare for an unresolved/dissatisfying ending. Rating: 2 out of 5Quotable Quotes: ‘Have a nice day penguin duck’ (chapter title). Recommended For: mystery, Tokyo enthusiasts (limited), and family dynamic.
What an odd tale. While doing a crazy traveling adventure, Adam's sister suddenly disappears in Tokyo. After reporting her as a missing person locally, Adam waits days with no results. The local and Japanese police both seem curious about her disappearance but not overly concerned.So Adam, tired of seeing his mom upset and not getting any information, grabs the next flight to Tokyo and flies there himself. From there, the story is interesting but...I don't know, lacked something. I didn't find Adam terribly interesting. And I thought his insta "Do I love her" thing with Aiko a little quick.I did like Tony's POV and even the insight into the embassy police representative - although I thought the portrayal of bumbling Japanese police completely inaccurate. I also wasn't a huge fan of how it all panned out (view spoiler)[ Alice as some evil twin of herself....I thought whole moment with Yoshi was odd (hide spoiler)]
Do You like book Missing In Tokyo (2006)?
Tokyo: All Alone in the Big CityBy: Graham MarksAfter receiving a random call from his sisters travel buddy, Adam decides to immediately tell his parents that Charlie, Adams sister, has gone missing. Charlie and her friend were suddenly gone missing in the big city of Tokyo, it seemed like no one was going to do anything but wait. Relentless and impatient, Adam decides to take it to himself and look for his older sister. Narrated by Adam himself, the boy has his own problems like being suspended from school and getting his parents to meet his girlfriend. But as he finds out his sister goes missing, he found it to be the most challenging task of his 18 year old life. He leaves for Tokyo during his suspension time and without telling his parents. Traveling around all of Tokyo was useless until he then gets assisted by the gangs of Tokyo, which was not his primary plan. With themes like violence, mystery, crime, and dishonesty the book shows how much determination and heart one needs to do something as challenging as finding someone in an unknown city.Spoken with fear, confidence and hope, Adam makes it feel as if though the reader were in his spot. He talks a bit about everything, so as a reader you know what his struggles are and how much he has to give up to save his sister. Other struggles he faces in the book are shown in a sequence that had him running the streets as a group of boys were trying to hurt him.This book is a hands down amazing read for people who are into themes like mystery and crime. It’s like a Taken movie but instead of Liam Neeson staring its Adam and we get personal with him. Questions come to your head the second you start reading the book, and I believe that is a good book as the author can pull that off so quickly. What happens to the girls, who took them, where the girls and much more are, are asked in less than 5 chapters of the book.
—Sourav
