45.
Title: [Audition]
Author: Ryu Murakami
Genre: Pulp
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 8, 2014
Rating: ***1/2

Audition tells the tale of a widower who, seven years after the death of his wife, holds auditions for a new wife.  While the actresses lining up to audition for a film don't know that's Aoyama's intent, he and his friend Yoshikawa reason that this is the best way to find a woman who is accomplished, confident, and single.  Of course. And, of course, Aoyama falls mindlessly in love with a former ballet dancer who seems too good to be true.

I enjoyed Audition, but not for the thriller Murakami seemingly intends it to be - rather, I found it to be a highly amusing farce.  The author has absolutely no confidence in his reader, and treats the reader as if he is the same kind of idiot as his protagonist.  The blatancy of the plot hits the audience in the face from the very beginning, and continues through to page 167, when the true "horror" begins.  The final few pages are appropriately squirm-worthy, but the remainder of the novel is good for a laugh.