Audition

Documentary-maker Aoyama hasn't dated anyone in the seven years since the death of his beloved wife, Ryoko. Now even his teenage son Shige has suggested he think about remarrying. So when his best friend Yoshikawa comes up with a plan to hold fake film auditions so that Aoyama can choose a new bride, he decides to go along with the idea. Of the thousands who apply, Aoyama only has eyes for Yamasaki Asami, a young, beautiful, delicate and talented ballerina with a turbulent past. But there is more to her than Aoyama, blinded by his infatuation, can see, and by the time he discovers the terrifying truth it may be too late Ryu Murakami delivers his most subtle and disturbing novel yet, confirming him as Japan's master of the psycho-thriller.

Documentary-maker Aoyama hasn't dated anyone in the seven years since the death of his beloved wife, Ryoko. Now even his teenage son Shige has suggested he think about remarrying. So when his best friend Yoshikawa comes up with a plan to hold fake film auditions so that Aoyama can choose a new bride, he decides to go along with the idea. Of the thousands who apply, Aoyama only has eyes for Yamasaki Asami, a young, beautiful, delicate and talented ballerina with a turbulent past. But there is more to her than Aoyama, blinded by his infatuation, can see, and by the time he discovers the terrifying truth it may be too late Ryu Murakami delivers his most subtle and disturbing novel yet, confirming him as Japan's master of the psycho-thriller.

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE** **LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026** **A FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION** A GUARDIAN , INDEPENDENT and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year 'Slick, sharp, strange and singular . . . You’ll gulp this novel down in one in-breath' SAMANTHA HARVEY , Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'A lightning bolt of a novel' FINANCIAL TIMES 'I’m not sure there’s anyone better writing in America today' ALEX PRESTON , Observer One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.

When Streisand, Redford, Vereen, Tomlin, Midler, and Hoffman got their first breaks Michael Shurtleff was there. Michael Shurtleff has been casting director for Broadway shows like Chicago and Becket and for films like The Graduate and Jesus Christ Superstar. His legendary course on auditioning has launched hundreds of successful careers. Now in this book he tells the all-important how for all aspiring actors, from the beginning student of acting to the proven talent trying out for that chance-in-a-million role Twelve guideposts for actors plus: Style - Pace - Over-Acting - Distractions - Risks - Drama - Musical Theater - Comedy - Self-Rescue - Seduction - Eye Contact . . . And more

When Streisand, Redford, Vereen, Tomlin, Midler, and Hoffman got their first breaks Michael Shurtleff was there. Michael Shurtleff has been casting director for Broadway shows like Chicago and Becket and for films like The Graduate and Jesus Christ Superstar. His legendary course on auditioning has launched hundreds of successful careers. Now in this book he tells the all-important how for all aspiring actors, from the beginning student of acting to the proven talent trying out for that chance-in-a-million role Twelve guideposts for actors plus: Style - Pace - Over-Acting - Distractions - Risks - Drama - Musical Theater - Comedy - Self-Rescue - Seduction - Eye Contact . . . And more

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE** **LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026** **A FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION** A GUARDIAN , INDEPENDENT and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year 'Slick, sharp, strange and singular . . . You’ll gulp this novel down in one in-breath' SAMANTHA HARVEY , Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'A lightning bolt of a novel' FINANCIAL TIMES 'I’m not sure there’s anyone better writing in America today' ALEX PRESTON , Observer One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don’t intend to produce. As the résumés pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama’s attention—Yamasaki Asami—a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his instant and total infatuation, Aoyama is too late in discovering that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be. The novel’s fast-paced, thriller conclusion doesn’t spare the reader as Yamasaki takes off her angelic mask and reveals what lies beneath.

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don’t intend to produce. As the résumés pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama’s attention—Yamasaki Asami—a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. Blinded by his instant and total infatuation, Aoyama is too late in discovering that she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be. The novel’s fast-paced, thriller conclusion doesn’t spare the reader as Yamasaki takes off her angelic mask and reveals what lies beneath.

En kvinde og en yngre mand sidder på en café i New York. Hun er skuespiller og i gang med prøverne på et teaterstykke. Han er en fremmed, som er mødt op for at betro hende noget, der vil vende op og ned på hendes liv.Da han senere flytter ind hos kvinden og hendes mand, der er forfatter, bliver det startskuddet til et trekantsdrama, der leder dem alle – eller er det kun hende? – ind i en labyrint uden udgange.AUDITION er en enigmatisk roman, der snor sig som et Möbiusbånd og stiller spørgsmålet: Hvem er vi inde bag de roller, vi spiller? Og ved vi selv, hvad der er sandhed, og hvad der er løgn?

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026** **SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025** A GUARDIAN , INDEPENDENT and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year 'Slick, sharp, strange and singular . . . You’ll gulp this novel down in one in-breath' SAMANTHA HARVEY , Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'A lightning bolt of a novel' FINANCIAL TIMES 'I’m not sure there’s anyone better writing in America today' ALEX PRESTON , Observer One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026** **SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025** A GUARDIAN , INDEPENDENT and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year 'Slick, sharp, strange and singular . . . You’ll gulp this novel down in one in-breath' SAMANTHA HARVEY , Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'A lightning bolt of a novel' FINANCIAL TIMES 'I’m not sure there’s anyone better writing in America today' ALEX PRESTON , Observer One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.

En kvinde og en yngre mand sidder på en café i New York. Hun er skuespiller og i gang med prøverne på et teaterstykke. Han er en fremmed, som er mødt op for at betro hende noget, der vil vende op og ned på hendes liv. Da han senere flytter ind hos kvinden og hendes mand, der er forfatter, bliver det startskuddet til et trekantsdrama, der leder dem alle – eller er det kun hende? – ind i en labyrint uden udgange.Audition er en enigmatisk roman, der snor sig som et Möbiusbånd og stiller spørgsmålet: Hvem er vi inde bag de roller, vi spiller? Og ved vi selv, hvad der er sandhed, og hvad der er løgn? Katie Kitamura er en ny stjerne i amerikansk litteratur, og med Audition har hun begået et mesterstykke. "Et uhørt mesterstykke." - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Jyllandsposten

"Kitamura's novels are short, sharp and deadly. I'm not sure there's anyone better writing in America today."-- The Guardian One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilizing M?bius strip of a novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love. Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She's an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He's attractive, troubling, young--young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day - partner, parent, creator, muse - and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.

"Kitamura's novels are short, sharp and deadly. I'm not sure there's anyone better writing in America today."-- The Guardian One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilizing M?bius strip of a novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love. Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She's an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He's attractive, troubling, young--young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day - partner, parent, creator, muse - and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately. Taut and hypnotic, Audition is Katie Kitamura at her virtuosic best.