Blog Tour ~ Review ~ Last Stop Tokyo by James Buckler.

Book summary

The funny thing with suffering is just when you think you’ve suffered enough, you realize it’s only the beginning.

Alex thought running away would make everything better. Six thousand miles from the mistakes he’s made and the people he’s hurt, Tokyo seems like the perfect escape. A new life, a new Alex.

The bright lights and dark corners of this alien and fascinating city intoxicate him, and he finds himself transfixed by this country, which feels like a puzzle that no one can quite explain. And when Alex meets the enigmatic and alluring Naoko, the peace he sought slips ever further from his grasp.

After all, trust is just betrayal waiting to happen and Alex is about to find out that there’s no such thing as rock bottom. There’s always the chance it’ll get worse . . .

Review

Firstly I would like to thank the publishers, James Buckler and blog tour organiser Anne Cater for the ARC of Last Stop Tokyo in return for an honest review.

I knew this book was going to be a first class read, when from page one you could feel the tension seeping from the page and shimmering in the air around you.

You wont necessarily find yourself liking either Alex or Naoko, but you will find them fascinating and highly addictive! Sympathy for each character ebbed and flowed as you learned more about them and as their secrets were revealed. They are complex people with pasts that are dark and tragic.  But the great joy of this book is that the writer avoids rendering them as one dimensional characters for the sake of plot, he gives them a conscience that comes into play to ensure you care enough, that you want them to survive. Because you never quite know what they are capable of, you keep reading, wondering if they will take that one step, you as a reader can not forgive them for.

It’s a story with a strong element of selfishness at its heart, yet at the same time, personal sacrifice and love, even if that love is flawed. It’s a book that brings the darkest aspects of human nature to the surface. It also submerges us in a society so different to our own.  Alex like us has little understanding of it’s social complexities, you and he are adrift in a culture you have little understanding of and you feel his isolation and sense the danger he is in.

The past has a nasty habit of catching up on those that refuse to acknowledge their actions. Because sometimes you can’t run fast enough, to escape it’s cloying influence on the decisions you make in the present.  Both Alex and Naoko are running from pasts into dangerous waters, but who will survive?

Last Stop Tokyo can be bought from Amazon

Author Bio

James Buckler grew up in the South West of England and currently lives in London though he has lived in America and Japan, where he worked as an English teacher. He studied Film at the University of Westminster and worked in film & TV for many years, most notably as a post-production specialist for MTV and BBC Films. Last Stop Tokyo is his debut novel.