"The Key"
by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Key-Vintage-Blue-Junichiro-Tanizaki/dp/0099466872/
Reading history and reviews
Finished in 2008
I'm not sure quite why I ended up buying this book, I suspect that it was an Amazon recommendation after buying Taming the Beast and I really liked the cover artwork. Like "Taming the Beast", "The Key" also tells a story of an ultimately destructive sexual relationship, but it couldn't be more different - the story is told through the parallel diary entries of a Japanese husband and wife, each recording their thoughts about their relationship "secretly" whilst being convinced that the other is reading these thoughts. It's a much more subtle, sympathetic and plausible story that "Taming the Beast" - a thought-provoking read that I found surprisingly enjoyable, given the subject.