A Riot of Goldfish

both are talented artists in their own way, neither is accepted by Japanese society. Both find themselves trapped in their own personal hell of thwarted ambition and unrequited passion.

In 'A Riot of Goldfish', Mataichi becomes obsessed with breeding a perfect fish to impress his patron's beautiful, unattainable daughter. Meanwhile, in 'The Food Demon', ambitious gourmet Besshiro is desperate for the jeering upper classes to recognise his creative talents. Both struggle to succeed against the forces of poverty, social class and their own inner demons.

Neither character is particularly likeable: Mataichi becomes a wild-eyed recluse while Besshiro's bitterness makes him tyrannical to his wife and baby son. However, Okamoto lays their ambition and desire so painfully bare that the reader begins to sympathise with their desperate need to succeed. While both men are vividly drawn, the women in the stories - beautiful, unattainable objects of desire - remain strangely aloof and unearthly, oblivious or simply uninterested in their own sexual power.

With plot kept to a minimum, Okamoto focuses on creating a vivid sense of the psychology of the stories' main characters. Using strikingly poetic imagery and language, Okamoto paints two arresting portraits of frustrated talent and longing.