This post first published December 17, 2011.
Author: Hideaki Sena
Published: 1996 (English: 2007)
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
320 pages (hardcover)
I became interested in this book because I had heard of the video
game of the same name. I never played the video game but I had a general
idea of what it was about. For those of you who, like me, have also
heard of the video game, I’ll just tell you now that the game is based off of the book, but the plots are very, very different. As different as they are, the book is pretty good, in my opinion.
In Parasite Eve, a woman named Kiyomi dies in an automobile
accident. Her husband, a mitochondria researcher, is absolutely
devastated by this and in his grief, convinces his surgeon friend to
remove Kiyomi’s liver and give it to him, which he then takes to study
in his lab. Meanwhile, Kiyomi’s kidneys are donated to a fourteen year
old girl in dire need of them. Unbeknownst to everyone, Kiyomi’s
mitochondria have their own consciousness, dubbed Eve. Eve has been
waiting millenia for the perfect opportunity to take over her host and
give birth to the ultimate being.
The plot right there sounds like one of the most interesting and
unique things I’ve read in a long time. Having finished the book now, I
definitely found it very fun to read although there were some parts
where I thought, “Well, that’s a little ridiculous, isn’t it?” Still,
it’s very, very good!
When I first began reading this book, I found the first half rather
slow-moving. It wasn’t exactly boring — I was obviously intrigued enough
to continue — but because it was so “mysterious” in the beginning, I
didn’t really understand where the plot was going. Not to mention there
is a lot of technical jargon in the book to explain mitochondria and ATP
energy and whatnot, so at times it feels like you’re reading a science
textbook of some sort. I think having a basic understanding of high
school biology is crucial to understanding this book. Without it, the
book probably won’t be as enjoyable.
The second half of the book picks up since it becomes more clear how
some of the characters are connected, and just who Eve is and what her
purpose is. My interest levels definitely perked up much higher reading
the second half and I found I couldn’t quite put it down. I don’t
normally read horror novels of any kind, but I think Parasite Eve is
really enjoyable even for people like me who aren’t huge horror fans.
The story isn’t really scary or anything, and it doesn’t try to gross me
out — but it is pretty good at successfully creeping me out! Especially
the parts where Eve’s consciousness is revealed to the characters and
they start flipping out over what is happening. The characters aren’t
particularly sharply drawn or anything, they were a bit plain, if that
makes any sense, but I think they were all easy to be sympathetic for. I
definitely rooted for them to ‘win’.
It was slow to start, but by the end, it was clear to me that Parasite Eve is
a wholly unique book and was a great read, although do be warned that
it can get into very technical spiels about mitochondria at times.
Without some understanding of cell biology, the reader may get
completely lost at those parts. Still, the story is very memorable and I
definitely recommend it to any whose interest is perked.
My Rating: 4/5
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