I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this brilliant book. Kobo Abe wrote the weirdest stuff. This novel is mesmerizing, imaginative, absurd and fun to read. Some parts of this story are hilarious while other parts are deeply disturbing.

This is a story of survival. An introverted character called Mole (and later, Captain) hosts three people, first encountered at an outdoor market, within an abandoned quarry (the Ark Sakura), his venue of ultimate survival. It’s worthwhile taking a trip with this author into his surreal labyrinth and learn about the odd interactions between the Captain and the three crew members who decide live with him. Are the four of them alone in the mammoth quarry? Can he trust them? Are there other enemies within? Who are the Broom Brigade? Find out by reading this crazy adventure. Oddly enough, a fictitious insect began it all. So strange and wonderful! ( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Abe-Larche-en-toc/36489

> Pour qui ne craint pas l'étrangeté, s'immerger dans "L'Arche en toc" permet de se poser quelques questions, d'ouvrir des horizons.
—Danieljean (Babelio) ( )

It has that Kobo Abe tone. Like subdued Surrealism. Soft Surrealism. It's dark, lonely, and to use a common cliche, Kafkaesque.
While not as powerful as Woman in the Dunes, this is one of the author's more charming, grotesque, dreamlike and memorable novels. ( )

A must read for all survivalists. Along with Merle's _Malevil_. Abe's characters also face brutal reality with a relentless resolve. And under stress, they collide with bullet directness. ( )

One thing I am always looking for is a book that can take weirdness, make me believe it just might be true, and then take me along for the ride. It is part of the reason I am such a fan of Phillip K. Dick. In a similar manner, one of the things I enjoy about Haruki Murakami is his ability to embed strangeness into the normal world in such a way that the resulting abnormalities seem to have derived naturally.

It is no coincidence that these two authors would come to mind in the review of this book by Kobo Abe. Just like Murakami, Abe takes what appears to be a normal Japanese life and begins to turn it on its ear. Just like Dick, Abe goes beyond a mere on-ear turning and spins the reader into an alternate reality that seems sane in spite of its insanity.

The protagonist, known only as Mole, is convinced the end of the world is about to occur through nuclear holocaust. He has found an abandoned mine which he has turned into the ultimate bomb shelter. To find the right volunteers, he goes into the marketplace armed with invitations, which he has never used. However, on the day this story begins, he thinks he may have found someone. He provides the invitations, then changes his mind. And yet, that invitation leads to three individuals eventually joining him at the site. They are a couple who act as shills and the salesman for whom they work. Each of the three has their own quirks and weirdness. And yet, we can't even be sure that what we are being told is true. Unreliable narrators abound. (So, does the young man have cancer or not?) But then, as we get to know him, Mole becomes even stranger than we first thought, having lived through a childhood that would drive anyone to a bomb shelter.

Much like the hero of an existential novel, Mole becomes the slave to events rather than being their master. As much as he wants to be captain of the ark, he becomes no more than a passenger. It was Mole's ambition to fill the bomb shelter with a hand-picked group of individuals. As events transpire, it is becoming full, but the types that are filling it are far from those Mole desired. His secret hideaway becomes less and less of a secret and becomes more dangerous than the world from which he is running. It is really more than Mole can take.

Among other things there is a super toilet, a gang of old men called The Broom Brigade, eupcaccia bugs which live off their own waste – basically an eclectic conglomeration of absurdist people and situations.

And it all comes together in a fun and interesting read. In the hands of a poor (or even adequate) writer, this is the type of story that falls under the weight of its own attempts. But Abe is skilled and the weirdness comes in such a logical, normal manner that you will not realize just how strange it has all become until you look back and think to yourself "A super toilet?"

I read a recommendation for Kobo Abe a while ago and this was my first opportunity to see if the recommendation was correct. Suffice to say this will not be the last Abe I read. ( )