New York - December 28, 2004

Best of 2004: Karmic Relief

"I Love Lord Buddha" by Hillary Raphael

As is our custom here at DailyCandy, the week between Christmas and New Year’s will be dedicated to the greatest hits of 2004. Hey, don’t even think about calling us slackers. We’re wooooorking here.

Have a great holiday, and thank you for being such smart, opinionated, and excellent readers.

They bombard you incessantly with insipid questions and jerky demands. You answer every one with apparent delight. They tell inane jokes and chew with their mouths open. You laugh uproariously through all five courses.

“They’ll get theirs in the next life,” you reassure yourself after that “accidental” ass grab at the last brainstorm. But what if someone sped up the process? Enter Hiyoko, the ballsy, hyper-cool heroine of I Love Lord Buddha, first-time novelist Hillary Raphael’s breathtaking romp through Tokyo in the ’90s. Equal parts insatiable nymphomaniac, mesmerizing guru, and self-destructive firebrand, Hiyoko leads a revolt against the karmic drain that is Japan’s adult-entertainment industry.

The tale of Hiyoko’s transformation from jaded American wanderer to ethereal neo-geisha revolutionary spurts piecemeal from the mouths of delicious characters like her sensible cousin, her love-struck shrink, her fellow hostess followers, and the Tokyo police.

Written entirely in lowercase and often a bit … racy (read: NC-17), the hypnotic story barrels along at breakneck pace until the clients of Tokyo get their (karmic) just desserts.

If only this would befall your clients before they could order their chocolate ones.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.