<DIV><p>A divorced man angry at his wife finds a painfully prominent outlet in a permanent erection; a model thinks every man on the street is a stalker; an overbearing magazine editor relieves his mid-life crisis by long-distance swimming . . . These are some of the patients who descend to the basement consulting room of Doctor Ichiro Irabu, an obese, eccentric neurologist with an injection fetish, an Oedipus complex. and a pea-green Porsche. This collection of five wacky stories has been adapted for TV and the movies in Japan.</p><p> <b>Hideo Okuda</b> won the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2004.</p><p>"It helps put into perspective the annoyances and disappointments we all face in modern society as well as giving the reader a chance to reflect on ways to make his or her life a bit better." -- <I>The Daily Yomiuri</I></p><p>"My favorite was 'Cell,' a story in which high school student becomes addicted to his cell phone...The story offers great insight for every one of us, from Luddite to geek, regarding this pervasive contemporary phenomenon." -- Hillel Wright, <I>Metropolis Japan</I></p><p>"Sardonic and funny." -- <I>JapanVisitor.com</I></p><p> "So while <B>In the Pool</B> has many laugh-aloud moments, at a deeper level, this comedic collection has some intellectual backbone. These are stories about characters tamping down their neuroses and getting on about life." -- <I>hackwriters.com</I> </p><p> "It's hilarious...By these off-the-wall portrayals of ordinary people in seemingly harmless but nonetheless extraordinary predicaments, <B>In the Pool</B> delivers a good time indeed." -- Mark Schriber, <I>The Japan Times</I><br> </p><p>  </p></DIV>