mafionn's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mimosaeyes's review against another edition
4.0
You know how sometimes the blurb of a book promises that it explores a bunch of themes that sound interesting, but when you actually read it, the story just kind of skims across those ideas without saying anything? This is not one of those times. This novel genuinely made me think deeply about identity and personal histories. And it doesn't do it in a pretentious way; in fact, everything feels very grounded because of the framing of Kido's investigation.
Another thematic aspect that I wasn't expecting is the extended commentary on Zainichi racism. In a way, this can also be seen as part of the book's discussion of identity, as ethnic Koreans who live in Japan and pass as Japanese are another kind of invisible identity, potentially. In another sense, it's simply another part of the book's concerns - contributing to the overall realistic texture of the novel. I really enjoyed this.
Another thematic aspect that I wasn't expecting is the extended commentary on Zainichi racism. In a way, this can also be seen as part of the book's discussion of identity, as ethnic Koreans who live in Japan and pass as Japanese are another kind of invisible identity, potentially. In another sense, it's simply another part of the book's concerns - contributing to the overall realistic texture of the novel. I really enjoyed this.
ruthie_wk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
zuzqaa's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
lex23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emsemsems's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book even though it took me some time to finish it. The older I get, the more I lose my ability to appreciate Haruki Murakami's work. Reading Hirano's work was so refreshing. Since I don't read as many Japanese novels as I'd like to (since there aren't enough Japanese novels translated to English to choose from anyway) - I couldn't stop myself from comparing this to Murakami's. I found Hirano's female/women characters more complex and 'real', whilst Murakami tends to fetishise and sexualise his female/more feminine characters.
I think more than a 'mystery' novel, it's more about a series of different identity crises. It explores how one is comfortable/uncomfortable in one's skin. And the 'bodies' or identity we choose to stay with or change. It may be a little confusing in the beginning but it gets better towards the end.
“He said it grossed him out so bad to think that his father’s blood ran in his veins that he wanted to scratch himself open and scrape his own body off. You could never make love to someone if you saw your body like that, now could you?”
Without giving away too much, the excerpt above was said of one of the characters who tried to kill himself twice, and then decided to live his life as someone new without any attachments to his past. The novel ricochets between a more metropolitan setting and a quiet town(s). I liked how the quieter/more peaceful landscapes were described.
“I’d say we cut them at about fifty. After that, they become building materials and last another fifty as a house. So I think of each tree in terms of about a hundred years. Fifty years on the mountain and fifty years with people. That’s what I tell our workers too.”
I lingered along these lines for a bit after reading it. Thinking about the relationship between humans x nature in general. Perhaps it was because of my state of mind when I was reading it. I had wanted to get my door replaced last week, but the guy who came over to fix it told me that I should reconsider it. He convinced me to keep it instead - after he gave it a new coat of weather-proof paint or something like that - and changed the locks. It looks new, but it's essentially still old wood.
And that leads me to this bit in the later bit of the book that I like as well :
“I mean, it’s not as if you love someone once and that’s it. You renew your love again and again over the long haul, through everything that happens along the way.”
The excerpt above is rather ironic in the book though. But when taken out of context, it is appreciate-able on its own in a different way.
“The problem of whether Kido was personally embroiled in Zainichi issues was clearly no simple matter. Since he had grown up almost entirely as a “Japanese person” even before he naturalised, he was profoundly uneasy with the idea that he was either a direct victim or perpetuator of the troubles that beset Korean enclaves. ”
The main character struggles with his own identity because of something he didn't and couldn't even have chosen. He could change his life if he wanted to but in my opinion - he was afraid of change because he felt that it would be less meaningful because he was not exactly 'young' anymore (so spending that effort to change would not be that worthwhile?). Also, with regards to the bit when he was contemplating that state of his marriage - I felt like by choosing to stay in the marriage because he thinks that it'd be best for his son is both unreasonable/unfair to his son and to himself. Rie (his client whose case he's working on) on the other hand - chose herself and her own 'happiness' when it came to her marital dilemmas; and by doing that - she was able to provide herself and her son the life that they both deserve. For some reason it reminded me of the line in Junichiro Tanizaki's 'Some Prefer Nettles' : “Each worm to his taste; some prefer to eat nettles.”
The reason I only gave it 3 stars was because I didn't think it entertained me enough since I took a while to finish the book. Also, the plot/story lines were a bit tangled/disorganised (even though I think the writer had done that intentionally for an 'effect' he was trying to achieve/give to the novel) - and it distracted me more than anything. Also, I personally wanted the story to finish a little differently. Regardless, I'm keen to read more of Hirano's work because I think he's a rather interesting writer.
I think more than a 'mystery' novel, it's more about a series of different identity crises. It explores how one is comfortable/uncomfortable in one's skin. And the 'bodies' or identity we choose to stay with or change. It may be a little confusing in the beginning but it gets better towards the end.
“He said it grossed him out so bad to think that his father’s blood ran in his veins that he wanted to scratch himself open and scrape his own body off. You could never make love to someone if you saw your body like that, now could you?”
Without giving away too much, the excerpt above was said of one of the characters who tried to kill himself twice, and then decided to live his life as someone new without any attachments to his past. The novel ricochets between a more metropolitan setting and a quiet town(s). I liked how the quieter/more peaceful landscapes were described.
“I’d say we cut them at about fifty. After that, they become building materials and last another fifty as a house. So I think of each tree in terms of about a hundred years. Fifty years on the mountain and fifty years with people. That’s what I tell our workers too.”
I lingered along these lines for a bit after reading it. Thinking about the relationship between humans x nature in general. Perhaps it was because of my state of mind when I was reading it. I had wanted to get my door replaced last week, but the guy who came over to fix it told me that I should reconsider it. He convinced me to keep it instead - after he gave it a new coat of weather-proof paint or something like that - and changed the locks. It looks new, but it's essentially still old wood.
And that leads me to this bit in the later bit of the book that I like as well :
“I mean, it’s not as if you love someone once and that’s it. You renew your love again and again over the long haul, through everything that happens along the way.”
The excerpt above is rather ironic in the book though. But when taken out of context, it is appreciate-able on its own in a different way.
“The problem of whether Kido was personally embroiled in Zainichi issues was clearly no simple matter. Since he had grown up almost entirely as a “Japanese person” even before he naturalised, he was profoundly uneasy with the idea that he was either a direct victim or perpetuator of the troubles that beset Korean enclaves. ”
The main character struggles with his own identity because of something he didn't and couldn't even have chosen. He could change his life if he wanted to but in my opinion - he was afraid of change because he felt that it would be less meaningful because he was not exactly 'young' anymore (so spending that effort to change would not be that worthwhile?). Also, with regards to the bit when he was contemplating that state of his marriage - I felt like by choosing to stay in the marriage because he thinks that it'd be best for his son is both unreasonable/unfair to his son and to himself. Rie (his client whose case he's working on) on the other hand - chose herself and her own 'happiness' when it came to her marital dilemmas; and by doing that - she was able to provide herself and her son the life that they both deserve. For some reason it reminded me of the line in Junichiro Tanizaki's 'Some Prefer Nettles' : “Each worm to his taste; some prefer to eat nettles.”
The reason I only gave it 3 stars was because I didn't think it entertained me enough since I took a while to finish the book. Also, the plot/story lines were a bit tangled/disorganised (even though I think the writer had done that intentionally for an 'effect' he was trying to achieve/give to the novel) - and it distracted me more than anything. Also, I personally wanted the story to finish a little differently. Regardless, I'm keen to read more of Hirano's work because I think he's a rather interesting writer.
jnnmllr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
ruyanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mcgab's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spam_musub's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0