Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Confessions by Kanae Minato

265 reviews

lolzoestrash's review

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Great book. The first 3 chapters were the strongest by far. I  really enjoyed all the different formats the lens of the story is told through (a classroom speech, a letter, diary entries, etc).  Moriguchi Ito was my favorite perspective (the first chapter was absolutely jaw-dropping). There were heavy themes of revenge, motherhood, upbringing, and power, which were expertly injected into the story. The prose was very "simple", but this isn't a criticism whatsoever. This writing style really allowed the details-there were many of them-to shine. We are told things as fact, and then these facts get destroyed and challenged as new POVs are introduced. I just love how bold and unafraid this book was. I will 100% be seeking more of her work.

My only criticisms is that it felt a bit much to completely re-hash the events of the story so many times. Naoki & Shuya's POVs were necessary for the added details they included, but by the time we reached their POVs, we had heard many of the events in the story so many times that I found myself not wanting to re-hash them. The ending was brilliant, but I was starting to lose steam as the story went on.

 I also felt like the format of Naoki's chapter could have been better. It seemed he was watching a "movie" (hallucination) of the events of his life on the prison wall without fully recognizing he was watching himself, but, I found myself thinking the POV should have better reflected that. The entire chapter was in First Person, but I think it could have been clever for Naoki to describe the scenes as if he was watching someone else (not himself). Just a minor thought.

Overall, very easy to read and very dark. Loved it! Easily recommended-especially if you hit a reading wall.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think I’m in the minority here, but I really enjoyed this book. Japanese courtesan and writer Murasaki Shikibu is credited as writing the first novel in history, and it was a psychological novel that launched a cult favorite around The Tale of Genji that still thrives and is taught all over the world today. I feel like Japanese are still the best at this genre, and I love that this book's subgenre within the psychological novel category is called iyamisu in Japanese which literally translates to “ew mystery.” This book was far more satisfying than my most recent Stephen King (It). Books like this make me feel better because I know I’ll never reach the depths of darkness written here, no matter how upset I get. I feel safer, and that’s the greatness of writers like Minato. Too bad only two of her books are available at my libraries in English translations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

tjieldi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

shirocyril's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical content, and Murder

jennyshelby's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Chronic illness

kimminy's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, the psychology behind these characters is disturbing, but their issues could be hiding in anyone. A lot to think about here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse

m_a_j's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

hedgewilde's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Terminal illness, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal cruelty and Miscarriage

_david_'s review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If you like this, you'll probably like the movie Monster (2023)

I love this way of storytelling: revealing a mystery by using multiple perspectives.

It was a very dark and tense story with a good payoff. The characters were all very unique and though sometimes a bit over the top, not unbelievably so.

The only reason that I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the repetition. Just as it gets too much repetition imo (chapter 4), it stops and goes on with the character's own unique perspective.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism and Terminal illness

Child abuse (physical) with the victim glorifying their attacker

_meganrose's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

WOW, the varying perspectives in this were equally horrifying and disturbingly fascinating. The storytelling in this was very unique. Overall 3.75 ⭐️ read for this dark thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail