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A review by afi_whatafireads
The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Keigo can write a shopping list and I will eat it up. Lowkey for real, this book.
This freaking book
Disclaimers: No spoilers ahead don't worry.
Not only it had got me sobbing and almost had an asthma attack at freaking 1.30AM, my heart was utterly broken. Its now in shambles and I'm picking up the pieces bit by bit. And I can't even let you guys know the full truth to the book but to just let everyone read it on your own.
The experience I had with this book? Bloody phenomenal. And I won't even talk about the story much but I would like to write my thoughts on how much depth a Keigo's characters can be and how much thought he had put out in the story - to a point that will leave you grasping to seek in your heart wether to blame the characters or simply blaming the system that led them to act the way they did. And no, I don't condone any actions done by the characters , but its this state of mind, its the way Keigo manoeuvres us readers to the brink of exhaustion, into stepping over the fine line of a thin gray line. There's no absolute black and white in Keigo's works and it was explored fully and wholly in this book, to a point that had left tumbling into my own conscience. Who do we blame?
And since its the last installment for the Detective Kaga series, I cannot not write my thoughts without including THE Kyoichirou Kaga himself.
Kaga is an eccentric character , an honest man and a very good policeman. I love how he is a mix of the characters from his other series that I loved, and it molded into this character that I absolutely adored. The fact that we don't even get HIS POV but we learn his mannerism, his eccentric behaviours and all of his good qualities from the eyes of the people around him - makes him more endearing. Kaga is the kind of person who has a good judge of character and I loved how he approached the case in here. Mind you, please do read the rest of the series to understand the depth of him as a character. In the Final Curtain, we will see him as someone that is also human , and even someone as phenomenal as him is only human at the end.
This freaking book
Disclaimers: No spoilers ahead don't worry.
Not only it had got me sobbing and almost had an asthma attack at freaking 1.30AM, my heart was utterly broken. Its now in shambles and I'm picking up the pieces bit by bit. And I can't even let you guys know the full truth to the book but to just let everyone read it on your own.
The experience I had with this book? Bloody phenomenal. And I won't even talk about the story much but I would like to write my thoughts on how much depth a Keigo's characters can be and how much thought he had put out in the story - to a point that will leave you grasping to seek in your heart wether to blame the characters or simply blaming the system that led them to act the way they did. And no, I don't condone any actions done by the characters , but its this state of mind, its the way Keigo manoeuvres us readers to the brink of exhaustion, into stepping over the fine line of a thin gray line. There's no absolute black and white in Keigo's works and it was explored fully and wholly in this book, to a point that had left tumbling into my own conscience. Who do we blame?
And since its the last installment for the Detective Kaga series, I cannot not write my thoughts without including THE Kyoichirou Kaga himself.
Kaga is an eccentric character , an honest man and a very good policeman. I love how he is a mix of the characters from his other series that I loved, and it molded into this character that I absolutely adored. The fact that we don't even get HIS POV but we learn his mannerism, his eccentric behaviours and all of his good qualities from the eyes of the people around him - makes him more endearing. Kaga is the kind of person who has a good judge of character and I loved how he approached the case in here. Mind you, please do read the rest of the series to understand the depth of him as a character. In the Final Curtain, we will see him as someone that is also human , and even someone as phenomenal as him is only human at the end.
"Kaga's mind was like an expanse of calm, still water. No matter how hard the wind blew, its surface never became choppy. It was the mental strength that had carried him through the many challenges in his life.
Not only this book had explored a lot of themes , (view spoiler) it had brought in an array of emotions. Keigo's writing is what made me fell in love with Japanese literatures and its slow take on life, on death and how on the surface, it felt like an easy case to solve but the depths and complexities are similar to being human. On the outside someone can look like they have no care in the world, but humans are indeed intricate and complex beings which was written and portrayed so well in the book.
This book. This freaking book. Keigo had never failed me , and I'm so happy I made this my first book in 2024. Definitely a good start to the year. And definitely one that I will remember for a very very long time.
7 full stars.