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akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a great book that suffers from a terrible blurb.
This is not a murder mystery, this is a character-study-cum-police-procedural-drama with a hint of whodunnit. Six Four makes up less than 20% of the book.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it. Mikami was a really interesting protagonist, and Yokoyama’s surprisingly haunting writing had me crying a few times- at the scene with the Amamiya family shrine in particular. Mikami was someone I rooted for despite his slight cowardice and slightly shitty decisions, and to see him come out his shell in the wake of his own daughter running away was nice, and to embrace his role in MR rather than detest it. The side characters were great, and there were a few solid twists
Go into this expecting a lot of workplace politics and corruption, not how they solved Six Four.
This is not a murder mystery, this is a character-study-cum-police-procedural-drama with a hint of whodunnit. Six Four makes up less than 20% of the book.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it. Mikami was a really interesting protagonist, and Yokoyama’s surprisingly haunting writing had me crying a few times- at the scene with the Amamiya family shrine in particular. Mikami was someone I rooted for despite his slight cowardice and slightly shitty decisions, and to see him come out his shell in the wake of his own daughter running away was nice, and to embrace his role in MR rather than detest it. The side characters were great, and there were a few solid twists
Go into this expecting a lot of workplace politics and corruption, not how they solved Six Four.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Grief, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Murder and Child death
Minor: Suicide, Rape, and Police brutality
domreadsb00ks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really wanted to like this book. It starts off so well; the maim character, head of police/media relations, finds an anomaly in an old kidnapping case, and uncovers a whole network of police corruption . He then has to navigate this discovery amidst office politics, the disappearance of his daughter and threat of his marriage breaking down, and trying not to anger the press.
I do like the complexity of the book, especially concerning office politics within the police and press. It allows for the setting to be beefed up slowly over the course of the book, immersing you in the world of 2002 Japan. One minor thing is i found it so hard to keep track of the names; you have a Minako, Mikumo, Mikami and Matsuoka among others. It doesnt reflect anything on the author -they are just Japanese names afterall- I just struggled remembering who was who.
The characters arent particularly loveable. The main character is completely devoted to his job, and as such makes decisions that seem the worst option, but i suppose you have to read it in context of 2002 Japan. There's also a fair element of sexism in the way he treats some of the women throughout the book, though he is self aware of it up to a point.
In the last few chapters, the speed noticeably picks up. The chapters shorten and the action increases. I welcomed the change in pace, but this part of the book also ended up being my least favourite. Six-Four could well have done with another hundred pages, as the ending seemed rushed and was SO SHALLOW. If the ending had been less rushed this book easily would be a 4.5 .
I do like the complexity of the book, especially concerning office politics within the police and press. It allows for the setting to be beefed up slowly over the course of the book, immersing you in the world of 2002 Japan. One minor thing is i found it so hard to keep track of the names; you have a Minako, Mikumo, Mikami and Matsuoka among others. It doesnt reflect anything on the author -they are just Japanese names afterall- I just struggled remembering who was who.
The characters arent particularly loveable. The main character is completely devoted to his job, and as such makes decisions that seem the worst option, but i suppose you have to read it in context of 2002 Japan. There's also a fair element of sexism in the way he treats some of the women throughout the book, though he is self aware of it up to a point.
In the last few chapters, the speed noticeably picks up. The chapters shorten and the action increases. I welcomed the change in pace, but this part of the book also ended up being my least favourite. Six-Four could well have done with another hundred pages, as the ending seemed rushed and was SO SHALLOW. If the ending had been less rushed this book easily would be a 4.5 .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Grief, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, and Suicide
sirisolh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: Bullying, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
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