Reviews

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

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I was told that this book was a mystery book. I suppose it is, in the strictest sense. But it'd be like saying that Harry Potter is a mystery book; there's a mystery, yes, but it's far from the main focus of the novel. Rather, the entire focus of the novel is on the politics of the police between the different departments.

I think that a rough understanding of Japanese culture is an absolute requirement before reading this novel. I barely have an understanding from other Japanese works of literature / manga, and there were areas in the book that frustrated me. Why would the main character act a certain way? The only way that I can feasibly understand these actions and behaviors is that it is a cultural expectation. (I was further convinced by this after I read the author blurb, which, I sh*t you not, says: "His exhaustive and relentless work ethic is known to mirror the intense and obsessive behavior of his characters, and in January 2003 he was hospitalized following a heart attack brought about by working nonstop for seventy-two hours."

It's hard to think what kind of person I would recommend this book to. The writing (translation) is fantastic in the sense that it conveys the main character's feelings (bleakness and a strange helplessness) very well. The characters are easy to follow, despite how many of them there are. And yet there was a bit of a slog reading through the middle, where the politics gets heaviest. As mentioned above, I get the feeling that a lot of the politics is cultural, and I had a difficult time sympathizing with, well, any of the characters. But once the plot picks up, it actually gets pretty exciting, and not only because of the mystery. Since everything is so depressing in the first half of the book, when everything starts to come together and look up for the protagonist, it actually feels really good.

In conclusion, if you're into inter-office drama, (and you're at least a little familiar with Japanese culture,) this book is for you. The plot is slow to take off, but incredibly rewarding.

fionnuala25's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

tristorch's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Definitely a slow burner, but certainly scratches the itch for a unique detective story. Pretty cool look at how a Japanese police department runs too.

csdaley's review

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3.0

I am glad I read this but it was a difficult read. The pacing was incredibly slow and I felt that information about Japanese police procedure was often repeated unnecessarily. It was a mystery but just barely. It spent just as much time on the culture of police and its relationship to the press. Sometimes it was so slow I thought about giving up but then something great would explode onto the page. Overall I would call this a 3.5 and worth a read. the brilliant parts made up for the slow parts.

jeswright's review against another edition

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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? No

2.0

emilykennedy's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

bg86's review against another edition

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3.0

A good read, although those (including me) who are expecting a thrilling investigation will be a bit disappointed. The main story is about internal politics within the police. Still this story is quite interesting although the critical encounters when someone stands up to hierarchy are without exception comical, literally, like parodies from Asian comic shows. Including the flushed cheeks, yelling, ringing ears, the lot..