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marshaskrypuch's review against another edition
2.0
This is a really slow book with a distanced feel to it. I couldn't get into it and didn't finish it. I wonder if the problem could be the translation.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy.
chaun_sox's review
5.0
I have to warn anyone attempting to read this, it is not mystery/thriller.
I see the term police procedural thrown around quite frequently to describe a story that basically follows a detective and maybe a couple of their direct subordinates as they investigate a case. Other than a few rare examples, the Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell, I rarely feel that police procedural is an accurate description. There are just too many crazy incidents with tons of chases, unrealistic/overly poetic or dramatized villains, and nearly miraculous epiphanies borne out of the most ridiculous of "clues". Realistically, most detective work is done sitting at a desk in their office delegating, watching surveillance footage, developing a strategy for solving a case.
Where those melodramatic plots fail to paint an accurate picture of detective work, Six Four overcompensates in a completely unexpected way. The majority of the novel takes place at the police station. The plot focuses almost entirely on interdepartmental relations during a tumultuous couple of weeks at the station with several different departments working on different and sometimes conflicting issues. The press is going crazy about disclosure, Tokyo headquarters is meddling, a long unsolved case is reemerging into the public eye on it's anniversary, and the main character's daughter has run away.
All of this to say, despite being a little worried because of the length of the book and the fact that this was the first book I've ever read where all the characters were Japanese, it turned out to be the best detective novel I think I've read. I highly recommend Six Four for it's uniqueness.
I see the term police procedural thrown around quite frequently to describe a story that basically follows a detective and maybe a couple of their direct subordinates as they investigate a case. Other than a few rare examples, the Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell, I rarely feel that police procedural is an accurate description. There are just too many crazy incidents with tons of chases, unrealistic/overly poetic or dramatized villains, and nearly miraculous epiphanies borne out of the most ridiculous of "clues". Realistically, most detective work is done sitting at a desk in their office delegating, watching surveillance footage, developing a strategy for solving a case.
Where those melodramatic plots fail to paint an accurate picture of detective work, Six Four overcompensates in a completely unexpected way. The majority of the novel takes place at the police station. The plot focuses almost entirely on interdepartmental relations during a tumultuous couple of weeks at the station with several different departments working on different and sometimes conflicting issues. The press is going crazy about disclosure, Tokyo headquarters is meddling, a long unsolved case is reemerging into the public eye on it's anniversary, and the main character's daughter has run away.
All of this to say, despite being a little worried because of the length of the book and the fact that this was the first book I've ever read where all the characters were Japanese, it turned out to be the best detective novel I think I've read. I highly recommend Six Four for it's uniqueness.
emiliahubbard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.0
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
If you want a book about a kidnapping/murder, the description is a bit misleading. The novel is far more about the internal politics of policing in Japan, with the "Six Four" case being the underlying driving force of splintering between Admin, Media, and Criminal Investigations units, all of which are attempting to act as their own fifedoms within the prefecture department, while heads from Tokyo want to use the failure to solve a high-profile, and now 14-year-old kidnapping-turned-homicide, to install their own figureheads at a small prefecture and essentially amalgamate.
Six Four is well-written and realistic to the politics that happen in policing, but people expecting a murder mystery will likely be disappointed. The "mystery" is actually uncovering botched aspects of the initial investigation, and navigating the politics and garbage leadership of the police department.
The synopsis also plays up the main character's "ugliness" as a huge character trait but it's actually not a huge point in the novel, it's mentioned he's not a super attractive guy but it really plays a minor role. It seems the synopsis was massaged to appeal to Western readers, but it is pretty misleading.
I really enjoyed the novel though, and anyone wanting to get a realistic look at police politics (which are apparently pretty universal) will enjoy the book. I'm hoping Yokoyama's other novels get translated to English as he's apparently a prolific writer in Japan.
Six Four is well-written and realistic to the politics that happen in policing, but people expecting a murder mystery will likely be disappointed. The "mystery" is actually uncovering botched aspects of the initial investigation, and navigating the politics and garbage leadership of the police department.
The synopsis also plays up the main character's "ugliness" as a huge character trait but it's actually not a huge point in the novel, it's mentioned he's not a super attractive guy but it really plays a minor role. It seems the synopsis was massaged to appeal to Western readers, but it is pretty misleading.
I really enjoyed the novel though, and anyone wanting to get a realistic look at police politics (which are apparently pretty universal) will enjoy the book. I'm hoping Yokoyama's other novels get translated to English as he's apparently a prolific writer in Japan.
girlnouns's review
3.0
Police politics and press releases, a book on how the Japanese Police operates and its relationship to the press. Sometimes I forgot his daughter is missing tbh
lasiepedimore's review against another edition
4.0
Prima di iniziare con la recensione vera e propria mi sento di fare una piccola considerazione: in questo romanzo (che è del 2012), quasi ogni donna che incontriamo ha lasciato il lavoro perché si è sposata e ha avuto dellз figliз. Pensa a quanto è strano che matrimoni e nascite siano in calo in Giappone: ci saranno anche un sacco di altri motivi, ma, visto che da qualche parte bisogna iniziare, questo mi pare un buon punto di partenza.
Tornando al romanzo, sono molto contenta che mi avessero messo in guardia sul fatto che i gialli nipponici sono piuttosto diversi da quelli che siamo abituatз a leggere da queste parti: essendo Sei Quattro su un vecchio caso, ci si potrebbe aspettare che il protagonista indaghi, abbia delle intuizioni geniali e/o la fortuna di incrociare la prova giusta e riesca a risolverlo. Invece no: Mikami Yoshinobu è il capo dell’ufficio stampa e deve solo recuperare i buoni rapporti con la famiglia della vittima di questo vecchio caso irrisolto in modo da permettere alla polizia di farsi della buona pubblicità.
Una larga fetta di Sei Quattro quindi ruota intorno ai rapporti tra polizia e stampa, rapporti che Yokoyama deve conoscere bene, visto che ha lavorato per più di dieci anni come giornalista d’inchiesta. Ci sono pagine e pagine nelle quali ci si interroga su dove finisca il diritto di cronaca e inizi il diritto alla privacy, sul diritto dellз giornalistз di avere tutte le informazioni in modo da poter valutare cosa pubblicare e cosa no e il diritto della polizia a trattenere qualunque elemento ritenga troppo sensibile, ma con il rischio che ometta informazioni compromettenti.
Tutto questo gestito da un uomo che sente il suo ruolo di capo dell’ufficio stampa come una punizione perché vorrebbe tornare sul campo. Mikami, infatti, è un uomo che non riesce ad accettare la situazione nella quale si trova: di padre di una figlia scomparsa e che non riesce a capire, di capo dell’ufficio stampa che deve avere a che fare con un padre di una figlia assassinata in un crimine ancora senza colpevole condannato e di marito di una donna che dopo tanti anni di matrimonio ancora non sa perché si è sposata proprio con lui.
Tuttavia, sarà proprio in questa condizione di uomo perso e demoralizzato che capirà l’importanza di incontrare la persona di cui abbiamo bisogno e l’umiltà di ammettere che, per quanto si ami qualcunǝ, quella persona speciale potremmo non essere noi. Magari noi siamo la persona giusta al momento giusto per unǝ perfettǝ sconosciutǝ e in quel caso è importante non rifiutarne la responsabilità per non lasciare che tutto scivoli nell’indifferenza e per tenere in vita la fiamma della solidarietà umana.
Sei Quattro è un romanzo lento e a tratti sembra assolutamente inconcludente, ma alla fine ogni elemento è funzionale e porta a farsi l’unica domanda importante: non “chi è stato?”, ma “come sta ogni personaggio toccato da questo terribile caso?”.
elneveu's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Extremely slow and frustrating. I liked the conclusion but it was not worth the journey. "Slow burn" doesn't even begin to cover it.
gabriella_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
I was a bit mislead about what this book was actually about going into it but I will say it had a way of keeping my attention. The protagonist was interesting, the glimpse into institutional structures insightful, and I found it an entertaining read. There is a misogyny problem in this book, though. And I wanted more closure about the daughter’s plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body shaming, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
serebdipityofbooks's review against another edition
1.0
No pude terminarlo, porque básicamente se me hacía muy monótono y sin ningún tipo de gancho.
No me producía nada al leerlo y sucedía todo muy lento.
No me producía nada al leerlo y sucedía todo muy lento.