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eml113's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
With Nakamura, I find that I tend to relish the journey—the uncertainty, the building mystery, the illicit psychology of the “dark places”—more than I enjoy the destination. That holds true for this novel. I loved dissecting the murderer and his intentions (a grasping for authenticity, for connection). I loved the interplay between reality and imitation that played out via the dolls and photographs. But the ending twist didn’t fully land for me.
lycheecha's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
A quick read, both for the length and the plot. The novel references Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Hell Screen quite a bit, and draws from both. A writer is tasked with interviewing a photographer on death row for burning two women to death. The writer primarily communicates with the photographer via letters after the first meeting, too unnerved to continue to meet in person. He slowly interviews the people around the photographer, all strange in their own ways, and slowly unravels the whole story. It can seem a bit confusing at times due to a lot of the correspondence and video archives not explicitly naming the characters involved. This made sense to me, however, as privacy laws are bit more different in Japan than the US ones I suspect a lot of the readers bringing it up were expecting. All of the characters are questionable; with the exception of Yukie, who is only ever mentioned. Even the writer himself; there were few questions about him that I had left unanswered. Despite being the vehicle through which we discover the truth, we never really learn his intentions behind being involved in certain things. That being said, I really enjoyed this. It was a read that left me thinking, and I will definitely be trying to find more of Nakamura's translated works in the near future.
A quick read, both for the length and the plot. The novel references Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Hell Screen quite a bit, and draws from both. A writer is tasked with interviewing a photographer on death row for burning two women to death. The writer primarily communicates with the photographer via letters after the first meeting, too unnerved to continue to meet in person. He slowly interviews the people around the photographer, all strange in their own ways, and slowly unravels the whole story. It can seem a bit confusing at times due to a lot of the correspondence and video archives not explicitly naming the characters involved. This made sense to me, however, as privacy laws are bit more different in Japan than the US ones I suspect a lot of the readers bringing it up were expecting. All of the characters are questionable; with the exception of Yukie, who is only ever mentioned. Even the writer himself; there were few questions about him that I had left unanswered. Despite being the vehicle through which we discover the truth, we never really learn his intentions behind being involved in certain things. That being said, I really enjoyed this. It was a read that left me thinking, and I will definitely be trying to find more of Nakamura's translated works in the near future.
emsemsems's review against another edition
4.0
'I bet the butterflies never suspect that their own wings drive other creatures to madness—that is to say, humans who have no relationship with their sphere of life. By the way, the collective noun for butterflies is a rabble. Did you know that?'
Despite the slightly jarring narrative, Nakamura was able to pull this off in a supremely clever way. It's certainly written by someone who is very well-read. Heavily influenced by French existentialist writers, and/but also Modernist Japanese writers (with a brush of old Japanese narratives). Camus and Sartre comes to mind very easily when reading the second half of Nakamura's book. Fab translation work by Allison Markin Powell. I've previously enjoyed his other book, [b:The Boy in the Earth|31415690|The Boy in the Earth|Fuminori Nakamura|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490641505l/31415690._SY75_.jpg|52107917] (winner of the Akutagawa Prize), and this was just as spectacular. Review to come in a bit.
'I thought, when this was all over, I would experience some kind of revelation about good and evil, but it’s strange … I don’t feel anything at all.
It’s funny, even though I’m sure I’ve become a monster … I still love you, even now.'
matt4hire's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the second Nakamura I’ve read, this one about a writer trying to write a book about a double murder and finding himself in far deeper than he counted on.
Nakamura’s writing style is pensive, spare, and introspective. The plot is fairly lean, getting you from point-to-point effortlessly. It’s a very solid little crime thriller, and I’m looking forward to reading more of his.
Nakamura’s writing style is pensive, spare, and introspective. The plot is fairly lean, getting you from point-to-point effortlessly. It’s a very solid little crime thriller, and I’m looking forward to reading more of his.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Torture, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual assault
night_owl9's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
staticdisplay's review against another edition
3.0
I really didn't like this book. for the first 10 chapters I would have called it pretentious and grotesque, which is still accurate. but the writing in (eleven) was clever and interesting - a totally different book. still a lot of misogyny. really 2.5*
ireneac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
dramallama_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
akatsuki_clouds's review against another edition
3.0
I was really interested in this book at the beginning. I really enjoyed Nakamura's other novel, "The Gun" and I liked how this one had a similar dark vibe at the beginning. However, I think that the middle of the book was took broken up. It was an interesting concept and I liked seeing how the plot unfolded, but I just felt like some parts dragged or that they were difficult to read.