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nanobooks's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sprainedbrain's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
lindsaylandis's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book mainly because we are planning a trip to Japan this spring, and so that was the part of the story that intrigued me most, and in that respect I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the story overall as well, though I did find it a bit underdeveloped (either plot or characters, it's hard to say) which prevented from fully losing myself in the story. I very much liked it, and will remember this one if only for its uniqueness (a lot of the other novels I find myself reading seem to blend together).
gracereads82's review against another edition
4.0
It did not start off great, took me a while to get used to the author's style, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Great story about family, culture, forgiveness and personal growth.
readingdiary's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a pleasant surprise. I knew very little of the story beforehand, but I devoured this book in two short days (which is quick for me). The plot focuses on facing your demons from your past, but it's the smooth, pleasing writing that made this such an enjoyable read for me.
kshim's review against another edition
4.0
Really, it's more like a 3.75.
I love a good book involving murder/murderers, and for a book about a woman who murdered a boy in her class as a child, I was bound to enjoy this book. I will say this book went in a different direction than I anticipated; I guess I was expecting it to be darker than it was or extra murder, but it does a great job of dealing with the complex issues of what happens to a child murderer and how much a troubled/dangerous youth can affect your future. I'm not doing a great job of explaining this book, but it was decent. A quick read, but I was easily able to put it down early in the book.
A dog doesn't bark in the distance, but does bark behind a door.
I love a good book involving murder/murderers, and for a book about a woman who murdered a boy in her class as a child, I was bound to enjoy this book. I will say this book went in a different direction than I anticipated; I guess I was expecting it to be darker than it was or extra murder, but it does a great job of dealing with the complex issues of what happens to a child murderer and how much a troubled/dangerous youth can affect your future. I'm not doing a great job of explaining this book, but it was decent. A quick read, but I was easily able to put it down early in the book.
A dog doesn't bark in the distance, but does bark behind a door.
rhamilton's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the premise and writing style of this book. But the story fell apart for me near the middle and while I liked it the end it didn’t really save it for me. It was a short book that could have been even short to be honest.
8little_paws's review against another edition
3.0
This is about a woman, who as a child murdered a classmate, and how she deals with that and her abandonment by her father when she's an adult. I liked the main moral of the story, about living a half life vs. a full one, and I thought she was interesting as a character. However, I thought the plot points didn't always seem believable.