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kikicochrane's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This novel surprised me in ways that I cannot delve into in a review without spoiling the content of the storyline. The format of the story reminded me heavily of when I would participate in one on one roleplay stories with other people online with the overall progression of the story continuing by each reply. This was a nostalgic part of the reading experience and I enjoyed the back and forth between Hiro and Aki's thoughts, feelings and statements progressed during the course of the evening.
This is a quick read if you are interested in psychological thrillers.
This is a quick read if you are interested in psychological thrillers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Violence
miriameckl's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
shelfofunread's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Having read and enjoyed The Aosawa Murders, I was pleased to learn that Bitter Lemon Press had arranged for a second of Riku Onda’s novels to be translated into English. And, as with its predecessor, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is somewhat unconventional in its structure and premise.
Told over the course of one night, the novel follows Aki and Hiro, who have decided to spend one last night together in their shared flat before going their separate ways. Over the course of a shared meal and some drinks, they confront each other about the tragic death of their mountain guide during a trekking holiday the year before. Each person is convinced that the other must have murdered the guide. But how did they do it? And why? As the night grows longer, Aki and Hiro become involved in a battle of wills that gradually reveals a series of shocking – and unexpected – truths.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is a very difficult book to review because to say anything further about the plot or the characters is to risk venturing into spoiler territory. And given the skill with which Riku Onda casually drops revelatory bombshells into this novel, that would be a great shame. What I can say is that the narrative, despite being told in a languid prose style, had me absolutely hooked and took several unexpected but satisfying turns along the way to its resolution.
Alternating between the perspectives of Aki and Hiro, the reader is gradually absorbed into the story of these two individuals, the connections between them, and the mystery about what happened on that ill-fated walking holiday. Along the way, the couple must both confront long-buried secrets, difficult truths, and suppressed desires: about themselves, about each other, and about the relationship between them.
Although told in languid, dream-like manner, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight does not shy away from confronting the darker aspects of human psychology and readers should be aware that the novel makes mention of or reference to suicidal thoughts, suicide, child death, and the death of a parent. The central relationship is also one of unhealthy dependence and obsession that gives the entire novel an unsettling air of menace and oppression that contrasts sharply with the poetry of Alison Watts’ translation.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is billed as a psychological thriller and, although I can see why it has been assigned that label, for me it’s a novel that resists such easy categorisation. Whilst the novel’s primary concern is the psychology of it’s protagonists – and the battle of wills between them is, at times, thrilling – the book is more than the sum of its parts. The central mystery of what happened to the mountain guide is, over the course of the novel, supplemented with several other mysteries about the exact nature of the relationship between Aki and Hiro, as well as about the accuracy (or otherwise) of their shared memories of the past.
As with The Aosawa Murders, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight probably won’t be for everyone. It requires a little more effort than the average thriller and, as with its predecessor, refuses to tie up all of its threads into a neat and tidy bow. For those prepared to expend a little more effort, however, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight a suspenseful, unsettling and satisfying psychological read.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the Blog Tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Told over the course of one night, the novel follows Aki and Hiro, who have decided to spend one last night together in their shared flat before going their separate ways. Over the course of a shared meal and some drinks, they confront each other about the tragic death of their mountain guide during a trekking holiday the year before. Each person is convinced that the other must have murdered the guide. But how did they do it? And why? As the night grows longer, Aki and Hiro become involved in a battle of wills that gradually reveals a series of shocking – and unexpected – truths.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is a very difficult book to review because to say anything further about the plot or the characters is to risk venturing into spoiler territory. And given the skill with which Riku Onda casually drops revelatory bombshells into this novel, that would be a great shame. What I can say is that the narrative, despite being told in a languid prose style, had me absolutely hooked and took several unexpected but satisfying turns along the way to its resolution.
Alternating between the perspectives of Aki and Hiro, the reader is gradually absorbed into the story of these two individuals, the connections between them, and the mystery about what happened on that ill-fated walking holiday. Along the way, the couple must both confront long-buried secrets, difficult truths, and suppressed desires: about themselves, about each other, and about the relationship between them.
Although told in languid, dream-like manner, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight does not shy away from confronting the darker aspects of human psychology and readers should be aware that the novel makes mention of or reference to suicidal thoughts, suicide, child death, and the death of a parent. The central relationship is also one of unhealthy dependence and obsession that gives the entire novel an unsettling air of menace and oppression that contrasts sharply with the poetry of Alison Watts’ translation.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is billed as a psychological thriller and, although I can see why it has been assigned that label, for me it’s a novel that resists such easy categorisation. Whilst the novel’s primary concern is the psychology of it’s protagonists – and the battle of wills between them is, at times, thrilling – the book is more than the sum of its parts. The central mystery of what happened to the mountain guide is, over the course of the novel, supplemented with several other mysteries about the exact nature of the relationship between Aki and Hiro, as well as about the accuracy (or otherwise) of their shared memories of the past.
As with The Aosawa Murders, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight probably won’t be for everyone. It requires a little more effort than the average thriller and, as with its predecessor, refuses to tie up all of its threads into a neat and tidy bow. For those prepared to expend a little more effort, however, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight a suspenseful, unsettling and satisfying psychological read.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the Blog Tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Child death
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