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bookish_sabrina's review against another edition
3.0
The main takeaways of this book are the dangers of credit card debt.
ginpomelo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is in the "social malaise" school of Japanese mystery, although it is nowhere near as dark as Natsuo Kirino. You wouldn't think that credit card fees can be compelling as a plot device but it is.
kimmym's review against another edition
3.0
(From www.pingwings.ca)
Cover image and summary from Goodreads:
This was a novel that, despite its at-times slow pace, I managed to read quite quickly.
I was intrigued by the story because I haven’t read much Japanese literature, and I’d heard that this was a great novel that won some awards in Japan when it was published. I think I was expecting a twistier, fast-paced mystery, but I liked the way this story unfolded and its examination of credit and consumer cultures (and although this was written in 1992, I think much of that is still relevant here today).
I was disappointed with the way the story ended. It felt too sudden, or unfinished, and left me with a lot of questions.
Overall, this was definitely an interesting read, but it didn’t grip me, nor did the characters make a strong impression on me. There was something to the story and the writing, though, that kept me reading even when the plot itself wasn’t quite holding my interest. Recommended.
Cover image and summary from Goodreads:
Here is a deftly written thriller that is also a “deep and moody” (New York Times Book Review) journey through the dark side of Japan’s consumer-crazed society. Ordinary people plunge into insurmountable, personal debt and fall prey to dangerous webs of underground creditors — so dangerous, in fact, that murder may be the only way out. A beautiful young woman vanishes, and the detective quickly finds she is not whom she claimed to be. Is she a victim, a killer, or both? In a country that tracks its citizens at every turn, how can two women claim the same identity and then disappear without a trace?
This was a novel that, despite its at-times slow pace, I managed to read quite quickly.
I was intrigued by the story because I haven’t read much Japanese literature, and I’d heard that this was a great novel that won some awards in Japan when it was published. I think I was expecting a twistier, fast-paced mystery, but I liked the way this story unfolded and its examination of credit and consumer cultures (and although this was written in 1992, I think much of that is still relevant here today).
I was disappointed with the way the story ended. It felt too sudden, or unfinished, and left me with a lot of questions.
Overall, this was definitely an interesting read, but it didn’t grip me, nor did the characters make a strong impression on me. There was something to the story and the writing, though, that kept me reading even when the plot itself wasn’t quite holding my interest. Recommended.
davramlocke's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very slow burn for me, but I ended up finishing the last half of the book in one, sporadically interrupted, reading session because it really comes into its own in the back half. By the end, I was completely engrossed and the ending itself is one of the strangest ways I've ever seen a mystery end.
nicolewolverton's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't enjoy the beginning, but from the middle on were quite well-plotted. I hated the ending, though.
gottabekb's review against another edition
4.0
Once I got into the last half of the book, I could not put it down!
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