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adrien's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
ezrasupremacy's review against another edition
4.0
this is the third ryū murakami book i’ve started (and the second one i finished). i liked it significantly more than i liked “in the miso soup”, which i thought was “pretty good”.
this book, however, was amazing. i went into this only knowing “guy wants to pierce his baby with an ice pick”, and everything else was complete news to me as i was reading.
my favourite part of this book was probably the characters’ background informing their current decisions. i feel like often when you read this kind of book — where someone acts “insane” and wants to do “bad” things — it’s just portrayed as somewhat of a given that the character is simply bad, or their backstory is just “bad childhood” and an oedipus or electra complex, and it’s not explored much further than that, with the focus being foremost on their current “bad” actions. while this book also used the same trope, it actually explored the mental health issues that underlie these kinds of thoughts and behaviours in a rather complex and well-done way (i say as someone who has no personal experience with these illnesses, so take it with a grain of salt).
both of the central characters felt well fleshed out and complex despite the book being pretty short, which to me marks a good writer. anyone can make a character feel real in 500+ pages, but to get you to understand a character in less than 200 pages takes real skill in my opinion.
i also liked the open ending, because the story just felt done, and any information of what happened after the events of the book would’ve just been unnecessary filler. this book decided to make a point and then went straight to it.
i would absolutely love to go into more detail regarding these two central characters and what made them who they are and how it is all connected, because it’s definitely something i’m going to think about for some time still, but unfortunately i have again slept a grand total of zero (0) hour and do not think that i’m going to add anything groundbreaking to the conversation.
either way; this has definitely motivated me to give coinlocker babies another go (which i had previously abandoned at about 10% early last year) and i’m definitely also going to look into some of his other works.
this book, however, was amazing. i went into this only knowing “guy wants to pierce his baby with an ice pick”, and everything else was complete news to me as i was reading.
my favourite part of this book was probably the characters’ background informing their current decisions. i feel like often when you read this kind of book — where someone acts “insane” and wants to do “bad” things — it’s just portrayed as somewhat of a given that the character is simply bad, or their backstory is just “bad childhood” and an oedipus or electra complex, and it’s not explored much further than that, with the focus being foremost on their current “bad” actions. while this book also used the same trope, it actually explored the mental health issues that underlie these kinds of thoughts and behaviours in a rather complex and well-done way (i say as someone who has no personal experience with these illnesses, so take it with a grain of salt).
both of the central characters felt well fleshed out and complex despite the book being pretty short, which to me marks a good writer. anyone can make a character feel real in 500+ pages, but to get you to understand a character in less than 200 pages takes real skill in my opinion.
i also liked the open ending, because the story just felt done, and any information of what happened after the events of the book would’ve just been unnecessary filler. this book decided to make a point and then went straight to it.
i would absolutely love to go into more detail regarding these two central characters and what made them who they are and how it is all connected, because it’s definitely something i’m going to think about for some time still, but unfortunately i have again slept a grand total of zero (0) hour and do not think that i’m going to add anything groundbreaking to the conversation.
either way; this has definitely motivated me to give coinlocker babies another go (which i had previously abandoned at about 10% early last year) and i’m definitely also going to look into some of his other works.
thegreatgabby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lunoodles's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
reli's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
moonlitface's review against another edition
4.0
Novel pendek tentang Kawashima Masayuki yang suatu hari punya keinginan menggebu-gebu untuk menusuk anak perempuannya dengan pemecah es; dia sampai mengalami reaksi fisik karena hal ini. Untuk mencegahnya melakukan hal tersebut, Kawashima mencari orang lain untuk menggantikan posisi anaknya dan menemukan Sanada Chiaki.
Novel ini mengangkat topik child abuse dan gory brutal. Sangat disarankan buat cek trigger warnings dulu sebelum baca.
Karakter di sini sangat sedikit dan premisnya juga simpel, tapi aku suka gimana penulis bikin plotnya tetap jalan dengan sebagai pemicunya. Baik cerita maupun karakternya bisa dibilang “gila”, tapi yang kusuka adalah tiap karakter ada backstory-nya (dan cukup kelam). Aku juga cukup suka sama characters dynamic antara Chiaki dan Masayuki; lawan api dengan api, I guess....
Ending-nya nggak menyajikan penyelesaian, tapi aku juga nggak punya ekspektasi tertentu akan buku ini, jadi selama baca juga ngalir aja (walaupun beberapa kali ngerasa nggak nyaman karena triggering aspects-nya).
⭐ 4/5
Novel ini mengangkat topik child abuse dan gory brutal. Sangat disarankan buat cek trigger warnings dulu sebelum baca.
Karakter di sini sangat sedikit dan premisnya juga simpel, tapi aku suka gimana penulis bikin plotnya tetap jalan dengan
Spoiler
miskomunikasi/misinterpretasi antar kedua tokoh utamaEnding-nya nggak menyajikan penyelesaian, tapi aku juga nggak punya ekspektasi tertentu akan buku ini, jadi selama baca juga ngalir aja (walaupun beberapa kali ngerasa nggak nyaman karena triggering aspects-nya).
⭐ 4/5
rkragsdale's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i really enjoyed this read although i did think it was going to be a bit more gorey. once I realized it was less slasher and more psychological it really really grew on me. the characters are insane but i kind of love them ? they are NOT loveable. they need sever psychiatric help. but i love them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicide, and Torture
lots of spoilers. but u should probably already know that.