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sanmeow's review
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i had high hopes, unfortunately. since this is labeled a mystery, i thought that i surely wouldn't predict the 'twist' instantly. but i did. and it's not just me, i truly think a lot of people would. that just took away from the story massively, along with the fact that the main character is surprisingly boring. some good commentary on society and its norms. i do like the writing style, but i don't think it really fits the whole mystery / psychological thriller genre. the reason why i liked it is the fact that i knew the twist right away so there was no mystery for me anyway. i would perhaps read more from the author, but not this genre.
feainnewedd's review
3.0
At first I wasn't sure how to feel about A Quiet Place by Seichou Matsumoto, but I've come to realize that this novel is not so much a crime thriller as a psychological study of obsessive curiosity, suspicion, guilt, and paranoia, and Matsumoto does a great job of taking us inside the lead character Asai's head. He drums up the intensity from 10, then 50, then all the way to 100, sustains that through the last third of the novel, then, suddenly, the end.
Rating it 3/5 because I found it convenient that all of Asai's conclusions were 100% right on the mark. Felt more like deus ex machina than something believable.
Rating it 3/5 because I found it convenient that all of Asai's conclusions were 100% right on the mark. Felt more like deus ex machina than something believable.
indukisreading's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
paul_cornelius's review
4.0
For the most part, A Quiet Place is a not so subtle criticism of Japanese officialdom and bureaucracy. It centers on the story of an agricultural civil servant, Tsuneo Asai, a man in a loveless marriage whose only obsession is his work. The sudden death of his wife causes his world to crumble, albeit not in the way a normal person might imagine. Instead, Asai's world dissolves into a mania to restore his honor and, when that fails, to escape from the career threatening consequences of his once grand scheme.
There is an inevitability to this story from the very first. It plays out exactly as most readers will expect it to. So from the standpoint of a pure mystery, A Quiet Place will not meet most expectations. In place of them, comes the portrayal of a man undergoing a mental breakdown, all caused explicitly by the crushing oppression of the social system he lives within. Even the very last "quiet place," the one within his own soul, is no escape. Nothing is there to save him. And not all his plotting can reverse things. Asai outsmarts and condemns himself to his own punishment.
This novel is not quite as good as the other Matsumoto I have just finished, Inspector Imanishi Investigates. Part of the problem may be the translation. A Quiet Place is often ragged, especially in transitions between paragraphs. And there is quite bit of unnecessary repetition. Sometimes, a translator needs to take the knife to the original material, and I fear this particular one lacked the will to do so, here. Inspector Imanishi, on the other hand, not only flowed smoothly but seemed to capture more of the subtle mannerisms of Japanese conversation and commentary. For that reason alone, I think Imanishi is the better work. But both novels are well worth the time to explore their world of haunting crimes and murders.
There is an inevitability to this story from the very first. It plays out exactly as most readers will expect it to. So from the standpoint of a pure mystery, A Quiet Place will not meet most expectations. In place of them, comes the portrayal of a man undergoing a mental breakdown, all caused explicitly by the crushing oppression of the social system he lives within. Even the very last "quiet place," the one within his own soul, is no escape. Nothing is there to save him. And not all his plotting can reverse things. Asai outsmarts and condemns himself to his own punishment.
This novel is not quite as good as the other Matsumoto I have just finished, Inspector Imanishi Investigates. Part of the problem may be the translation. A Quiet Place is often ragged, especially in transitions between paragraphs. And there is quite bit of unnecessary repetition. Sometimes, a translator needs to take the knife to the original material, and I fear this particular one lacked the will to do so, here. Inspector Imanishi, on the other hand, not only flowed smoothly but seemed to capture more of the subtle mannerisms of Japanese conversation and commentary. For that reason alone, I think Imanishi is the better work. But both novels are well worth the time to explore their world of haunting crimes and murders.
bosstweed's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book really took a turn and was not what I initially thought it would be, although that is likely a fault of my own expectations. The mystery, while intriguing and not necessarily boring felt deceptively simple. I also felt that the portrayal of women was problematic and misogynistic. The book could’ve taken a much more interesting turn with the mystery, and have taken a much more critical look at how women are treated in society yet only contributed to that harmful treatment.
staticdisplay's review
4.0
I read this in one day, because I had to sit and wait a lot today. this was a great way to occupy my time. the writing is very functional and matter-of-fact; I'm not sure how much of that is the translation. Asai was hardly a character, an ambitious business man with no personal life who only realizes how little he knew his wife after she dies. while this is a mystery, it's also a social commentary. the delicate social interactions, the behind-the-scenes deal-making, the sense that everyone is trying to follow a script..... I really liked how the perspective changed at the very end. I was not at all prepared for where the story went.
abisummers's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder