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dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Malice is a modern detective fiction story that uses the power of perspective and character to weave a winding and dark tale. One subtheme that I am enjoying in Japanese fiction is how they respond and condemn to the societal problem of bullying in school. The most notable condemnation might be Kawakami's Heaven with its brutal depiction of the dehumanizing nature of bullying in Japanese schools but anime like Silent Voice and other also use bullying and its damage and rectification as central to its story. Kor-Eda's wonderful film Monster also uses bullying and perspective to build narrative twists and turns. In Malice, the author correlates the malice used in murder to the basic evil malice that can often drive bullying ... an insight that becomes critical in the plot. It's a bit heavy on the police procedural/interview as a narrative progression, but it is a fascinating use of perspective and motive to guide a murderous tale. 3.75 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse
dark
mysterious
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
This was such an interesting read for me. Less of a ‘whodunit’ and more of a ‘why-done-it’, as the murderer is identified fairly early, the author does a great job of taking a blurry image of what the reader thinks has happened and why and bringing it slowly into focus. Mostly through the dogged determination of the detective and through the eyes of the murderer, whose real ‘motivation’, if one could even call it that, is chilling in its simplicity.
Told in a refreshing “plain” style—by plain, I don’t mean unskilled, but unencumbered by the flowery prose some authors use when writing a mystery—I found this book to be highly readable. Neither face-paced nor action-packed, it unravels slowly, like a ball of yarn being untangled in front of you, and while you know the shape, texture, and color of it, you’re still somewhat surprised by the end result. Surprised and, I have to admit, satisfied because who doesn’t love it when a bad guy gets his comeuppance?
All that said, I have to admit that I think there was something of the story lost in translation, and by that, I don’t mean the translation was bad, but that there were, possibly, nuances lost through the process. I could be wrong, of course, and this is all down to the author’s style of writing—this was my first read by them—but it felt like the emotion behind the writing was muted and I wasn’t sure if that was because of the author themselves or the translators.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Malice mampu mengejutkanku dengan plot twist yang tidak terduga!
Buku ini jauh dari sekadar novel misteri pembunuhan sederhana.
Menemukan pelakunya bisa dibilang cukup mudah; tantangannya adalah mencari tahu motif kejahatannya, yang membuat cerita ini tidak seperti cerita detektif misteri pada umumnya.
Aku semakin tertarik dengan buku ini, terutama ketika pelaku menolak untuk mengaku, yang membuat Detektif Kaga harus menemukan alasan sebenarnya sendiri.
Tapi harus diakui, membaca dari sudut pandang Detektif Kaga cukup menantang.
Di bab terakhir, ketika kebenaran terungkap, aku harus membaca beberapa baris berulang kali untuk memahami apa yang dia bicarakan karena cara berpikirnya yang begitu kompleks dan rinci.
Malice mengeksplorasi beberapa tema yang memicu pemikiran, seperti kecemburuan, bullying, dan pentingnya berpikir kritis seperti yang dilakukan Detektif Kaga.
Meskipun temponya kadang-kadang bisa lambat di beberapa bagian, Malice adalah novel misteri yang ditulis dengan baik dengan alur cerita yang menarik dan karakter yang kompleks dengan kepribadian yang rumit.
⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Bullying, pembunuhan, kematian hewan, pemerkosaan, kekerasan seksual, sekilas menyebut perselingkuhan, kecelakaan mobil, bunuh diri
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Car accident
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder
Moderate: Rape