Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Extremely well written and well translated.
I was totally invested in the unfolding of the mystery and the painting of our main characters. But there was a good amount of sexual violence shown and implied. This was difficult for me to read for this reason. I had to skip these parts and since they are heavily tied to the narrative, it made it less enjoyable.
I was totally invested in the unfolding of the mystery and the painting of our main characters. But there was a good amount of sexual violence shown and implied. This was difficult for me to read for this reason. I had to skip these parts and since they are heavily tied to the narrative, it made it less enjoyable.
Hands down my favorite fiction novel I've read this year.
Though Higashino starts the story with a murder, it's not focused on the murder investigation, but rather characters and the interconnected details of what happens after. The 19 years the novel spans covers the late '70s into the early '90s, and if you're familiar with the TV series Halt and Catch Fire, you'll appreciate the era of the first personal computers, the release of Super Mario Brothers, and the black market for video games and software, and how it ties in with the Yakuza.
I can see many readers disliking the ending because it's rather ambiguous, but not in a lazy way. Higashino hints at things throughout the novel, dropping small details and partial information, and he trusts his reader is both intelligent enough and imaginative enough to figure it out. I'm sure on a re-reading I would notice far more than I did the first time around. I also like that it doesn't end with a ridiculous "murder confesses every detail of what they did and why they did it monologue," which is always absurd and in no way realistic.
Though Higashino starts the story with a murder, it's not focused on the murder investigation, but rather characters and the interconnected details of what happens after. The 19 years the novel spans covers the late '70s into the early '90s, and if you're familiar with the TV series Halt and Catch Fire, you'll appreciate the era of the first personal computers, the release of Super Mario Brothers, and the black market for video games and software, and how it ties in with the Yakuza.
I can see many readers disliking the ending because it's rather ambiguous, but not in a lazy way. Higashino hints at things throughout the novel, dropping small details and partial information, and he trusts his reader is both intelligent enough and imaginative enough to figure it out. I'm sure on a re-reading I would notice far more than I did the first time around. I also like that it doesn't end with a ridiculous "murder confesses every detail of what they did and why they did it monologue," which is always absurd and in no way realistic.
challenging
slow-paced
『我的天空里没有太阳，总是黑夜，但并不暗，因为有东西代替了太阳。虽然没有太阳那么明亮，但对我来说已经足够。凭借着这份光，我便能把黑夜当成白天。我从来就没有太阳，所以不怕失去。』
Some of the mystery gets resolved and some remains unresolved, and this is an interesting facet of this detective novel. I think this is more of a psychological study of the main characters rather than a whodunnit. The crime is a given and is much less important than exploring the minds of the perpetrators and tracking them down.
Overall the book was very enjoyable. There was a few times the direction of the story jumped between people/places more than my liking, but its still a very good book. In regards to some of Keigo Higashino's other books I have read so far, this one is darker in tone.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow I loved this book. It started super strong and kind of lost me about 1/4 of the way in, but brought me back in 1/2 of the way and finished perfectly. This book also did the multiple perspectives and 20 years of plot super well compared to the last book I read. Completely blown away by how the author would drop little details that made me feel smart for figuring them out. I also was unprepared for how my feelings about certain character changed throughout. Really great mystery novel that earned its length.