A review by stories_of_the_soul27
Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book made me feel a lot of things. Firstly I really like a story where antagonists are the main characters. Secondly so much of this book was tragic. Thirdly I was very angry at the said antagonists.
Keigo Higashino thinks a lot while coming up with a story and to me this book felt like the darkest one he has written so far. The acts being committed throws so much light on the two antagonists that you are left to wonder about all the little details the author has mentioned about these two. 
I can’t help being angry and sad at the same time. It was how Sasagaki described them as : full blown deadly poisonous flowers who should have been nipped at the bud. And this makes me think about how Higashino sensei portrays crimes in his book, about how each crime has a deep backstory to it and that pushes people to the edge and often times it just keeps pushing people to be the nastiest version of themselves and mostly about how the effect of a single crime isn’t limited to just one person but ends up engulfing a lot more people on the way.
I don’t know what genre to call this book specifically; is it a thriller or mystery or detective one. But what I can say is that, it most definitely is a great book to study the psychology of two people. So much of what happens in this book ( and I tell you that a lot of things happen ) throws so much of light on their characters and it’s brilliant the way it is done. Ryo and Yukiho’s minds are twisted and dark. They were the smartest, the cruelest and the most cunning. It felt like they did it all for the sake of love, guilt, having everything after so much was robbed from them but mostly because maybe they wanted to take a long walk under the real sun. 


P.S.: However I am still left here wondering who among them was the goby and shrimp. And just a few snippets of their conversation with each other was needed because honestly I want to know more about them.
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