A review by willwork4airfare
Last Winter We Parted by Fuminori Nakamura

2.0

So, I did not love it. There were parts that were so thrilling and exciting to read, the crime and the mystery really had many layers and it was interesting to sift through them all, but it had many flaws. I know it was a translation, so I can forgive the writing style, but at times it was difficult to tell exactly who was talking, and that didn't help the clarity of the piece at all. I really didn't enjoy the gratuitous violence towards women. Even if it's typical for the genre, it was just difficult to read at some points, especially with such flat characters. It's short and sweet and I can imagine a lot of people really enjoyed this story, but I had a hard time connecting with it and in the end, I don't think the "twist" was pulled off as effectively as it could've been.

I read this as part of my Japanese author/setting kick in preparation for an upcoming trip I hope to take!