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mysterious
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall I enjoyed this. I think it helped going in that other readers had told me it's not really a crime/mystery story. If you're expecting a psychological thriller unravelling the mind of a serial killer you're probably going to be frustrated.
You get that to a degree, and the book certainly makes use of the trappings of that sort of story, but this is really about gender roles and expectations placed on women and entrenched societal misogyny.
Throughout the book characters criticise women (and girls) for their weight, appearance, sense of propriety, domestic skills, sense of duty towards men and other factors. Many of these are bound up in Kajii, our convicted killer(?), who by turns embraces and rejects these standards.
There's also a strong thread of the guilt felt by a woman for not doing enough for a man. That men's behaviours can be blamed on women not being sufficiently attentive or subservient.
The sense that there will be a shocking reveal gets a little annoying as the book goes on. Not to say there aren't revelations but tension is built at times to be released almost instantly.
There are also some threads that feel particularly Japanese, a couple who are reluctant to have sex because they feel so much like family reminded me of the most recent Sayaka Murata. And an adult man's 'support' of a 14yo pop idol (and subsequent criticism of her weight gain) feels pretty icky.
I enjoyed the read, some of the food passages are mouthwatering, it would certainly be a qualified recommendation and I wish it was ~50 pages shorter.
You get that to a degree, and the book certainly makes use of the trappings of that sort of story, but this is really about gender roles and expectations placed on women and entrenched societal misogyny.
Throughout the book characters criticise women (and girls) for their weight, appearance, sense of propriety, domestic skills, sense of duty towards men and other factors. Many of these are bound up in Kajii, our convicted killer(?), who by turns embraces and rejects these standards.
There's also a strong thread of the guilt felt by a woman for not doing enough for a man. That men's behaviours can be blamed on women not being sufficiently attentive or subservient.
The sense that there will be a shocking reveal gets a little annoying as the book goes on. Not to say there aren't revelations but tension is built at times to be released almost instantly.
There are also some threads that feel particularly Japanese, a couple who are reluctant to have sex because they feel so much like family reminded me of the most recent Sayaka Murata. And an adult man's 'support' of a 14yo pop idol (and subsequent criticism of her weight gain) feels pretty icky.
I enjoyed the read, some of the food passages are mouthwatering, it would certainly be a qualified recommendation and I wish it was ~50 pages shorter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny
Minor: Infertility