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thereadingcat 's review for:
Newcomer
by Keigo Higashino
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"People who've been traumatised by a crime are victims, too. Finding ways to comfort them is also part of my job"
Another brilliant detective novel by Higashino Keigo, in which he shows again why the forte of his writing is in exploring the humanistic aspects of the people involved in a mystery/detective story. When a murder happens, we are all affected, and Keigo make it very clear our responsibilities to care for another and the importance of understanding one's motivation and agency in order to grasp the hollistic picture.
The novel centre around the investigation of the murder of a women who was a newcomer to Nihon-bashi Tokyo, but expand to include vignettes and stories of the different people that made up the local community which help to shed lights into all the little details found along the investigation. While there is a big overarching mystery, it is through these smaller mysteries along the way that we get a picture of the victim's life from how she interact with others and go through her day as a newcomer in a small town of Tokyo where Japanese culture are kept alive through a plethora of traditional shops. The writing is griping and easy to follow, and the characters come as complex people with agency, not just plot device to discover the mystery. While the resolution of the overarching mystery might not come until near the end of the book, the work mirrors a police investigation where progress is only made through interaction with people and understanding their motivations, struggles, hopes, and dreams. This is, in my opinion, what Keigo does best in his work, portraying the humans behind the tragedy. Highly reccomended for those looking for a detective mystery that is not too intense and instead rooted in the lived experiences of people in a community.
Another brilliant detective novel by Higashino Keigo, in which he shows again why the forte of his writing is in exploring the humanistic aspects of the people involved in a mystery/detective story. When a murder happens, we are all affected, and Keigo make it very clear our responsibilities to care for another and the importance of understanding one's motivation and agency in order to grasp the hollistic picture.
The novel centre around the investigation of the murder of a women who was a newcomer to Nihon-bashi Tokyo, but expand to include vignettes and stories of the different people that made up the local community which help to shed lights into all the little details found along the investigation. While there is a big overarching mystery, it is through these smaller mysteries along the way that we get a picture of the victim's life from how she interact with others and go through her day as a newcomer in a small town of Tokyo where Japanese culture are kept alive through a plethora of traditional shops. The writing is griping and easy to follow, and the characters come as complex people with agency, not just plot device to discover the mystery. While the resolution of the overarching mystery might not come until near the end of the book, the work mirrors a police investigation where progress is only made through interaction with people and understanding their motivations, struggles, hopes, and dreams. This is, in my opinion, what Keigo does best in his work, portraying the humans behind the tragedy. Highly reccomended for those looking for a detective mystery that is not too intense and instead rooted in the lived experiences of people in a community.