Confessions

ETA: Naoki's mother is the ultimate Boy Mom.

I have no criticisms for this book or the translator. Although the format was an issue for some, I really enjoyed seeing the same story from 6 different POV's. Each new POV added a new layer of understanding. Each narrator was unreliable in their own way, and only once we got to the POV of the people discussed did we have the full picture, only to be completed by the final POV.

The themes in this book were presented outstandingly. The cycle of life, in a way. How each action from each person led to the main crime, and how everyone was intertwined. Every single person helped perpetuate the cycle of abuse, each of them turning into the thing they disavowed. Each little detail interspersed throughout the story ended up being important, from a baseball to a name. I was fascinated by each person, although they weren't all likable. And they weren't supposed to be.

This was a much better delve into the human psyche than books written by legitimate psychologists. A lot of thought was put into this story, and I was not disappointed by any of it. I enjoyed the style, the format, the story itself. I found myself being manipulated in the same way some characters were, and questioning my idea of justice.

I do feel like you need at least the barest knowledge of Japanese culture and society to fully comprehend the book. If you are not aware of the culture around studying and working yourself into the ground, some of this will not hit as hard as it could. The author does an excellent job of describing Hikikomori, as well as how important reputation is in Japan. It may also help to look up the Japanese school year, or the dates/months may confuse you.

First five star read of the year. I was so impressed that I stopped at B&N 40 pages in and picked up her other translated work, Penance.

Highly recommend. Also, keep an open mind for the style and format.

Very well written. Very messed up.

Psychological thriller on revenge, guilt, and morality through multiple narrators.

I like that it was a quick read and the ending wasn’t what was expected. Just when you thought you knew what was happening, there would be a twist.

I had been anticipating this book for many months now and finally got my hands on it. I must say..this was a so-so read for me - meh. It did not live up to its expectations. I hated having to figure out who was being talked about as the author kept calling people by so many different names, but aside from that, the redundancy was getting frustrating. I know we are seeing different people's perspective in each chapter, but reading the same thing over and over could have been avoided. The paragraphs were so dense, by the time I was halfway through a chapter, I was getting bored. This book is pretty small and it took me all day to get through it.