Four girls in a small Japanese town are playing in a schoolyard when a stranger lures one of them, Emily, into a building and murders her. None of the four can describe the killer. Emily's mother Asako tells the other girls she will not forgive them unless they find the murderer or atone in a way that satisfies her. Told in monologues by each of the girls and later Asako, the story shows how this demand shapes their lives over the next fifteen years.
Kanae Minato's novel works as a mystery and also as a portrait of guilt, grief, and revenge. It suits readers of Japanese crime fiction who enjoy rotating narrators, dark psychology, and answers that arrive piece by piece.
Thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2009
- Language
- EN
