The Devotion of Suspect X, Villain, The Other Side of Paradise
I swore I wouldn't get behind this year, and look at this. I'm already lagging. I suck at New Years resolutions.
#2: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (translated by Alexander O. Smith with Elye J. Alexander)
An enjoyable if not stupendous crime story. The premise is interesting and the plot engaging.
The characters are mostly well drawn. It's not easy to write genius characters, and Higashino does a fairly good job. However, I feel that the battle of wits that the back cover promised wasn't as meaty or suspenseful as it could have been.
Some of the conclusions the cops came to felt too convenient, as if they were coming to the conclusions Higashino needed them to reach even if it wasn't logical, and since I was rooting for the killers, this frustrated me. (Yasuko killed her abusive stalker ex-husband, how else was a I supposed to feel?)
The surprises that came at the end were good and the main reason that I would up my rating. However, I wasn't satisfied with the ending. I wouldn't say that the ending was bad, but it wasn't the ending I wanted.
#3: Villain by Shuichi Yoshida (translated by Philip Gabriel)
Another crime thriller in translation by a male Japanese author. However, Villain is very different from The Devotion of Suspect X. Villain is also a larger look at modern Japanese society. However, it's a also a novel about human failings and disappointments. How we long for closeness and intimacy, but tend to miss the mark. It's a very dark book, but the vast majority of the character are sympathetic. Despite the title, no one comes of as particularly evil, except perhaps one character, who is less malicious than completely self centered, and an example of the destruction pettiness and selfishness can wreak.
All that being said, the book never completely drew me in, and I was sometimes frustrated by the characters. Also, I felt that Yoshida was a little too willing to excuse the murderer.
The best parts of the book occurred late in the text, with the father of the murdered girl trying to come to terms with her death. These bits were evocative and heart wrenching, and I wish the whole novel hard been written with that power.
#4: The Other Side of Paradise: a Memoir by Staceyann Chin
After three books in a row all by male Japanese authors clearly some variety was needed.
The Other Side of Paradise is a magnificent work. At turns touching, tragic, and enraging, Chin lays all her cards on the table and offers the truth of her life. Growing up poor and female in Jamaica, Chin shows us a world of both frightening brutality and life saving love. Through it all, Chin stays true to herself, from exerting her childhood independence in the face of judgmental adults, to her insistence on being openly queer in a violently homophobic environment. I recommend this book wholeheartedly and without a second of hesitation.
#2: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (translated by Alexander O. Smith with Elye J. Alexander)
An enjoyable if not stupendous crime story. The premise is interesting and the plot engaging.
The characters are mostly well drawn. It's not easy to write genius characters, and Higashino does a fairly good job. However, I feel that the battle of wits that the back cover promised wasn't as meaty or suspenseful as it could have been.
Some of the conclusions the cops came to felt too convenient, as if they were coming to the conclusions Higashino needed them to reach even if it wasn't logical, and since I was rooting for the killers, this frustrated me. (Yasuko killed her abusive stalker ex-husband, how else was a I supposed to feel?)
The surprises that came at the end were good and the main reason that I would up my rating. However, I wasn't satisfied with the ending. I wouldn't say that the ending was bad, but it wasn't the ending I wanted.
#3: Villain by Shuichi Yoshida (translated by Philip Gabriel)
Another crime thriller in translation by a male Japanese author. However, Villain is very different from The Devotion of Suspect X. Villain is also a larger look at modern Japanese society. However, it's a also a novel about human failings and disappointments. How we long for closeness and intimacy, but tend to miss the mark. It's a very dark book, but the vast majority of the character are sympathetic. Despite the title, no one comes of as particularly evil, except perhaps one character, who is less malicious than completely self centered, and an example of the destruction pettiness and selfishness can wreak.
All that being said, the book never completely drew me in, and I was sometimes frustrated by the characters. Also, I felt that Yoshida was a little too willing to excuse the murderer.
The best parts of the book occurred late in the text, with the father of the murdered girl trying to come to terms with her death. These bits were evocative and heart wrenching, and I wish the whole novel hard been written with that power.
#4: The Other Side of Paradise: a Memoir by Staceyann Chin
After three books in a row all by male Japanese authors clearly some variety was needed.
The Other Side of Paradise is a magnificent work. At turns touching, tragic, and enraging, Chin lays all her cards on the table and offers the truth of her life. Growing up poor and female in Jamaica, Chin shows us a world of both frightening brutality and life saving love. Through it all, Chin stays true to herself, from exerting her childhood independence in the face of judgmental adults, to her insistence on being openly queer in a violently homophobic environment. I recommend this book wholeheartedly and without a second of hesitation.