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The Aosawa Murders
The novel starts in the 1960s when 17 people die of cyanide poisoning at a party given by the owners of a prominent clinic in a town on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer's, and the physician's bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only person spared injury. The youth who emerges as the prime suspect commits suicide that October, effectively sealing his guilt while consigning his motives to mystery.
The police are convinced Hisako had a role in the crime, as are many in the town, including the author of a bestselling book about the murders written a decade after the incident, who was herself a childhood friend of Hisako’s and witness to the discovery of the killings. The truth is revealed through a skillful juggling of testimony by different voices: family members, witnesses and neighbors, police investigators and of course the mesmerizing Hisako herself.
The police are convinced Hisako had a role in the crime, as are many in the town, including the author of a bestselling book about the murders written a decade after the incident, who was herself a childhood friend of Hisako’s and witness to the discovery of the killings. The truth is revealed through a skillful juggling of testimony by different voices: family members, witnesses and neighbors, police investigators and of course the mesmerizing Hisako herself.
315 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2005
About the author
Riku Onda
125 books202 followersRiku Onda (Japanese name: 恩田 陸), born in 1964, is the professional name of Nanae Kumagai. She has been writing fiction since 1991 and has won the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers, the Japan Booksellers' Award, the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel for The Aosawa Murders, the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize, and the Naoki Prize. Her work has been adapted for film and television. The Aosawa Murders was her first crime novel and the first time she was translated into English. It was selected by The New York Times as a Notable Book of 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 836 reviews
October 13, 2021
Update Bitter Lemon Press will release Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight next summer 16-June-22 (UK) | 26-July-22 (US). Pre-order here: https://www.bitterlemonpress.com/prod...
The Aosawa Murders, originally published in 2005 under the title Eugenia, is Riku Onda’s English-language debut and her first crime novel. She’s been writing since 1991, however, so this novel isn’t the product of a novice author.
Some time in the 1970s, in a city on the coast of the Sea of Japan, a respected physician hosts a birthday party on an unusually hot afternoon. Seventeen guests, including several children, are poisoned by cyanide-laced beverages. All but one guest who consume the beverages – a long-time housekeeper -- die. The sole family member to survive the massacre is Hisako, a blind daughter of the host. Notwithstanding the heat, she doesn’t drink a beverage and, further, she sits calmly in an armchair in the living room as the guests drink, then promptly die agonizing deaths, in her presence. Several months after the murders, a young man with no connection to the family commits suicide, leaving behind a written confession. The police close the case, but no one believes that the case is solved, and community suspicion centers on Hisako, as the decades pass.
What is fresh and brilliant about this novel is Onda’s choice to tell her story by presenting a series of monologues, most of which are captured years after the core crime. Each chapter presents the perspective of one of a dozen or so characters with close or tenuous links to the tragedy. Each character shares his or her recollections and thoughts in response to the questions of an unseen, unidentified interviewer. The questions aren’t shared with the reader. The sheer number of characters, the order in which Onda presents them and links them, is masterful. There’s just the right amount of grey to go around, and the fall-out continues as the story unfolds.
Each character’s voice is remarkably different, and the fact that each chapter shifts perspective requires the reader to pay far more close attention than one might with a straightforward narrative. That close reading is mere table stakes. Onda’s approach serves to keep the reader unbalanced, uncertain, uneasy. Particularly in the first several chapters, the lack of context or introduction to each character may frustrate a reader accustomed to genre fiction that, for example, labels chapters by character, but what Onda offers instead is a consistent narrative obscured by a light fog. The result is a pervasive sense that one has failed to make a connection or notice a key factor. And then it ends, with a dark, incomplete explanation, because that’s far more tantalizing and believable than the detailed, check-off-all-unknowns reveal some authors offer.
So why 4 stars? Something didn’t feel entirely right to me about the early tagging of Hisako as the responsible party. Onda wants to tell a “why” mystery rather than a “who,” and she delivers against that in spades. But I kept fighting against accepting that Hisako had the scarlet M on her forehead for murderer because it seemed somehow too neat and not entirely supported by the narrative I was given. I can’t tell you what’s missing, but that missing ingredient renders Aosawa Murders a strong and intriguing 4-star read and not quite a 5. What is present, though, is well worth prioritizing amongst your 2020 reads. If you’re a Japanese literature or mystery fan, move it to the top of your list ASAP. Plus - that cover. That cover is gorgeous.
Thanks to Bitter Lemon Press, one of my favorite indie presses and one of the most consistent sources for interesting translated fiction by women authors. They should be getting your book dollars if you’re wanting to see more #WomenInTranslation.
And, yes, I received a free e-copy of Aosawa Murders from BLP and Edelweiss+.
The Aosawa Murders, originally published in 2005 under the title Eugenia, is Riku Onda’s English-language debut and her first crime novel. She’s been writing since 1991, however, so this novel isn’t the product of a novice author.
Some time in the 1970s, in a city on the coast of the Sea of Japan, a respected physician hosts a birthday party on an unusually hot afternoon. Seventeen guests, including several children, are poisoned by cyanide-laced beverages. All but one guest who consume the beverages – a long-time housekeeper -- die. The sole family member to survive the massacre is Hisako, a blind daughter of the host. Notwithstanding the heat, she doesn’t drink a beverage and, further, she sits calmly in an armchair in the living room as the guests drink, then promptly die agonizing deaths, in her presence. Several months after the murders, a young man with no connection to the family commits suicide, leaving behind a written confession. The police close the case, but no one believes that the case is solved, and community suspicion centers on Hisako, as the decades pass.
What is fresh and brilliant about this novel is Onda’s choice to tell her story by presenting a series of monologues, most of which are captured years after the core crime. Each chapter presents the perspective of one of a dozen or so characters with close or tenuous links to the tragedy. Each character shares his or her recollections and thoughts in response to the questions of an unseen, unidentified interviewer. The questions aren’t shared with the reader. The sheer number of characters, the order in which Onda presents them and links them, is masterful. There’s just the right amount of grey to go around, and the fall-out continues as the story unfolds.
Each character’s voice is remarkably different, and the fact that each chapter shifts perspective requires the reader to pay far more close attention than one might with a straightforward narrative. That close reading is mere table stakes. Onda’s approach serves to keep the reader unbalanced, uncertain, uneasy. Particularly in the first several chapters, the lack of context or introduction to each character may frustrate a reader accustomed to genre fiction that, for example, labels chapters by character, but what Onda offers instead is a consistent narrative obscured by a light fog. The result is a pervasive sense that one has failed to make a connection or notice a key factor. And then it ends, with a dark, incomplete explanation, because that’s far more tantalizing and believable than the detailed, check-off-all-unknowns reveal some authors offer.
So why 4 stars? Something didn’t feel entirely right to me about the early tagging of Hisako as the responsible party. Onda wants to tell a “why” mystery rather than a “who,” and she delivers against that in spades. But I kept fighting against accepting that Hisako had the scarlet M on her forehead for murderer because it seemed somehow too neat and not entirely supported by the narrative I was given. I can’t tell you what’s missing, but that missing ingredient renders Aosawa Murders a strong and intriguing 4-star read and not quite a 5. What is present, though, is well worth prioritizing amongst your 2020 reads. If you’re a Japanese literature or mystery fan, move it to the top of your list ASAP. Plus - that cover. That cover is gorgeous.
Thanks to Bitter Lemon Press, one of my favorite indie presses and one of the most consistent sources for interesting translated fiction by women authors. They should be getting your book dollars if you’re wanting to see more #WomenInTranslation.
And, yes, I received a free e-copy of Aosawa Murders from BLP and Edelweiss+.
August 4, 2020
The Aosawa Murders by by Riku Onda, Alison Watts (Translator) is a 2020 Bitter Lemon Press publication.
This Japanese mystery is certainly perplexing, with an interesting and unique presentation of the facts. Unfortunately, I had a very hard time with this novel. We've all struggled with the ability to focus lately, which made this a bad time to tackle this book, perhaps.
So, I put the novel down for a while, then picked it back up only to feel more lost than ever. I started over from the beginning, reading slowly, and concentrating as best I could. But, no matter what, I remained confused, and the ending, after all that trouble, turned out to be one of those open to interpretation, ambiguous conclusions that only compounded my frustrations with the book. I was a little miffed, to be honest.
Normally I would love a crafty, original story like this one because of its extraordinary approach and the clever way the story unfolds. But, it never grabbed me.
I think it could be one those 'it’s not you, it’s me’ situations- 'a cliché, I know, but I think maybe that’s the case for me with this book, since it appears to have been well- received, overall.
Mystery lovers who enjoy, dark, cultural and historical crime fiction will probably love this one. It is a challenge and will be a nice change of pace for those who are looking for something a little different, that doesn't follow the usual crime formulas. It just didn’t work for me at this time.
2 stars
This Japanese mystery is certainly perplexing, with an interesting and unique presentation of the facts. Unfortunately, I had a very hard time with this novel. We've all struggled with the ability to focus lately, which made this a bad time to tackle this book, perhaps.
So, I put the novel down for a while, then picked it back up only to feel more lost than ever. I started over from the beginning, reading slowly, and concentrating as best I could. But, no matter what, I remained confused, and the ending, after all that trouble, turned out to be one of those open to interpretation, ambiguous conclusions that only compounded my frustrations with the book. I was a little miffed, to be honest.
Normally I would love a crafty, original story like this one because of its extraordinary approach and the clever way the story unfolds. But, it never grabbed me.
I think it could be one those 'it’s not you, it’s me’ situations- 'a cliché, I know, but I think maybe that’s the case for me with this book, since it appears to have been well- received, overall.
Mystery lovers who enjoy, dark, cultural and historical crime fiction will probably love this one. It is a challenge and will be a nice change of pace for those who are looking for something a little different, that doesn't follow the usual crime formulas. It just didn’t work for me at this time.
2 stars
October 21, 2021
it is like origami: the mystery, the murders, the book itself. so many folds, folding into itself, doubling and mirroring, a mysterious but logical design, a strange architecture that will ultimately become something recognizable. perhaps it will be a paper crane. you take a flat piece of paper, or a tableau of an entire extended family poisoned, and you fold that fixed scene of slaughter, you look behind it and in front of it, at the characters on the stage and behind it, you fold and sculpt until you make something else of it entirely. a chance meeting, communicating without seeing, messages passed, actions carried out. loneliness and frustration and ours is not to wonder why, ours is but to do or die. everyone has their own perspective, their own voice, all of these voices are small but important folds, this mystery would not hold up without each of these folds, this mystery of murder and intent and the impossibility of true understanding, this cunning but mournful structure that Riku Onda has created. these lost characters like delicate little orizuru, so fragile and oh so easily crushable, by life, by death. perhaps their paper wings will fly them up to paradise, or elsewhere.
March 6, 2020
seriously, somewhere between a 4.5 and a 5. I loved this book. Absolutely loved it.
full post here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2020/03/...
Generally I don't reread crime/mystery novels because I can only be surprised once, but this is no ordinary crime/mystery novel, and it affected me much more the second time through. After the original read I knew I had something great in my hands but things were still a bit murky; rereading brought clarity and I was flat out chilled.
The Aosawa Murders is not simply about discovering the who and the why behind the horrific deaths of seventeen people. Among other issues, the author so disturbingly reveals throughout this story that although these murders happened thirty years earlier, that day took its toll and had a lasting, often devastating impact on several people, and continues to do so in the present. She also asks the question of how to get to the real truth behind events, especially when it comes from so many different perspectives; there's also the ultimate question of responsibility.
The author should be commended on how she put this book together, ultimately leaving it to the reader to go through several perspectives using personal recollections, newspaper articles, diaries, excerpts from a book etc. to pick up a number of clues before arriving at the chilling truth of what actually happened that day and why. I discovered that there is nothing wasted here, that everything that everyone says is important, and the trick is in putting together things that may not at first seem to matter or to be connected. We are handed that clue at the outset by one of the characters who, as she is walking around the city, talks about a "synaptic experience...all connected but separate."
If you must have a linear, easy-to-follow plot, or you're not one to really sit and think about what you've just read, this book is likely not for you. This novel is brilliant; it is very different and quite cleverly constructed so as to provide a challenge to even the most seasoned of crime or mystery fiction readers. It zeroes in on human nature which moves it well into the literary zone, which is where I most enjoy being.
This book is not just Japanese crime fiction at its best; it is crime fiction at its very best.
highly, highly recommended.
full post here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2020/03/...
Generally I don't reread crime/mystery novels because I can only be surprised once, but this is no ordinary crime/mystery novel, and it affected me much more the second time through. After the original read I knew I had something great in my hands but things were still a bit murky; rereading brought clarity and I was flat out chilled.
The Aosawa Murders is not simply about discovering the who and the why behind the horrific deaths of seventeen people. Among other issues, the author so disturbingly reveals throughout this story that although these murders happened thirty years earlier, that day took its toll and had a lasting, often devastating impact on several people, and continues to do so in the present. She also asks the question of how to get to the real truth behind events, especially when it comes from so many different perspectives; there's also the ultimate question of responsibility.
The author should be commended on how she put this book together, ultimately leaving it to the reader to go through several perspectives using personal recollections, newspaper articles, diaries, excerpts from a book etc. to pick up a number of clues before arriving at the chilling truth of what actually happened that day and why. I discovered that there is nothing wasted here, that everything that everyone says is important, and the trick is in putting together things that may not at first seem to matter or to be connected. We are handed that clue at the outset by one of the characters who, as she is walking around the city, talks about a "synaptic experience...all connected but separate."
If you must have a linear, easy-to-follow plot, or you're not one to really sit and think about what you've just read, this book is likely not for you. This novel is brilliant; it is very different and quite cleverly constructed so as to provide a challenge to even the most seasoned of crime or mystery fiction readers. It zeroes in on human nature which moves it well into the literary zone, which is where I most enjoy being.
This book is not just Japanese crime fiction at its best; it is crime fiction at its very best.
highly, highly recommended.
July 4, 2023
I can't believe we've been denied the voice of Author Onda for lo! these many years. She's been creating a giant ouevre since 1991. It's wonderful that we have so much good stuff to come; it's a howling shame that English-language crime-fiction readers haven't had Author Onda's words until now.
But let me tell you why that's a crime. Mystery novels, ones with a sleuth you follow around as she pokes her nose into many places that people with secrets would strongly prefer she didn't or cops whose sense of honor will not let them close an unsolved case, are thick on the ground. The true-crime genre is booming in this Time of Plague. But these are books that run on formulas. They're hugely appealing formulas, ones that reinforce the ma'at of society and thus fly in the face of most peoples' lived experience. They sell in their millions because their audience (which skews female for series-mystery fiction and true crime) hungers with a near-starved need for Justice to be served, even if the law is flouted.
Author Onda, via the very talented Translator Alison Watts, doesn't present us with such a jigsaw puzzle of a book, with correct answers that form an interlocked and coherent image. She gives us a crossword puzzle...yes, there are correct answers...several of them...and it's your job to sort out which ones make the desired connections in the overall mass of information. Just don't expect a portrait of a killer!
The rest is on my blog because there wasn't room here.
But let me tell you why that's a crime. Mystery novels, ones with a sleuth you follow around as she pokes her nose into many places that people with secrets would strongly prefer she didn't or cops whose sense of honor will not let them close an unsolved case, are thick on the ground. The true-crime genre is booming in this Time of Plague. But these are books that run on formulas. They're hugely appealing formulas, ones that reinforce the ma'at of society and thus fly in the face of most peoples' lived experience. They sell in their millions because their audience (which skews female for series-mystery fiction and true crime) hungers with a near-starved need for Justice to be served, even if the law is flouted.
Author Onda, via the very talented Translator Alison Watts, doesn't present us with such a jigsaw puzzle of a book, with correct answers that form an interlocked and coherent image. She gives us a crossword puzzle...yes, there are correct answers...several of them...and it's your job to sort out which ones make the desired connections in the overall mass of information. Just don't expect a portrait of a killer!
The rest is on my blog because there wasn't room here.
September 10, 2019
3.5 stars.
Part of the pleasure of a Japanese puzzle mystery is that it won't follow the same formula and beats as an American one. (Puzzle mysteries aren't all that common in American crime fiction.) It will feel unfamiliar in structure and tone, it will not hit the usual emotional beats. THE AOSAWA MURDERS certainly delivers in that respect. The crime is shocking and unusual (a family and their guests at a party all poisoned), and the book jumps all around, mostly coming to the reader in long monologues as some unknown person asks people involved with the crime about their stories. We also get a story-within-a-story, as one of the children who discovered the crime has written a book based on it, which we suspect has some kind of additional importance.
I should note that this book doesn't wrap up in a nice, simple bow. (Puzzle mysteries often do.) But if you like your mysteries to follow a formula, this probably isn't a good pick for you anyway.
Part of the pleasure of a Japanese puzzle mystery is that it won't follow the same formula and beats as an American one. (Puzzle mysteries aren't all that common in American crime fiction.) It will feel unfamiliar in structure and tone, it will not hit the usual emotional beats. THE AOSAWA MURDERS certainly delivers in that respect. The crime is shocking and unusual (a family and their guests at a party all poisoned), and the book jumps all around, mostly coming to the reader in long monologues as some unknown person asks people involved with the crime about their stories. We also get a story-within-a-story, as one of the children who discovered the crime has written a book based on it, which we suspect has some kind of additional importance.
I should note that this book doesn't wrap up in a nice, simple bow. (Puzzle mysteries often do.) But if you like your mysteries to follow a formula, this probably isn't a good pick for you anyway.
October 14, 2021
4/5stars
I really do like Japanese thrillers so much more than Western ones. Japanese thrillers are so much quieter, more whimsical, with a bigger focus on the mystery rather than the twists, violence, or drama of it. "The Aosawa Murders" is no different. It follows a stream of interviews by people directly involved and on the outskirts of a murder of 17 people in a family, and slowly tries to piece together what truly happened. The murders were many years previous, and the murderer was thought to have been found, but this novel slowly pulls back the folds of this story to figure out what truly happened. I also love how in Japanese thrillers there's never an evil villain speech or a long, drawn out explanation of exactly what happened. You get to make your own guess as to what the answer is, just like the people in this book.
I really do like Japanese thrillers so much more than Western ones. Japanese thrillers are so much quieter, more whimsical, with a bigger focus on the mystery rather than the twists, violence, or drama of it. "The Aosawa Murders" is no different. It follows a stream of interviews by people directly involved and on the outskirts of a murder of 17 people in a family, and slowly tries to piece together what truly happened. The murders were many years previous, and the murderer was thought to have been found, but this novel slowly pulls back the folds of this story to figure out what truly happened. I also love how in Japanese thrillers there's never an evil villain speech or a long, drawn out explanation of exactly what happened. You get to make your own guess as to what the answer is, just like the people in this book.
February 12, 2020
An exceptionally well-written, ultra-twisty murder mystery.
Onda uses a variety of styles and literary devices (letters, diaries, interviews in which we read only the responses, and more standard first and third person accounts) to build a very complex story about what appears to be a motiveless but hideously evil mass murder. She provides us with a great deal of data, many opinions, loads of atmosphere (the weather itself is nearly a character and almost certainly an accomplice), and a handful of "clues" but, ultimately, she never quite gives us closure. This lack of a clear answer is what I think propels this book beyond the "mystery" genre and into something more closely resembling horror or the gothic. The "puzzle" here isn't the crime or the culprit but human nature itself and we're left with much to consider as we turn the final page.
This is the first work by Onda to be translated into English. If her other writing is even half as good then it's to be hoped that it will also be translated very soon.
Onda uses a variety of styles and literary devices (letters, diaries, interviews in which we read only the responses, and more standard first and third person accounts) to build a very complex story about what appears to be a motiveless but hideously evil mass murder. She provides us with a great deal of data, many opinions, loads of atmosphere (the weather itself is nearly a character and almost certainly an accomplice), and a handful of "clues" but, ultimately, she never quite gives us closure. This lack of a clear answer is what I think propels this book beyond the "mystery" genre and into something more closely resembling horror or the gothic. The "puzzle" here isn't the crime or the culprit but human nature itself and we're left with much to consider as we turn the final page.
This is the first work by Onda to be translated into English. If her other writing is even half as good then it's to be hoped that it will also be translated very soon.
October 17, 2020
"I can only ever be myself for the rest of my life - I can't be you, or Mother. I'll never know what other people are thinking, only what I think - don't you think that's boring?"
Best to go into this one blind.
But I will tell you this:
...
It was an absolutely unnerving read. Told from the views of several individuals, The Aosawa Murders will creep you the hell out (hopefully).
It took me a few pages to acclimate to the writing (it was translated from Japanese and felt a little wordy) but once you get used to it, good luck putting it down.
Perfect for the spooky season. but if you want to make it a little less creepy, imagine it as an anime in your head haha.
I loved this book so much because I found it somewhat philosophical. There are so many things said that I felt so deeply and on another level I can't quite put it into words. I cannot wait to buy a physical copy.
I realize suddenly that a human smile can sometimes look like a tree split in two.
Best to go into this one blind.
But I will tell you this:
...
It was an absolutely unnerving read. Told from the views of several individuals, The Aosawa Murders will creep you the hell out (hopefully).
It took me a few pages to acclimate to the writing (it was translated from Japanese and felt a little wordy) but once you get used to it, good luck putting it down.
Perfect for the spooky season. but if you want to make it a little less creepy, imagine it as an anime in your head haha.
I loved this book so much because I found it somewhat philosophical. There are so many things said that I felt so deeply and on another level I can't quite put it into words. I cannot wait to buy a physical copy.
I realize suddenly that a human smile can sometimes look like a tree split in two.
June 9, 2022
A gripping story about a crime and the mystery of who committed it, and why.
March 27, 2020
Having a wee bit of a sojourn into Japanese crime fiction so couldn’t resist the premise of this one- a mass poisoning at a family gathering and a degree of doubt of the guilt of the man accused of the crime. What transpires is a clever, compelling and perfectly plotted tale that at times throws up many more questions than it answers…
Composed of a series of vignettes in an almost testimonial form, the book circles around a collection of people that had either had a direct connection to the crime, or some kind of personal connection to the victims, the accused or were merely onlookers to the strange events of the Aosawa murders. This had a mesmerising effect of either drawing the reader closely in to the actual event or holding us at an arm’s length as some of the narrators had a much less involved role in the central crime. As you reach the end of each little section, you find yourself having a sense of wonderful anticipation as to whether the next narrative will provide further clues as to the tragic events of that day and unmask the true killer. What then transpires is an intriguing game of hide and reveal as the author cunningly withholds, and then suddenly exposes, the personal narratives that inch us closer to a satisfying resolution. I loved the adoption of this particular structure which leads to a circular narrative instead of a more simplistic linear one, and looking back on the book now, even the most seemingly unimportant character testimony can withhold vital clues.
Alongside this intriguing narrative structure, the author also injects the book with some incredibly interesting ruminations on the role of truth and memory, be it in the dissection of a crime or in the more every day scenario of us constructing our personal histories, and what we perceive as truthful memories. Onda consistently makes the point that truth is always filtered through an individual’s perception of events, and what is ‘true’ to one person’s perception of an event, may not be reflective of another’s perception of the same event. This theory is mirrored throughout the book with the use of the polyphonic voices as each character recounts their perception of the Aosawa murders, whatever their personal distance from the crime. Consequently, the reader is engaged in a mystery where nobody’s account can be taken at face value, and sometimes looking back on the event, in the case of the now retired detective, can cast doubt on what was taken as truth at the time, and new avenues of investigation can open up. This idea of filtered truth also applies to our perception of the main protagonists as we see them reflected through the testimonies of others, altering our perception or leading us to have or own suspicions as to their role in the crime, or how they have implicated others.
With such a complexity in the characterisation and plotting, there is always a danger of the author losing focus on the more statutory elements of a story in terms of setting and atmosphere, which grounds the reader in the unique location and environment of the book. Not so with this one, as there is a fixed attention on the diurnal course of nature, and equally how an appreciation of the natural environment and seasonal changes provide both succour and inspiration for some of the key characters. I thought that some of the more extended naturalistic writing was beautiful in its delivery, and afforded some time for the reader to have the grip of dark deeds loosened from time to time. When taken in unison with the sophisticated plotting, and more existential musing on truth and memory, this endeared me to this book even more, as I am always intrigued to how the crime genre can be stretched and manipulated to broaden its horizons. A definite candidate for a favourite crime read of the year, and highly recommended.
Composed of a series of vignettes in an almost testimonial form, the book circles around a collection of people that had either had a direct connection to the crime, or some kind of personal connection to the victims, the accused or were merely onlookers to the strange events of the Aosawa murders. This had a mesmerising effect of either drawing the reader closely in to the actual event or holding us at an arm’s length as some of the narrators had a much less involved role in the central crime. As you reach the end of each little section, you find yourself having a sense of wonderful anticipation as to whether the next narrative will provide further clues as to the tragic events of that day and unmask the true killer. What then transpires is an intriguing game of hide and reveal as the author cunningly withholds, and then suddenly exposes, the personal narratives that inch us closer to a satisfying resolution. I loved the adoption of this particular structure which leads to a circular narrative instead of a more simplistic linear one, and looking back on the book now, even the most seemingly unimportant character testimony can withhold vital clues.
Alongside this intriguing narrative structure, the author also injects the book with some incredibly interesting ruminations on the role of truth and memory, be it in the dissection of a crime or in the more every day scenario of us constructing our personal histories, and what we perceive as truthful memories. Onda consistently makes the point that truth is always filtered through an individual’s perception of events, and what is ‘true’ to one person’s perception of an event, may not be reflective of another’s perception of the same event. This theory is mirrored throughout the book with the use of the polyphonic voices as each character recounts their perception of the Aosawa murders, whatever their personal distance from the crime. Consequently, the reader is engaged in a mystery where nobody’s account can be taken at face value, and sometimes looking back on the event, in the case of the now retired detective, can cast doubt on what was taken as truth at the time, and new avenues of investigation can open up. This idea of filtered truth also applies to our perception of the main protagonists as we see them reflected through the testimonies of others, altering our perception or leading us to have or own suspicions as to their role in the crime, or how they have implicated others.
With such a complexity in the characterisation and plotting, there is always a danger of the author losing focus on the more statutory elements of a story in terms of setting and atmosphere, which grounds the reader in the unique location and environment of the book. Not so with this one, as there is a fixed attention on the diurnal course of nature, and equally how an appreciation of the natural environment and seasonal changes provide both succour and inspiration for some of the key characters. I thought that some of the more extended naturalistic writing was beautiful in its delivery, and afforded some time for the reader to have the grip of dark deeds loosened from time to time. When taken in unison with the sophisticated plotting, and more existential musing on truth and memory, this endeared me to this book even more, as I am always intrigued to how the crime genre can be stretched and manipulated to broaden its horizons. A definite candidate for a favourite crime read of the year, and highly recommended.
May 3, 2023
3.5 stars - This is sort of a more literary take on a multi media cold case mystery. Writing and style wise, this reminds me a lot of Tana French, and while I appreciate it and was decently entertained, I didn't fully click with it
January 23, 2022
Is it ever really possible know the truth when no one “sees” an event? When one’s perception becomes one’s reality then every witness provides a different “truth”.
This mystery is told in a rather unique way. It is a look back by various witnesses some thirty years after a mass murder trying to understand what really took place.
This novel draws into question the perspective of the author of a book, written ten years after a mass murder and said to be neither fiction nor non-fiction, (refer to the perception and truth comment above). Each chapter in this novel is a look back told from the differing perspective of a witness to some part of the event or it’s aftermath. It is not always clear who the narrator of each chapter is, it is unclear what the purpose of this new “investigation” or “review “ is, and while the lack of clarity is quite apparent throughout this novel , it only added to my frustration while detracting from the enjoyment of a good mystery.
The writing at times is quite eloquent and yet at other times seems to be heading in many different directions, wandering aimlessly. Perhaps that is to reflect the different perspectives or “truths”. However, I found that on such occasions the story waned and lost its momentum. In fact, at times it barely drags along, and the moments of eloquence became fewer and fewer giving way to plentiful aimlessness. Too bad… because the initial concept was brilliant!
So this is how it worked: The witnesses explaining their perspectives are of differing ages and so perhaps that, and the lengthy time that has elapsed since the murders accounts for the variations. Some of the witnesses were quite young at the time of the murders, and their perception of events may be skewed. And other witnesses are rather old, and likewise their fading memories may also provide limitations. While it was an interesting concept, it’s effectiveness was often lost in the presentation. Additionally, I suppose one might consider that something was lost in the translation of this story from Japanese to English.
As this review thirty years later unfolds it seems certain of the events were overlooked or misinterpreted. Now it is not so clear that the suspect who committed suicide not long after the murders either acted alone or even at all. However, as in the book (the one written thirty years prior), this current review (the storyline) fails to provide closure or a even reasonable conclusion to this mystery.
It is a dark tale of mystery that at times piques your interest and yet also has you feeling anxious for plausible resolution. But all falls flat …. too much to gain any feeling of satisfaction in having slogged through the pages when so many other books are waiting for my attention! Sometimes that happens!
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for a unique concept and occasional bouts of eloquence.
This mystery is told in a rather unique way. It is a look back by various witnesses some thirty years after a mass murder trying to understand what really took place.
This novel draws into question the perspective of the author of a book, written ten years after a mass murder and said to be neither fiction nor non-fiction, (refer to the perception and truth comment above). Each chapter in this novel is a look back told from the differing perspective of a witness to some part of the event or it’s aftermath. It is not always clear who the narrator of each chapter is, it is unclear what the purpose of this new “investigation” or “review “ is, and while the lack of clarity is quite apparent throughout this novel , it only added to my frustration while detracting from the enjoyment of a good mystery.
The writing at times is quite eloquent and yet at other times seems to be heading in many different directions, wandering aimlessly. Perhaps that is to reflect the different perspectives or “truths”. However, I found that on such occasions the story waned and lost its momentum. In fact, at times it barely drags along, and the moments of eloquence became fewer and fewer giving way to plentiful aimlessness. Too bad… because the initial concept was brilliant!
So this is how it worked: The witnesses explaining their perspectives are of differing ages and so perhaps that, and the lengthy time that has elapsed since the murders accounts for the variations. Some of the witnesses were quite young at the time of the murders, and their perception of events may be skewed. And other witnesses are rather old, and likewise their fading memories may also provide limitations. While it was an interesting concept, it’s effectiveness was often lost in the presentation. Additionally, I suppose one might consider that something was lost in the translation of this story from Japanese to English.
As this review thirty years later unfolds it seems certain of the events were overlooked or misinterpreted. Now it is not so clear that the suspect who committed suicide not long after the murders either acted alone or even at all. However, as in the book (the one written thirty years prior), this current review (the storyline) fails to provide closure or a even reasonable conclusion to this mystery.
It is a dark tale of mystery that at times piques your interest and yet also has you feeling anxious for plausible resolution. But all falls flat …. too much to gain any feeling of satisfaction in having slogged through the pages when so many other books are waiting for my attention! Sometimes that happens!
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for a unique concept and occasional bouts of eloquence.
February 1, 2020
An unconventional mystery novel for readers who have read it all. I liked the different points of view of the story although at times it seemed slightly confusing. I strongly recommend this novel to fans of Japanese culture, they will find it delightful in spite of the horrific crime committed at the beginning of the novel. Don't expect a crystal clear ending, though, it doesn't end abruptly but I wish the author had been more explicit.
There are several clues throughout the novel that make me think it takes place in the city of Kanazawa, known for the amazing Kenrokuen garden. However, it's just called K-city in the book.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.com
There are several clues throughout the novel that make me think it takes place in the city of Kanazawa, known for the amazing Kenrokuen garden. However, it's just called K-city in the book.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.com
October 25, 2020
Tough book to get through. Put it down more than once and picked it back up out of a stubborn refusal to quit. It starts out promising but pretty quickly it gets ridiculously impossible to keep track of who is being interviewed, who is doing the interviewing and at what point in the story we are. The ending is hopelessly convoluted and undecipherable. I've still no clue who the murderer was. I have half a mind to change my rating to one star.
September 2, 2020
A sharp Goodreads reviewer pointed out that this book relies on stereotypes about disabled people. One of the central characters is a blind girl. She is preternaturally perceptive, and she is so beautiful and smart that she is universally admired. She is the sole survivor of a mass murder (by poison). This set up is ironic on two counts. Read this:
"From the 1940s to 1996, Japan's government sterilised people with a mental illness or disability because it deemed them "inferior".
"The victims of this Eugenic Protection Law kept silent for decades but are now speaking out and demanding an apology and compensation.
"However, the attitudes behind this law still linger today. A belief that all disabled people should be euthanised led to a stabbing spree at a disabled care home in 2016. It was Japan's worst mass killing since world war two." (Source: 11/8/18 Al Jazeera "Japan's Disability Shame")
In that massacre, nineteen people were murdered and twenty-six were injured.
In "The Aosawa Murders" seventeen people die. The author's original title was "Eugenia," and it's possible that Onda had eugenics in mind.
Many Goodreads readers seem intrigued by the writer's structure. It's metafiction. It's a book about a woman who wrote a book about the murders. The book jumps back and forth between the time of the murders, and years later when the woman is conducting interviews, to even years later, until the reader realizes that they, too, are another layer of observers. Clever, but ultimately empty because it's all technique and little psychological or social insight. This may be why a lot of reders expressed a feeling of dissatisfaction with the ending. It's like a filo dough pastry with no filling.
Onda's book has been called a "Japanese puzzle mystery." It's an oddball example of the "shin honkaku" sub-genre of Japanese mysteries. Wiki says: "Since the 1980s, a "new orthodox school" (新本格派, shin honkaku ha) has surfaced. It demands restoration of the classic rules of detective fiction and the use of more self-reflective elements, largely inspired by the works of Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr." Riku Onda is the pen name of Nanae Kumagai and she is a celebrated writer in Japan. "The Aosawa Murders" is her first mystery novel.
"From the 1940s to 1996, Japan's government sterilised people with a mental illness or disability because it deemed them "inferior".
"The victims of this Eugenic Protection Law kept silent for decades but are now speaking out and demanding an apology and compensation.
"However, the attitudes behind this law still linger today. A belief that all disabled people should be euthanised led to a stabbing spree at a disabled care home in 2016. It was Japan's worst mass killing since world war two." (Source: 11/8/18 Al Jazeera "Japan's Disability Shame")
In that massacre, nineteen people were murdered and twenty-six were injured.
In "The Aosawa Murders" seventeen people die. The author's original title was "Eugenia," and it's possible that Onda had eugenics in mind.
Many Goodreads readers seem intrigued by the writer's structure. It's metafiction. It's a book about a woman who wrote a book about the murders. The book jumps back and forth between the time of the murders, and years later when the woman is conducting interviews, to even years later, until the reader realizes that they, too, are another layer of observers. Clever, but ultimately empty because it's all technique and little psychological or social insight. This may be why a lot of reders expressed a feeling of dissatisfaction with the ending. It's like a filo dough pastry with no filling.
Onda's book has been called a "Japanese puzzle mystery." It's an oddball example of the "shin honkaku" sub-genre of Japanese mysteries. Wiki says: "Since the 1980s, a "new orthodox school" (新本格派, shin honkaku ha) has surfaced. It demands restoration of the classic rules of detective fiction and the use of more self-reflective elements, largely inspired by the works of Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr." Riku Onda is the pen name of Nanae Kumagai and she is a celebrated writer in Japan. "The Aosawa Murders" is her first mystery novel.
September 3, 2019
I wasn’t swept away by the wave. It simply lapped at my feet.
Have you ever read a story where you're so completely transfixed that the world around you just seems to slip away? You're not breathing or existing, you're just so in the moment in another galaxy that the only thing that matters are the words on the page.
This book was transfixing and written beautifully and that seems odd to say since it's centered around death, a lot of death. There has been a hideous perfect crime. In a castle city based on the coast of the Sea of Japan there has been a mass murder. 17 people of the same family have died from Cyanide Poisoning and there are only two survivors. A gentle housekeeper and the daughter of this elite family who happens to be blind. The daughter's name is Hisako and she is riveting in every way to all. Well, almost all, there is somebody out there who suspects Hisako of committing this heinous crime and he seeks her out in order to finally bring justice. He just might be too late.
The Aosawa Murders is a novel where the perspectives of at least 10 people are shown. We are first introduced to Hisako's childhood friend Makiko who has written a book off her experience of witnessing the murders. It's heartbreaking as go through the chain of events and timelines that led up to and after the murder. It's a lesson that even years after the fact, such tragedy can leave lifelong scars on both survivors and their family members. My heart particularly broke for the housekeeper as she became a shadow of who she once was.
This book can be confusing at times but with me Japanese novels often are and that's okay. I was lost in the descriptive words and delicate writing and enjoyed myself way more than I thought I would. The end confused me but after rereading it and the beginning again I think I got the gist of it. This is a heartbreaking, creepy tale told beautifully. It serves a reminder that not everything is what it appears to be.
Thanks very much to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever read a story where you're so completely transfixed that the world around you just seems to slip away? You're not breathing or existing, you're just so in the moment in another galaxy that the only thing that matters are the words on the page.
This book was transfixing and written beautifully and that seems odd to say since it's centered around death, a lot of death. There has been a hideous perfect crime. In a castle city based on the coast of the Sea of Japan there has been a mass murder. 17 people of the same family have died from Cyanide Poisoning and there are only two survivors. A gentle housekeeper and the daughter of this elite family who happens to be blind. The daughter's name is Hisako and she is riveting in every way to all. Well, almost all, there is somebody out there who suspects Hisako of committing this heinous crime and he seeks her out in order to finally bring justice. He just might be too late.
The Aosawa Murders is a novel where the perspectives of at least 10 people are shown. We are first introduced to Hisako's childhood friend Makiko who has written a book off her experience of witnessing the murders. It's heartbreaking as go through the chain of events and timelines that led up to and after the murder. It's a lesson that even years after the fact, such tragedy can leave lifelong scars on both survivors and their family members. My heart particularly broke for the housekeeper as she became a shadow of who she once was.
This book can be confusing at times but with me Japanese novels often are and that's okay. I was lost in the descriptive words and delicate writing and enjoyed myself way more than I thought I would. The end confused me but after rereading it and the beginning again I think I got the gist of it. This is a heartbreaking, creepy tale told beautifully. It serves a reminder that not everything is what it appears to be.
Thanks very much to Edelweiss and the publisher for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.
May 4, 2020
I love Japanese crime thrillers .The premises were good. I thought I will like this one too.. but this was a muddling read towards the end .
I have so many questions and many things remain unclear and hazy
I still don't know what happened.
End has left me more confused than the beginning.
I have so many questions and many things remain unclear and hazy
I still don't know what happened.
End has left me more confused than the beginning.
March 17, 2021
A different approach on the narrative style as the chapters were sort of investigation file with each narrative been told by each person directly and indirectly involved with the mass poisoning incident. Going back and forth about the whole incident-- from the day it happened to years later, to pov from the investigator, the helper, the one who survived, the girl who wrote a book about it, a friend to one of the witness, a neighbour-- it was all wrapped up so neatly and compelling (despite having an abrupt unsolved ending), somehow I was hooked with their monologues about the incident; on their opinions and coincidences.
I love the dark and mysterious resonance it gave, and those metaphorical prose of relating views with colours and sounds which utterly intriguing. This was not a crime narrative with conflicts and thrilling stuff making you nervous sort of, but more to a crime of 'how' with open to your own interpretation at the end. A uniquely build mystery, nicely crafted and told, a bit melodramatic with a nice pinch of suspense.
I love the dark and mysterious resonance it gave, and those metaphorical prose of relating views with colours and sounds which utterly intriguing. This was not a crime narrative with conflicts and thrilling stuff making you nervous sort of, but more to a crime of 'how' with open to your own interpretation at the end. A uniquely build mystery, nicely crafted and told, a bit melodramatic with a nice pinch of suspense.
June 13, 2020
This is just my opinion, of course, but the concept of singular is a subtle but important factor in much of Japanese culture. It implies taking a step back to admire something that might be slightly deviant, or unsettling in some way. To coolly observe something repellent and unpleasant and appreciate it as a form of beauty for entertainment. I find that psychology fascinating. Take the ideogram for “singular” for instance, which also contains the meaning of “suspect and unusual”. I see in that a kind of warped humour. With echoes of a sadistic joke, a brutal awakening, or a detached gaze.
This was an amazing, complex, creepy, brilliant artistic literary achievement. I’m going to take some time to process it before writing more, but I really loved it.
This was an amazing, complex, creepy, brilliant artistic literary achievement. I’m going to take some time to process it before writing more, but I really loved it.
November 24, 2020
I persevered through the first few pages because it was so elusive and unclear plus there is significant going back and forth in time. Once I got myself centered I enjoyed most of the middle portion and was going to give it a four. The last part was so enigmatic and symbolic that left me disappointed so I lowered the rating to 3. Not sure it’s worth the read.
April 2, 2022
Wow. Just wow. (RTC)
November 2, 2021
The Aosawa Murders is a crime/thriller/detective story told in a very unique and interesting way. The blurb states that 17 people (most of these are from the same family) die after having their drinks poisoned with cyanide, and from here…it’s really up to us to piece together who the culprit was and their motive for doing so.
This book was narrated by several different characters and each chapter was a conversation between a character and someone else so we saw the same crime scene from multiple perspectives which I thought was an interesting take. Throughout, there is a strong ominous and uneasy vibe as different characters throw something else into the mix (usually this is an anomaly or something no-one else picked up on) which increases the tension and keeps the reader hooked.
I will say that I pretty much devoured this book and read it in 2 sittings - I was very much captured and wanted to know what happened next.
Onda decides to leave the ending ambiguous which is fitting since the whole story focuses on different characters’ conjectures as to what really happened on that day…and the last couple of chapters in particular reminded me of Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (another excellent novel).
I will quickly summarise here what I think the ending might have been implying - namely that Hisako (the bling Aosawa daughter) was the mastermind who orchestrated the mass murder but it was the man she ‘befriended’ in the park who had mental health issues, and whose sister was killed, who carried out the plan by delivering the poisoned drinks to the Aosawa house. The reason she did this was 1) she wanted peace and silence and commented her family was always so loud and had people around which prevented her from ever enjoying silence (this does seem like a very extreme reaction to wanting and getting silence but okay…) and 2) she was haunted by what happened in her mom’s blue room - she was having to repent and beg for forgiveness for something (which isn't explained) in front of her mom and nun from church. I also think that possibly her mom and/or nun caused her blindness since she wasn’t born blind and again seemed to be haunted by what occurred in this room. Again, I’m not sure why she would kill her whole family though! :/
Anyway, TAM is an engaging, thought-provoking and chilling read; the writing and depiction of the characters were slightly creepy which added to the uneasy atmosphere throughout. I can see myself picking this up again in the future and would highly recommend it!
This book was narrated by several different characters and each chapter was a conversation between a character and someone else so we saw the same crime scene from multiple perspectives which I thought was an interesting take. Throughout, there is a strong ominous and uneasy vibe as different characters throw something else into the mix (usually this is an anomaly or something no-one else picked up on) which increases the tension and keeps the reader hooked.
I will say that I pretty much devoured this book and read it in 2 sittings - I was very much captured and wanted to know what happened next.
Onda decides to leave the ending ambiguous which is fitting since the whole story focuses on different characters’ conjectures as to what really happened on that day…and the last couple of chapters in particular reminded me of Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (another excellent novel).
I will quickly summarise here what I think the ending might have been implying - namely that Hisako (the bling Aosawa daughter) was the mastermind who orchestrated the mass murder but it was the man she ‘befriended’ in the park who had mental health issues, and whose sister was killed, who carried out the plan by delivering the poisoned drinks to the Aosawa house. The reason she did this was 1) she wanted peace and silence and commented her family was always so loud and had people around which prevented her from ever enjoying silence (this does seem like a very extreme reaction to wanting and getting silence but okay…) and 2) she was haunted by what happened in her mom’s blue room - she was having to repent and beg for forgiveness for something (which isn't explained) in front of her mom and nun from church. I also think that possibly her mom and/or nun caused her blindness since she wasn’t born blind and again seemed to be haunted by what occurred in this room. Again, I’m not sure why she would kill her whole family though! :/
Anyway, TAM is an engaging, thought-provoking and chilling read; the writing and depiction of the characters were slightly creepy which added to the uneasy atmosphere throughout. I can see myself picking this up again in the future and would highly recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2021
Utterly frustrating with an overly ambiguous ending.
It's made clear from the get go who the mastermind of the mass murders is and each page pushed me further into frustration.
The story is pieced together from interviews, excerpts and flashbacks which I throughly enjoyed. But so many of the characters seemed uninterested in the mystery they were entangled in. They all seemed to have come the same agreement - that the enigmatic, beautiful, goddess like survivor of a mass poisoning was involved but either were uninterested in proving it or accepted that such a feat was impossible. Makes you wonder why a book was written about it and then another journalist subsequently investigated it. Nobody seemed to want to punish Hisako, just get her to admit her guilt, to be an "observer" that saw the real her - not the author, not the journalist and not the detectives.
Utter madness.
I get that some mysteries can never be truly solved and the reality is, often people get away with things and the truth is never revealed to a satisfactory level. However, that's not what I want in a book that's billed as a murder mystery.
So many aspects of this story were never explained and made no sense. Too many. I rushed at the end thinking something, anything!, would finally be revealed but no. It ends on yet another mystery. I don't mind an ambiguous ending. But so many loose ends - it feels lazy to me. Perhaps it's deliberate. Giving a stage to small facts to make them feel significant when really they aren't. We always expect the small details to reveal the bigger picture and here they don't. They hint, they suggest but never explain fully.
There is a moment near the end, where its suggested Hisako is innocent - or more innocent that initially suggested - and that its just the human need/desire for a cunning, wicked protagonist with well made, easy to follow plans to have done something so heinous. In order for the public, the audience, to accept what has happened.
Perhaps that's what this book is really about. A human desire to complicate and explain things when actually, the truth is usually murky and inexplicable and hardly ever revealed to its fullest extent. Perhaps. Still, if it is, it's still not for me.
It's made clear from the get go who the mastermind of the mass murders is and each page pushed me further into frustration.
The story is pieced together from interviews, excerpts and flashbacks which I throughly enjoyed. But so many of the characters seemed uninterested in the mystery they were entangled in. They all seemed to have come the same agreement - that the enigmatic, beautiful, goddess like survivor of a mass poisoning was involved but either were uninterested in proving it or accepted that such a feat was impossible. Makes you wonder why a book was written about it and then another journalist subsequently investigated it. Nobody seemed to want to punish Hisako, just get her to admit her guilt, to be an "observer" that saw the real her - not the author, not the journalist and not the detectives.
Utter madness.
I get that some mysteries can never be truly solved and the reality is, often people get away with things and the truth is never revealed to a satisfactory level. However, that's not what I want in a book that's billed as a murder mystery.
So many aspects of this story were never explained and made no sense. Too many. I rushed at the end thinking something, anything!, would finally be revealed but no. It ends on yet another mystery. I don't mind an ambiguous ending. But so many loose ends - it feels lazy to me. Perhaps it's deliberate. Giving a stage to small facts to make them feel significant when really they aren't. We always expect the small details to reveal the bigger picture and here they don't. They hint, they suggest but never explain fully.
There is a moment near the end, where its suggested Hisako is innocent - or more innocent that initially suggested - and that its just the human need/desire for a cunning, wicked protagonist with well made, easy to follow plans to have done something so heinous. In order for the public, the audience, to accept what has happened.
Perhaps that's what this book is really about. A human desire to complicate and explain things when actually, the truth is usually murky and inexplicable and hardly ever revealed to its fullest extent. Perhaps. Still, if it is, it's still not for me.
July 9, 2020
“The Aosawa Murders” by Riku Onda is about a tragic major crime, one that happened more than thirty years prior. The victims were not just those murdered that day, but those who lived through it as well; people were traumatized. A best-selling book had been written eleven years after the crime, but and this is the story of how those murders impacted survivors.
The book has a compelling rhythm as the story unfolds in a sequence of first person conversations and responses to unpublished questions from a hidden interrogator. The reader listens over the shoulder of the interviewer as the story unfolds in a casual, conversational style with comments and observations on things both pertinent and unrelated. Alternate chapters describe events in third person.
There is something enigmatic or indefinable about this about this crime, and little details and nuances about the murders slowly become apparent. People remembered things with apparently no significance but yet with an impact on the event when taken together -- the rain, the crepe myrtle tree, the man in the yellow raincoat, a thin dog, red toy car, a phone call, a sheet of white notepaper. People did comment that they had premonitions and feelings that something was wrong, that something very bad was going to happen.
“The Aosawa Murder” is a conversation with all the players, observers, participants about what they remember, how they remember, what they felt then, and now they feel now. It is almost like investigating a haunted house; no one wants to go near it, but everyone has an opinion about it. I will not give spoilers or my own opinion, and leave readers to draw their own conclusions. This is a compelling look at the aftermath of a violent crime, something seldom addressed in typical crime fiction. It was both fascinating and thought-provoking. I read “The Aosawa Murders” by Riku Onda as translated from the Japanese by Alison Watts.
The book has a compelling rhythm as the story unfolds in a sequence of first person conversations and responses to unpublished questions from a hidden interrogator. The reader listens over the shoulder of the interviewer as the story unfolds in a casual, conversational style with comments and observations on things both pertinent and unrelated. Alternate chapters describe events in third person.
There is something enigmatic or indefinable about this about this crime, and little details and nuances about the murders slowly become apparent. People remembered things with apparently no significance but yet with an impact on the event when taken together -- the rain, the crepe myrtle tree, the man in the yellow raincoat, a thin dog, red toy car, a phone call, a sheet of white notepaper. People did comment that they had premonitions and feelings that something was wrong, that something very bad was going to happen.
“The Aosawa Murder” is a conversation with all the players, observers, participants about what they remember, how they remember, what they felt then, and now they feel now. It is almost like investigating a haunted house; no one wants to go near it, but everyone has an opinion about it. I will not give spoilers or my own opinion, and leave readers to draw their own conclusions. This is a compelling look at the aftermath of a violent crime, something seldom addressed in typical crime fiction. It was both fascinating and thought-provoking. I read “The Aosawa Murders” by Riku Onda as translated from the Japanese by Alison Watts.
March 4, 2021
This is the third Japanese mystery I've read. The Devotion of Suspect X reveals the murderer at the beginning of the story & the remainder of the book is a cat & mouse game between the killer & the police -- who will finally triumph at the end? The Honjin Murders is a 1940s more traditional "locked room" mystery (which took some very wild, long leaps for the resolution). This book falls somewhere in between those two in style, structure, & solvability.
By the halfway mark, you're pretty much told who was involved in the murders; the remainder of the story is more of a meandering musing on the possible whys. Even so, the ending is not a neat, tidy bow & you, the reader, are left to interpret some things on your own. I don't necessarily mind vagueness, but it did feel slightly unfinished as an ending.
Mostly, I think Onda is really investigating the ideas of reliable & unreliable narrators/witnesses, how truth is not a set viewpoint, & how views/knowledge/insight can change over time. She's somewhat successful at presenting these ideas, but it just doesn't fully hang together as a murder mystery per se. (If you are interested in a book that explores the nature of reality & shifting viewpoints, I highly recommend All Men Are Liars.)
I liked it, I'm glad I read it, but I just didn't find it entirely satisfying.
By the halfway mark, you're pretty much told who was involved in the murders; the remainder of the story is more of a meandering musing on the possible whys. Even so, the ending is not a neat, tidy bow & you, the reader, are left to interpret some things on your own. I don't necessarily mind vagueness, but it did feel slightly unfinished as an ending.
Mostly, I think Onda is really investigating the ideas of reliable & unreliable narrators/witnesses, how truth is not a set viewpoint, & how views/knowledge/insight can change over time. She's somewhat successful at presenting these ideas, but it just doesn't fully hang together as a murder mystery per se. (If you are interested in a book that explores the nature of reality & shifting viewpoints, I highly recommend All Men Are Liars.)
I liked it, I'm glad I read it, but I just didn't find it entirely satisfying.
February 22, 2020
Every now and then a book becomes more than the story it is telling. This is such a book, it is a challenge to the reader. A puzzle for you to solve. You will be given a series of clues in many forms. You have to work out not just who but why and are you being told the truth?
The book begins with the only survivor Hisako and her testimony. Is she a victim or a murderer? Never knowing who is asking the questions throughout the book and being told thirty years later from multiple perspectives. How much of what you are told is reliable? That is for you to decide.
I really enjoyed the slow descriptive unfolding and the Japanese culture being so prominent in its telling. The hot sultry weather and the significance of flowers and cranes adding an elegant almost dream like stance.
This book is a prime example of the show don’t tell technique allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the experience of thoughts, senses and feelings and draw their own conclusions.
I’m still not sure how I feel about Hisako and I’m sure I would benefit from a reread to see if I missed anything. This is not a quick easy read, this is a television off and no distractions, requiring all your attention. But the reward is a book that makes you think for yourself, never taking the readers intelligence for granted it is captivating and intriguing and beautifully written.
The book begins with the only survivor Hisako and her testimony. Is she a victim or a murderer? Never knowing who is asking the questions throughout the book and being told thirty years later from multiple perspectives. How much of what you are told is reliable? That is for you to decide.
I really enjoyed the slow descriptive unfolding and the Japanese culture being so prominent in its telling. The hot sultry weather and the significance of flowers and cranes adding an elegant almost dream like stance.
This book is a prime example of the show don’t tell technique allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the experience of thoughts, senses and feelings and draw their own conclusions.
I’m still not sure how I feel about Hisako and I’m sure I would benefit from a reread to see if I missed anything. This is not a quick easy read, this is a television off and no distractions, requiring all your attention. But the reward is a book that makes you think for yourself, never taking the readers intelligence for granted it is captivating and intriguing and beautifully written.
January 23, 2023
I finished this and immediately wanted to go back and read it again from the beginning, because I felt like there were enough hints throughout the book at how it was going to end that I should have seen it coming and yet I didn't. Onda wrote a brilliant meandering mystery by setting a pace that allowed readers to really take their time and process the information they are being given. And there is a lot of information here, there are so many people involved with so many different perspectives that there is just a ton to wade through and a lot of it is just misdirection. Actually damn near the whole book is misdirection because there's really only a handful of lines you need to solve the mystery. And normally I'd be annoyed by this, however, because of the way this is written, through the interviews of people familiar with the crime instead of all the misdirection being annoying it becomes clear how so many people can have knowledge of one event and yet have so many perspectives on that event. Definitely was one of the books I finished and said "WTF did I just read!?" and I meant in the absolute best way possible.
Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery!
Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery!
February 28, 2020
I have never really known what to make of Japanese puzzle mysteries, but this one turned out to be a real doozy. The unresolved case is the horrific cyanide poisoning of 17 people, including three generations of one family. It is a murder in which the only survivor is the blind daughter, Hisako. The mystery is taken up by a present day unnamed interviewer who revisits the unsolved crime, but who also returns to the original investigation by the origami practicing detective thirty years earlier, and, at the same time, responds to the revelations in a book written by M, Hisako’s childhood friend, Makiko , some ten years following the event. The whole book feels like an investigation into perception and assumption and how each uncovering alters meaning. The ending is unusual. I found myself having to read the final two chapters twice to get all the ‘she’ references clear, and wondered whether that was due to the difficulty of translation, or just my sloppy reading style, but the effort was totally rewarded in the end Loved it!
July 23, 2020
A most unusual murder mystery, both set up and way it was written. Haunting and enjoyable. It kept me reading eagerly until the end. 17 people at an Aosawa family gathering in the 1960s are poisoned and most of the people there die. The novel consists of interviews with an unnamed interviewer and of chapters of background. Suspicion falls upon the man who makes the fatal delivery but he commits suicide. An enigmatic poem?/letter? addressed to "Eugenia" is found. What is the role of the family's blind daughter, Hisako, one of the survivors? In spite of my reading the novel twice, and in spite of some explanation, it was still partially ambiguous.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
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