March 5, 2023

Plot synopsis: A police officer kills his wife who was suffering from Alzheimer's and then turns himself in. It should be an open and shut case, but the question of what he did the days between her death and his confession drives the story.

Review

I loved this book. Each chapter is a continuation of the events (with slight overlaps) from the view of another person involved with the case. We get a glimpse of their lives, their thoughts, the circumstances which may prejudice them one way or the other, and the social rules which they struggle against in choosing which actions to take.

A recurring point in this book is Alzheimer's, and the toll it takes on the person themselves as well as the people who love them. If Alzheimer's runs in your family or you know someone directly impacted it's very likely this will be an emotionally difficult book for you.

For content warnings in general there is of course murder, and in discussion of other police cases there is mention of sexual assault of minors.

Difficulty

Grammar-wise this book requires comfort with grammar points through N1. The vocabulary used is extensive and strongly centers around legal terms and positions as well as police ranks. The author does not hold back on idioms or descriptions. Understanding the job ranking of the characters is important to following the power plays in the book, so I'd advise not skimming over those.

Gradings:11
1
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cat graded
on January 28, 2024
easier than痴人の愛L41
cat graded
on November 26, 2023
similar in difficulty to正欲L37
cat graded
on March 30, 2023
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
harder than永遠の0L35
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
harder than火車L35
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
harder than刑事の子L35
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
harder thanユージニアL36
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
easier than黄金仮面L38
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
easier than64L39
cat graded
on March 5, 2023
harder than死仮面L39