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A mixed bag
This book is an intriguing genre mix with mystery elements, psychological drama and criticism of the Japanese job hunting system. It had a lot of good ideas, but also some flaws that seriously dampened my enjoyment. Some parts felt too repetitive, and the plot twist were often overexplained and still managed to feel overly convenient. It also comes across as a bit moralizing in the end.
Still, every time I got too frustrated about these flaws, the book swung around and gave me something I liked, mostly small moments where one of the characters felt really relatable, and the overall sense that this is a story that’ll keep you guessing and you can never let your guard down because the next reveal is right around the corner. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Language-wise, this book feels accurately placed in the mid-30s. As someone who's only read books recommended for beginners before this, this was the hardest thing I've ever read by far. Very text-dense, introspective sections, rare vocab and a tendency to use long, convoluted sentences all contribute to this. Took me a lot longer than the relatively low page count might suggest.