かがみの孤城

To be fair, I'm not the target audience for this book: I don't particularly care for middle school problems, nor am I a fan of fantasy settings. So my low enjoyment may partly stem from that fact. I was however prepared to give the book a fair chance. If you asked if I would buy the book for a fantasy-loving middle-school kid, my answer would still be no.

My biggest gripe with the book was that it was too sentimental (and the audiobook made it even more so). My second biggest gripe was that it was way too long for its content, and its structure was uneven. It almost felt to me that it was in need of a good editor to make everything tighter. Even the few actually exciting parts tended to be interrupted abruptly by less exciting narrative, breaking the flow.

I think this a story that might have benefited from the multiple narrators approach. Yet we get one single narrator for hundreds of pages, then suddenly switch to multiple points of view for a small part. At that point, it felt jarring more than refreshing, again as if the editor had somehow missed it.

All that said, the book does offer interesting insights into Japanese society and Japanese way of thinking and handling things, and the language is straightforward and perfect for learners. The audiobook is well produced if you like full dramatization. Be prepared for music, sound effects, sobbing, whining, shouting, the works.

(I listened to the audiobook while reading along, so my review is for both media)