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A true social mystery that unravels slowly
When thinking about a mystery, many people tend to think of criminal masterminds, ingenious tricks and closed rooms. There's none of that here. This is a mystery set in real life, with crimes committed by real people. Good and evil are not clearcut opposites here, just different shades of grey on the same spectrum.
An elderly driver ran his truck into a convenience store, killing the store manager on the spot. A tragic accident that is attributed to the ageing population of Japan and their refusal to give up their driving licenses. A freelance reporter is asked to look into the case, and write an article about the problem of elderly people with potentially reduced faculties being allowed to drive. There's irony there even in the first pages of the book: The reporter himself nearly falls asleep while driving to the scene of the accident, and the father of the victim is an exceptionally careless and dangerous driver himself.
The reporter takes on the task without much enthusiasm, but from the beginning he starts noticing little details that, when followed, start to reveal a much more complex picture than first appeared. Expectations will be subverted again and again, and by the end the reporter will have to make moral decisions that have no clear answers.
The main character may be a reporter, but he has all the qualities of a good social mystery detective: he can't let go of the case even when everyone tells him to, he doggedly follows every little lead there is, and in the end he finds himself too emotionally attached to the case to make clear, objective decisions. Of course he also has a troubled personal life, although there's more humour than drama there: His interactions with his ex-wife are adorable, and one of the highlights of the novel.
Other than elderly driving, many other social issues are touched upon, the depopulation of rural areas and the danger to traditional ways of life chief among them.
As the novel's only flaws I should mention a few needless repetitions and some little overexplaining, but generally less than I've found in other Japanese novels. Generally the pacing was very good, and the gradual reveal of information along with the likeable protagonist kept me eagerly turning pages throughout. I will definitely seek out more novels by the author.
Language -wise it was straightforward, but as the investigation all takes place in Fukui, a lot of the characters speak in Fukui-ben, which may take a little getting used to.