The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino
This was, in my opinion, one of the most suspenseful and fun readings that we have done so far for this course. I especially enjoyed the description of the poor/homeless by Ishigami and the way in which he both humanizes yet also affirmes the concept of meaning as through actions. What I mean by this is that he is humanizing the homeless by giving them names and jobs, yet at the same time directly reflecting societies views of them by making large assumptions and tying their daily activity to their being and character. Further along, although I found the sudden change in perspective somewhat jarring it fit quite well into the story and helped to create meaningful context and suspense in the story. My favorite part of this reading was that it both gave me some insight into how the relationship between ex-husband and ex-wife is seen in Japan, through the scene with the mention of the cops coming, as well as its simple narrative and fun circular evidence like with the mention of the bike at the start. Overall a fun reading that held suspense, gave me some insights, but did not capture me for its writing in particular.
Strange Houses - Uketsu
This was my favorite story from this week. Deeply creepy and greatly atmospheric, this story did an amazing job of blending in realistic clues with surrealistic circumstances. Although I am not often drawn to investigative novels I found this one tasteful in the way that the problems and theories themselves are imagined and not grounded in certainty. It is not like we know for sure that someone died out of malice or that malpractice was performed. This uncertainty adds a good amount of ability for the reader to flesh out their own theories and either agree or disagree with the writer on major plot points. I will most definitely be buying this novel when I get the chance.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
About a year ago I bought this book at a nearby bookstore and gave it a quick read. Although the writing did not stand out to me and the concept was relatively simple in nature I found myself quickly drawn in by its relatability in its storytelling. A common theme, it seems, for this weeks readings is to move away from more literarily complex pieces into more heartfelt and emotionally available ones. This is a book that I commonly recommend to friends who have not read in a while due to its easy but still compelling nature.
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas - Yoru Sumino
Having watched the anime as well as previously read part of this story in English I have always loved the way in which it treats mortality. However, in this story I did find the main character to be a lot more human, as well as an (pardon my French) asshole, and that the story felt even more forced that in did in the Anime. To me it feels like a sort of fantastical narrative by someone who feels dejected and rejected by society and created this story to insert a love story into a character similar to themselves. I still enjoyed the ideas around mortality, specifically the idea that we are all dying and or set to die without knowledge of when and how we choose to live our lives in conjunction with this dilemma of comfort or experience, but was more bugged by this strange feel of the story than I had in the past.
Uzumaki - Junji Ito
I think that it is safe to say that reading this between the hours of 3am and 4am was not the brightest idea that I've ever had. I quickly found myself reading well beyond the assigned reading pulled in by the strange and graphic depictions in the manga. I see this story as a quantification of the vastness and un-understandable nature of the world around us and how we so easily find ourselves literally putting ourselves into the mold of our curiosities and obsessions. What a fun read!
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