The Summer of the Ubume by Natsuhiko Kyogoku

[telophase]

Hmmm. A psychological mystery from Japan, newly translated. It's the first in a series of books, the second of which won the Japan Mystery Writers Association Award and is also a live-action film, a manga and an anime.

I'll let you look to the Amazon page below for a description of what it was about, because I'm still trying to decide if I liked it or not. There's an unreliable narrator, a detective who can see other people's memories, and an onmyouji who doesn't believe in the supernatural. There's enough cracktastic elements that I'm not surprised that a country that produces Kaori Yuki produced this, but it really didn't jell for me - I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief long enough to accept some things I needed to accept.

It didn't help that the book put me off balance by not offering any clue as to what the year it was set in was until around fifty pages in, when I realized it had to be set about 1952 instead of a contemporary period.

So ... I can't recommend it unless you like this sort of thing, and I can't really explain what sort of thing it is without giving away the whodunnit and the howdunnit, which is what kept me reading through to the end. Not recommended if you prefer cozy mysteries, but if you think you might like a psychological mystery written by Kaori Yuki, I suggest you give it a try.

Amazon link: The Summer of the Ubume

As the FTC is still uncertain about Amazon links when it comes to small-time bloggers reviewing books, I am pointing out that the link above, if you buy this or anything from Amazon after clicking on it, gives me a kickback of a small percentage, which goes into my Project Blue Rose account.

Comments

[rilina]

I liked this one a lot, but yeah, it's definitely not for those who only like cozy mysteries. I wouldn't have thought to use the word "cracktastic" to describe the plot elements, though I can see why you do; I associate that more with gleeful fun and nonsense then the sort of oppressive atmospheric stuff going on here.

[telophase]

I couldn't think of another word to describe them. :D

[thistleingrey]

Interesting--I've picked up a copy but it's a ways down in the to-read stack.

[matildarose.livejournal.com]

The anime was great- I can't wait until someone subs THE LAST EPISODE god subbers i know it's a hard series to sub BUT DON'T STOP ON THE LAST EPISODE

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm sort of interested in finding out what the story is in the second book (and movie, and manga, and anime), but I still can't decide if I like the first or not.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

Seconding the anime rec.