Journey Under the Midnight Sun

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Higashino is well known for his mystery novels. He made steady progress with several acclaimed novels throughout the 80s and 90s, until he became a household name with the publication of The Devotion of Suspect X in 2006, the third novel in his famous Detective Galileo series. Almost all of his works have been translated into Chinese, but only a handful of his more well-known works have English counterparts. I understand that is not much of a synopsis but it is difficult to say more without revealing too much and I just don't want to detract from your experience, should you choose to read this book. A stunning beauty, Yukiho is the daughter of one of the suspects of the pawnshop homicide 19 years ago. A primary school student then, she lived a poor life with her mother. Her mother died in an accident shortly after the murder. Afterward Yukiho was adopted by Karasawa, received a good education, and turned into an upper-class lady with manners and elegance. Her academic grades were excellent, causing a lot of envy. People close to her often fall prey to misfortunes. Despite this, if you’re familiar with other books of Higashino‘s in English you might find yourself frustrated by certain aspects here. For a start, the story is episodic in nature, perhaps due to the fact the original was serialised in a literary magazine. This leaves us grasping for links between chapters, which don’t become apparent until half way through. The timeline can be a struggle as well, with references to computer technology, video games, baseball and Japanese current affairs dropped in to hint at when the action is occurring. While you might be familiar with the bursting of the Japanese asset price bubble, or Super Mario Brothers, most of us probably don’t know when the Hanshin Tigers broke their title drought, or when the findings of the inquest into Minamata disease were handed down.

Journey Under the Midnight Sun - Medium Journey Under the Midnight Sun - Medium

In general, Journey Under The Midnight Sun is a structurally fascinating book. Though the story is almost entirely focused on these two characters, we only ever get to experience them, in passing, through the eyes of the medley of characters that get caught up in their machinations. It’s how Higashino maintains the mystery, with each new character offering a couple of new insights into what’s going on, but it’s all one step removed, and only ever contributes to one elaborate jigsaw puzzle. For the longest time the picture simply doesn’t form. It is almost frustrating because, again, Journey Under The Midnight Sun is a very long book, but the delayed gratification in finally understanding the full picture is all the more worthwhile for it. The son of the victim killed 19 years ago, Ryoji's eyes have been dark and emotionless since the childhood incidence. He loathes getting close with other people. He started to get involved in shady businesses like housewife prostitution rings and game bootlegging when he was a student. He is a very astute man who possesses professional software skills. He loves to use vintage scissors of his since childhood and is very good at paper cutting. (The English translation by Alexander Smith renamed him Ryo Kirihara for reasons unknown.) I’m actually confused what to say about this novel. It is weird, disturbing but at the same time intriguing and definitely something which you won’t put down too easily.Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. The book is complex to the extent where the reader knows that at the end of this maze only the Minotaur would be waiting for him. It was unbelievably good, deeply unsatisfactory, and heartbreakingly tragic. Why? Because so many lives got destroyed, one fell, the other rose, and we kept walking under the midnight Sun. Perhaps, we might have another book that would eventually show someone crashing even that Olympian figure, and only then it would be the end of the night. The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.

Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino - Hachette UK

Towards the novel's end, Sasagaki is able to obtain evidence linking Ryoji to Matsuura's death. The police wait for him to appear at the opening of Yukiho's second shop on Christmas Day, and discover he is one of the employees dressing up as Santa Claus. Cornered, Ryoji runs to the top of the building and jumps to his death. When asked, Yukiho denies knowing him. Higashino employs extraordinary skill in writing this story. In its bare outline, the plot might seem like a mundane genre piece. There are parts that dissolve into pure melodrama. There are shades of gothic noir. Some of the unexpected turns will leave the reader gasping. Even at its conclusion, there is an element of ambiguity. Like Sasagaki, the reader can easily become obsessed with the truth of this story. As the story progresses, a lot of characters get introduced. It might be a little overwhelming at first, but everything comes together eventually just like different pieces in the puzzle fit to show the whole picture and in the end, you’re left gasping for air at what you see! The shifting point of views among the different characters kept the tension alive. The story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, making me feel all sorts of feels and caused me to question everything I’ve ever known!Anyway, if you're familiar with the novel "Gone with the Wind".. You will somehow knew about these two very flawed people I'm referring to. :) Mother of Yukiho, Fumiyo was seen by the police as a suspect in the pawnshop incidence. Soon after the murder, she died from a gas leakage at home. The truth, however, is much darker... The store manager of the "Kirihara" pawnshop, Isamu knows a lot of secrets about the Kirihara family. He later approaches Ryoji as a broker of unauthorized game software. PDF / EPUB File Name: Journey_Under_the_Midnight_Sun_-_Keigo_Higashino.pdf, Journey_Under_the_Midnight_Sun_-_Keigo_Higashino.epub In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title of Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.

UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN | Kirkus Reviews

Keigo Higashino ( 東野 圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest selling fiction authors in Japan—as well known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy are in the USA.Despite its epic length, Higashino keeps his world remarkably claustrophobic, scattering just enough references to movies, current events, and first-generation home computers to let you know where the lead characters, aging but powerless to change, stand as the story rolls toward its bleakly preordained end. Rewatch Value 8.0 Tragic and yet beautiful in the dark side of love. This drama is too heavy that I get too depressed and saddened over it. OMO! Those tone is too heavy also, they really set the right atmosphere to set the mood with good music transition. T__T Most of the alibis of those Sasagaki questions seem solid, and when the chief suspect dies in a vehicle accident the police reduce the resources devoted to the case. Despite it being classified as inactive, and then exceeding the statute of limitations, Sasagaki becomes obsessed with the crime and its ramifications, following it for nearly two decades, even into retirement, as he tries to unravel its complexities.