I love mysteries and books set and about Japan, but the meeting between those two interests of mine, rarely happens. Thus, my infinite pleasure of getting to know Seichō Matsumoto, a multi-awarded journalist and thriller author. Seichō Matsumoto.
Point Zero, translated into English by Louise Heal Kawai, who also translated, among others, Breasts and Eggs is standing out for more than one reason.
Set in Japan at the end of the 1950s, almost ten years after the end of the WWII where Japan was a defeated power, it reveals deep social struggles and rifts, in addition to a very interesting detective story. Teiko, the main woman character of the book, is decided to find out why her beloved husband, ten years her senior, disappeared suddently during their honeymoon. But as she is trying to put together the disparate pieces of the disappearance puzzle, there are surprising facts that she will discover about him, and his life before they met. Exactly the kind of mystery that I am very much interested in, as it connects society and history with the journey towards finding the truth.
Particularly important is the fact that in comparison with other similar novels published in Japan, the truth is investigated by a woman. A product of her world, Teiko is reclaiming her autonomy and courageously asking questions. Thus, Matsumoto breaks a tabu on allowing women both in real life and in literary fiction to act as independent characters.
A finely executed story, Point Zero is just encouraging me to pay more attention this year to Japan, a world that played an important role in my personal and professional history.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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