This murder mystery starts with an account written by an acquaintance of the victim. It sets the scene nicely. The next chapter was written from a different point of view, just to mix things up. I was pleased as well as surprised when the rug was pulled from under me quite early on (this is a mystery story after all).
All translated Japanese fiction I have read exhibits an unusual phenomenon where characters talk about extraordinary or at least unusual things as if they are completely unremarkable. For example, a deformed baby (Oe’s A Personal Matter), or most of Murakami’s 1Q84. I don’t know whether this is part of the Japanese psyche, or just the writers I have read, or their translators, or maybe just my own imagination. But anyway, I felt the same vibe in this book, even though it’s much more down-to-earth. It lends an slightly disconcerting air to even the most apparently mundane events.
The middle of the novel moves to more conventional murder mystery stuff, quite absorbing, with skeletons in every closet. The final reveal was not as surprising to me, even though I had missed most of the clues liberally sprinkled through the text. But it was still satisfying. I don’t read that many mysteries but I enjoyed this one.