I read 三日目 today and it was fun. I’m also thinking of reading ahead. This is such an easy read, and I don’t want to wait another week to see how the story develops.
I recently read a book by 赤川次郎 where (spoiler for 夏と花火と私の死体, and I guess very light spoiler for the 赤川次郎 book, although you could really tell from the blurb) the protagonist had to frantically move around a body to hide it from various people who kept appearing where they weren’t supposed to, and I’m impressed that the 16 year old 乙一 did more or less the same thing in an even more entertaining way.
So I finished the first story, and I very much agree with @NicoleIsEnough: This went from black slapstick to chilling in an instant, and both were very satisfying. Masterful storytelling for someone so young, for sure. And while some descriptions felt like fluff in the beginning, everything had its purpose, and everything fell perfectly into place. (I knew this Midori-san was an odd one )
Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well @omk3! I still find myself chewing on bits and pieces of the story, which is a really good sign. Like for example, Midori-san evoked the impression that she grew up in that village as a kid. So I wondered whether that was her signature move to befriend the boys? But then I realized, no, she really knows 66 (and his shoe mania) from when she was a child, so it can’t have been that. But maybe she played that trick in the other villages regardless?
I actually don’t remember…
Meanwhile, I finished 優子 chapter 1.
The narration style is very different from the first story, the author feels much more grounded in the language. This made me wonder whether he was just older when he wrote it (my book was published in 2000, when he was age 22) or whether he intended the first story to be geared towards elementary school children, which would explain the language as well as the slapstick parts (which might feel quite real and horrifying for a child that age). Anyways, the current story feels rather as if it was written in the 1930’s or so? I really like this old-fashioned feeling and storytelling. Also, we learn that something is very, very, very odd, and we have several hints and puzzle pieces, but we can only speculate so far…
She did in fact grow up in the village, and is Ken’s cousin (I don’t remember if it’s from the mother’s or father’s side, but there probably are some strange genes affecting everyone in that family). Several things are hinted about her, but I feel like nothing was really explained. She had a difficult childhood, she had always wanted to play on that wall but the boys wouldn’t let her, she named 66 herself (and we’re left to wonder what the name even means), but why specifically kill boys who look like Ken? As to how she approached them, I’m sure she needed no special trick. She’s only 19, looks beautiful and kind, and has ice-cream. No one (no boy at least) would think they’d have to be wary of her.
By the way, I’m now wondering about that doll in the wall hole. It was obviously used as a jump stare and misdirection, but why was there even a doll there? No girls were allowed up that wall. Was it someone’s treasured toy, thrown in there as part of bullying maybe?
Oh, I forgot about that bit. So yes, she really is from that village, that’s not a made-up story.
[wild speculation ensues]
So why kill them at all, is the first question. It’s not explained, but hinted at, that she is sexually abusing them and then killing them to shut them up, is my take. Now why boys that look like Ken? So the easiest answer would be “because he is her type”? But there may be more to it: She was 8 when he was born, and maybe she saw that her life was so bad and his was so good in comparison, that she wanted to own a bit of that good life by owning him or a person that looked like him? Murderers’ psychology is weird, I guess.
Also the thought that we are supposed to take with us is that when she specifically likes boys like Ken, then he is in immediate danger! is my take. But maybe this time she has such a strong grip on him by hiding his deed that she need not even kill him in order to make him shut up? So maybe they will live together happily ever after?
That’s of course a very valid point, and I guess she is absolutely out of the focus of any investigations either. So she can go on with this indefinitely if she so prefers.
That’s what I am thinking as well.
Meanwhile, I continued 優子.
Chapter 2: Short chapter, giving us a glimpse into the room. There are lots of dolls (that’s why there are so many dolls’ boxes in the kitchen!), and 優子 is lying on the floor in front of them. She is very weak and feels like on the verge of death. 政義 seems to be very worried about her condition.
Chapter 3: 清音 discovers a grave in the bamboo grove behind the garden. And as the reader may have speculated from the prologue already, this is the grave of 優子, as the former housemaid confirms. 清音 is shocked by this information and decides to investigate. When 政義 leaves the house, she sneaks into the room, discovers that the “woman” lying in front of the dolls is a doll herself, investigates the old broken mirror in the room but gets scared by a face she sees in the mirror and scatters some of its shards, leaving a visible trace that she had entered the room
What is this mirror? Does it allow 政義 to get in touch with the ghost of his wife? Or is he just out of his wits due to his grief, and 清音 also gets tricked by her own imagination (and possibly the reflection of one of the dolls)? What will 政義 say once he finds out that 清音 entered the room?
That’s an interesting take. There has also been this weird atmosphere of light flirting from her side though, which is super weird from a 19 year old towards an 11 year old (come see me in my yukata, be careful of the kidnapper because you’re so cute). Not sure if that was flirting (maybe she had long seen his twisted nature and had actual respect for him?) or just baiting her next victim. When they were discussing their crimes there at the end, she was thinking about she how she just might stop doing what she had been doing because of what happened. Maybe as you say, her wish was to somehow own Ken (because of jealousy or desire or whatever), and now she does? Or they may start being partners in crime. Really, so many unanswered questions, but they’re fun to think about.
I’m curious about the second story, I know nothing at all about it. Could you describe its atmosphere or basic premise so far without revealing too much? I’ll probably wait till next week to start reading it, not sure.
The second story feels very different to the first one. The writing is different, giving a much more mature vibe, which makes me wonder whether the author actually matured or whether he changed the writing style on purpose? [Edit: Checked Wikipedia and it seems that both stories were initially published together in 1996 by Jump, when he was 18, so he must have done this on purpose. Even more impressive.] Anyways, the story feels like it could have been written in the 1930s or something. It is written from the point of view of a housemaid who just took on work at an author’s house, and while she is very fond of the author and the house and the work, there seems to be a deep mystery lurking behind all of this… (adding spoiler tags just in case, but this all appears on the first few pages, so no spoilers to the story or anything)
Thank you! That’s very interesting about the different style. Given the age of the first story’s narrator, it seems likely the lacklustre writing is entirely intentional to better fit the character.
And the rest of 優子 (i.e. week 6 of the book club):
Chapter 4: Another short chapter, 政義 interacting with 優子 after he returned home and discovered the broken mirror.
Chapter 5:
清音 is really deranged because she realizes that her master has gone crazy over the loss of his wife. So she comes to the conclusion that she should help him find out of this rut, even though she knows that he will probably hate her afterwards. So - after once more testing her theory that 優子 is non-existent - she decides to burn the doll in the garden. In the middle of the burning, 政義 returns home and of course freaks out, especially given that the real 優子 died in the same way
After this chapter, only two questions remain: How will this end for 政義, and when will the horror part kick in?
Chapter 6:
政義 is in the hospital and talks to a doctor. But he is very calm and composed and explains that 清音 actually ate the black berries from the garden that got mentioned a couple of times, and it turned out those were belladonna, a very poisonous hallucinogen. So it seems that she really made things up, and that 優子 was not a doll but a real (albeit very sick) person, and so she actually burned and killed that person!
Then 政義 talks about why that belladonna bush was in the garden in the first place, which is kind of a fantastic story in itself.
Finally, a baby cries in the hospital. In the next scene, 清音 talks to her father’s doll, which sadly doesn’t talk back.
This chapter really got me thinking. First I thought that 政義 only used a pretext to avoid the hospital, and I thought that it was rather impossible for her to have made things up, but when he said that his wife was actually a real person, everything started to make sense, and now I think that it’s very much possible that it was all her imagination with the doll and stuff. Wow! Pretty tough, being so misled into even killing a person. Be careful with the drugs, people!
The last part got me rather puzzled. It seems that the baby is meant to be 政義 and 清音’s child, I guess? Which was kind of the expected development. But what was that part with the father’s doll? Should this mean that she had gotten answers from the doll previously? Had she been drugged even before she started to work for 政義? Or was it because of her father’s recent death that she did not have any real experience talking to the doll before she started drugging herself? That was yet again a vague point, but an interesting one nonetheless.
And with this the book is over! (except for the atogaki, but I will read this at some other point.) I truly enjoyed the ride. That was a lot of entertainment I got out of buying this random book for 1 euro at BookOff Paris
Finished 二日目. When 緑さん finds the sandal, she looks over at 健くん’s house then puts the sandal back. I think she suspects 健くん. I’m now worried about 緑さん’s safety . I’m also worried about a rotting corpse being hidden in a closet
It’s mentioned that 緑さん had been in love with a boy that looked just like 健くん. I’m guessing he broke her heart and now she wants revenge on anyone who looks like him. Which is bad news for 健くん.
Finished 四日目. Good grief. All this time I was worried about 緑さん and then it turns out she’s the serial killer .
Anyhoo I really enjoyed this story. Hard to believe it was written by a 16 yr old. The way the ending wraps everything up I thought was really well done. The part where they watch the fireworks with 五月 was actually rather touching.
Haha, that might have been me, if you’re talking about かにみそ. I started it some time ago, but had to put it on hold, as I’m juggling way too many books at the moment. I’ll get to it eventually. If you read it, do let me know what you think!
I’m going to officially duck out of this club pick - I haven’t really been vibing with the author’s writing style and I never find myself wanting to pick it back up to even finish the first story I think at this point I should DNF the book and await the next club pick.
I just read the first three chapters of 優子, and I must say I’m impressed by the difference in writing style. This story is also easy to read, but nothing like the plain unadorned style of the first one. It’s also creepy instead of darkly hilarious. Very curious to see how it goes on!
)
Murderers’ psychology is weird, I guess.
. I’m also worried about a rotting corpse being hidden in a closet 
. I can’t wait to see what goes wrong next 
.
I think at this point I should DNF the book and await the next club pick.