Japanese literature

The Aosawa Murders

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Chapter 1: The Poisoning The novel opens with the horrific mass poisoning at the Aosawa family estate during a […]

Japanese literature

Pro Bono

“In the courtroom, truth is not always justice.” Chapter 1: The Mysterious Client A struggling young lawyer, Kenzo Murakami, is approached by an elderly woman who insists he […]

Japanese literature

Under the Midnight Sun

“The sun never sets on some sins.” Prologue The novel opens in Osaka, 1973, with the brutal murder of a pawnshop owner, Yosuke Kirihara. Detective Sasagaki is assigned […]

Japanese literature

Real World

“The world is full of things that don’t make sense. That’s why we have to make our own sense of it.” Chapter 1: The Murder The novel opens […]

Japanese literature

Grotesque

“People are grotesque. They pretend to be good, but inside they’re rotten.” Part One: The Sisters The novel begins with the unnamed narrator reflecting on her sister Yuriko’s […]

Japanese literature

Out

“The night was deep and quiet, the kind of quiet that makes you feel like you’re the only person left in the world.” Chapter 1: The Factory The […]

German literature

Guilt

“Every crime has two stories—the one the law sees and the one the criminal tells himself.” Chapter 1: The Crime The book opens with a seemingly straightforward crime: […]