New York : Mulholland Books/Little, Brown and Co., 2014.
234 p. ; 21 cm.
Ok, maybe I didn't love it, but it is a good read. It's funny to see a book praised as "a nasty little masterpiece" or "the most delightfully evil book you will read this year" - but that is the verdict on this well received first-book phenom of Japanese author, Kanae Minato.
I found the opening of the book to be slightly disorienting - the avenging teacher at the heart of this novel is addressing her students in a way that no middle school teacher would in the US, but once you get past the slightly different mannerisms of the opening, the novel quickly pulls you in and doesn't let go. The novel opens with a punch, a teacher knows that two of her young students have killed her child, and she is leaving the school - but will get even.
The novel has been compared favorably to Gone Girl, and like that novel, it presents a really nasty view of human relationships - in this case between parents and children, children and children, and teachers and children. There's really no redeeming characters in the book, but that doesn't stop it from being well plotted and compelling. Part of Minato's success is the shifting narrative viewpoint. We hear the story from about six different characters' perspectives - and from each come disturbing and/or shocking revelations.
I would definitely recommend this to a student who wants to read a good murder-thriller, revenge novel. After all it's a vile little read that you just can't put down.
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