Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The body of Manami Moriguchi has been discovered floating in the pool at S Middle School. The death was labeled an accident, but the child's mother, Yuko, knows otherwise. She teaches science at the school but because of the tragedy has decided to retire. Yuko knows who killed her child, but the punishment of juvenile offenders in Japan is far too lenient for her taste. So on the last day of school, she delivers her own one final lecture to her students that not only reveals the identities of the killers but also sets into motion a revenge plot that changes the lives of everyone around her. The story is revealed through the alternating viewpoints of its main characters: the killers, Naoki and Shuya; Shuya's overprotective mother; and Mizuki, the class prefect. As the impact of the tragedy is slowly revealed, readers discover how the crime was committed, what drove the two teens to murder, and the deep and far-reaching effects of Yuko's revenge. Originally published in Japan in 2009, Confessions is Minato's first novel and the winner of that country's National Book Award. This long-awaited English translation is a spellbinding read, a fascinating peek into modern Japanese society, and a glimpse into the dark corners of the human psyche.--Gladstein, Carol Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The murder of a young science teacher's trusting four-year-old daughter-by some of her own 13-year-old students-sets in motion a diabolic revenge plot with devastating collateral damage in Minato's outstanding debut, which inspired the Oscar nominated film. Initially, single mother Yuko Moriguchi's grief mixes with guilt when police rule little Manami's death accidental; she accepts the blow as yet another in a lengthy series, including the HIV-positive diagnosis that Manami's father received during Yuko's pregnancy, which prompted him to break off their engagement. But when she subsequently discovers evidence that points to foul play, Yuko decides to draw on her knowledge of the culprits to exact retribution far more terrible than the punishment that would have been meted out to such youthful offenders by the authorities. The plan's twisted genius emerges gradually through restrained first-person chapters narrated by Yuko and other principals. The suspense intensifies as the entire Machiavellian web only belatedly becomes clear. Minato, a homemaker and former home economics teacher, also spotlights the dysfunction that can fester beneath the tidy surface of Japanese society-as well as the searing fury of a mother's love gone wrong. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
"I think we regular people may have forgotten a basic truth-we don't really have the right to judge anyone else." Yuko -Moriguchi leads a relatively simple life, teaching middle school and raising her four-year-old daughter, Manami, on her own. But when Manami is murdered in a sick act of hatred, Yuko decides the legal system is unreliable and plans her own revenge. She resigns from her teaching position but plants the seeds of fear into two of her former students. One is driven insane and homebound by her words, while the other becomes the class pariah and is violently bullied. Yuko's retaliation sets these two students on an irreversible path to the destruction of everyone around them. But Yuko is not finished teaching her last lesson. VERDICT This award-winning debut novel is a creepy and mesmerizing psychological thriller that challenges the conventions of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and law vs. justice. There are no happy endings here, but Minato has pieced together an intriguing puzzle that will keep readers glued to their seats. Bound to appeal to fans of dark crime fiction or psychological drama/thrillers.-Jennifer Funk, McKendree Univ. Lib., Lebanon, IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
