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cardica's review against another edition
4.0
When you think of murder mystery protagonists, you probably picture history’s greats, like the sharp and observant Sherlock Holmes, or the unrelenting Hercule Poirot, but [a:Naomi Hirahara|30798|Naomi Hirahara|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1605642980p2/30798.jpg]’s Mas Arai is a special case. This elderly Hiroshima survivor is an unlikely hero, but all the stronger for it, and Sayonara Slam, coming in 10th on our recommendations list for 2020, is all the stronger for his quirks.
After a journalist is poisoned at Dodger Stadium, just before a friendly match between Japan and Korea, Mas Arai is contacted by the son of one of his childhood friends to help him investigate the murder. Taking on a role as a driver and translator for Yuki, Mas is dragged every which way around Los Angeles, finding conspiracy at every turn. With Yuki reminding Mas of a past relationship from his time in Japan, Mas’ relationship with his girlfriend Gennessee is thrown into turmoil, and the case provides him a welcome excuse to avoid dealing with his feelings.
As the mystery twists and turns through politics, history and journalism, the plot circles World War 2 and its impact on Asian-American communities, putting front and centre issues that the modern day threatens to forget, highlighting their prevalence and importance, all told through oddball characters that unquestionably reflect realities often left unnoticed. A trip to a retirement home might be a quiet, humble experience, but pry a bit deeper and there is a wealth of life experience to be found in all corners of the room. Mas’ journeys to visit his friends through this story convey that wealth immaculately. The youthful moments and banter scattered between the waning energy of the retirees, all observed through Mas’ charming lens, turn simple discussions between old friends into enormous hooks for the story.
Mas is truly the pillar of this book. His character is heartwarming and a joy to witness the perspective of. His observations are simultaneously witty, tired and focused, vividly capturing the spirit of the old retiree. The way Naomi Hirahara was able to weave timeless problems into his story makes him immediately relatable, and his willingness and confusion at new information make the perfect companion for a cozy mystery. If you have the choice, we would definitely suggest going with the audiobook version of this story because Brian Nishi’s interpretation of the unique phonetic style of Mas’ speech is gorgeous and and definitely helped Herds and I understand the writing on a whole new level. Particularly seeing the way that Naomi Hirahara brings Mas’ observations back around is thrilling. It’s immediately obvious that thing like the dilapidated park near Dodger Stadium, which Mas walks through at the beginning of the novel, will come back around at the end of the story, and the way that the story plants ambiguous seeds of detail in early moments that will blossom later on in ways you don’t expect, will bring a smile to your face.
Mas himself is based on the story of Hirahara’s father, a hibakusha, or Hiroshima survivor, himself. Whilst it seems the paths of Mas and his inspiration have diverted some time ago (at least we hope Naomi’s father isn’t being dragged into criminal conspiracies), the caricature moments he inspired, such as the old gardener critiquing landscaping choices, give the novel an excellent breathing pace with great variety. Tense investigations are separated by levity such as simple chats between Yuki and Mas, in a regular cadence that has puts you on a fine wire between showing the repetitions of retirement and the spontaneity of discovery. Seeing Naomi weave her own experiences through this story is wonderful, combining her own family history with her decades of experience as a journalist. Despite its cozy surface and simple setup, the story at no point shies away from dealing with enormous issues tactfully. The impacts of generational harm for many reasons are front and centre and approaching it in this family-driven, top-down approach with the elderly community at the core and younger characters like Yuki engaged at the sidelines is such a clever approach and we have to applaud Naomi for it.
The mystery, however, cannot hold a candle to the intelligent approach of the thematics. The novel doesn’t break any of our traditional rules, strictly speaking, but goes to show that even the strictures of Knox and Van Dine can’t make a fair and challenging mystery. The vaguely Device-X method is revealed quite early, instead asking you to unravel how the device managed to be there in the first place, which in our opinion is a completely valid approach to take. Our issue was that by the time the truth is revealed, even though you are fully equipped to understand the explanation, we do not think there is a reasonable way to pre-empt it, largely due to the implausibility of certain parts of the puzzle.
Both Herds and I were bewildered and even on a couple of re-reads do not think it made sense. The book is undoubtedly a great read despite this, as we think there is still thematic importance to the choice for which we chastise the mystery, but it definitely took the wind out of our sails when we first covered it on the show. We’ve both warmed to it a lot since. I’m sure Raymond Chandler would have a thing or two to say about it, but this concern is secondary. If you approach the novel with this in mind, the strengths of the novel are well worth it, both in that you’ll enjoy them, and likely learn something new and important.
You can hear our full thoughts and our discussion with Naomi Hirahara up on the Death of the Reader podcast. Thanks again to Naomi for talking with us!
After a journalist is poisoned at Dodger Stadium, just before a friendly match between Japan and Korea, Mas Arai is contacted by the son of one of his childhood friends to help him investigate the murder. Taking on a role as a driver and translator for Yuki, Mas is dragged every which way around Los Angeles, finding conspiracy at every turn. With Yuki reminding Mas of a past relationship from his time in Japan, Mas’ relationship with his girlfriend Gennessee is thrown into turmoil, and the case provides him a welcome excuse to avoid dealing with his feelings.
As the mystery twists and turns through politics, history and journalism, the plot circles World War 2 and its impact on Asian-American communities, putting front and centre issues that the modern day threatens to forget, highlighting their prevalence and importance, all told through oddball characters that unquestionably reflect realities often left unnoticed. A trip to a retirement home might be a quiet, humble experience, but pry a bit deeper and there is a wealth of life experience to be found in all corners of the room. Mas’ journeys to visit his friends through this story convey that wealth immaculately. The youthful moments and banter scattered between the waning energy of the retirees, all observed through Mas’ charming lens, turn simple discussions between old friends into enormous hooks for the story.
Mas is truly the pillar of this book. His character is heartwarming and a joy to witness the perspective of. His observations are simultaneously witty, tired and focused, vividly capturing the spirit of the old retiree. The way Naomi Hirahara was able to weave timeless problems into his story makes him immediately relatable, and his willingness and confusion at new information make the perfect companion for a cozy mystery. If you have the choice, we would definitely suggest going with the audiobook version of this story because Brian Nishi’s interpretation of the unique phonetic style of Mas’ speech is gorgeous and and definitely helped Herds and I understand the writing on a whole new level. Particularly seeing the way that Naomi Hirahara brings Mas’ observations back around is thrilling. It’s immediately obvious that thing like the dilapidated park near Dodger Stadium, which Mas walks through at the beginning of the novel, will come back around at the end of the story, and the way that the story plants ambiguous seeds of detail in early moments that will blossom later on in ways you don’t expect, will bring a smile to your face.
Mas himself is based on the story of Hirahara’s father, a hibakusha, or Hiroshima survivor, himself. Whilst it seems the paths of Mas and his inspiration have diverted some time ago (at least we hope Naomi’s father isn’t being dragged into criminal conspiracies), the caricature moments he inspired, such as the old gardener critiquing landscaping choices, give the novel an excellent breathing pace with great variety. Tense investigations are separated by levity such as simple chats between Yuki and Mas, in a regular cadence that has puts you on a fine wire between showing the repetitions of retirement and the spontaneity of discovery. Seeing Naomi weave her own experiences through this story is wonderful, combining her own family history with her decades of experience as a journalist. Despite its cozy surface and simple setup, the story at no point shies away from dealing with enormous issues tactfully. The impacts of generational harm for many reasons are front and centre and approaching it in this family-driven, top-down approach with the elderly community at the core and younger characters like Yuki engaged at the sidelines is such a clever approach and we have to applaud Naomi for it.
The mystery, however, cannot hold a candle to the intelligent approach of the thematics. The novel doesn’t break any of our traditional rules, strictly speaking, but goes to show that even the strictures of Knox and Van Dine can’t make a fair and challenging mystery. The vaguely Device-X method is revealed quite early, instead asking you to unravel how the device managed to be there in the first place, which in our opinion is a completely valid approach to take. Our issue was that by the time the truth is revealed, even though you are fully equipped to understand the explanation, we do not think there is a reasonable way to pre-empt it, largely due to the implausibility of certain parts of the puzzle.
Both Herds and I were bewildered and even on a couple of re-reads do not think it made sense. The book is undoubtedly a great read despite this, as we think there is still thematic importance to the choice for which we chastise the mystery, but it definitely took the wind out of our sails when we first covered it on the show. We’ve both warmed to it a lot since. I’m sure Raymond Chandler would have a thing or two to say about it, but this concern is secondary. If you approach the novel with this in mind, the strengths of the novel are well worth it, both in that you’ll enjoy them, and likely learn something new and important.
You can hear our full thoughts and our discussion with Naomi Hirahara up on the Death of the Reader podcast. Thanks again to Naomi for talking with us!
chonkeyhong's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
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