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hmetwade's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Incest, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide
ruyanda's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Incest
Minor: Death and Child death
nenaveenstra's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This was an interesting read. The entirety of this book takes place during one night, in one apartment in Tokyo. The main characters have a seemingly endless conversation with each other, filling in the blanks of each others' memories about an event that happened a year ago.
The suspension in this book relies entirely on omission. The plot twists - or reveils, rather - are only shocking because the narrators are unreliable. That's not something everyone likes, but I was okay with it.
This book very much reminded me of thriller films from the zeroes, which is the same era this book was written in. A major contributing factor to this, was the fact that these characters exchange thoughts and ideas with each other and present them as fact, thus 'discovering the truth' in a completely unreliable way. The book does not address this. I appreciate the nostalgic vibe this gives off, but if this book were newer I probably wouldn't have liked this very much.
Please check the content warnings before you go into this. This book isn't very gory or anything but I was very disturbed by the discussions of incest. These people entered a romantic relationship with each other while they thought they were siblings (later turned out to be cousins).
The spoiler mentioned above is the main reason I'm giving this book a lower rating.
The suspension in this book relies entirely on omission. The plot twists - or reveils, rather - are only shocking because the narrators are unreliable. That's not something everyone likes, but I was okay with it.
This book very much reminded me of thriller films from the zeroes, which is the same era this book was written in. A major contributing factor to this, was the fact that these characters exchange thoughts and ideas with each other and present them as fact, thus 'discovering the truth' in a completely unreliable way. The book does not address this. I appreciate the nostalgic vibe this gives off, but if this book were newer I probably wouldn't have liked this very much.
Please check the content warnings before you go into this. This book isn't very gory or anything but I was very disturbed by
The spoiler mentioned above is the main reason I'm giving this book a lower rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Incest, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide
See spoiler text in review above for more info about the incest part of this book.ilclubdeilibribrutti's review
challenging
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Minor: Suicide
lilworm's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Incest
shutupiamreading's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Suicide
Moderate: Murder
kellyung's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Incest
akira_outofthegravity's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a beautiful exercise in grief and remorse. It’s not so much a murder mystery, as it is an introspection into the lives of Hiro and Aki. Much like the Aosawa Murders. It’s about love and guilt and letting go of the past.
Honestly it’s really beautiful. I loved the scenery, and the writing is filled with such melancholy that it aches. Onda has some insane talent.
It’s probably going to be a book either you love or you hate.
Honestly it’s really beautiful. I loved the scenery, and the writing is filled with such melancholy that it aches. Onda has some insane talent.
It’s probably going to be a book either you love or you hate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Child death
Moderate: Violence and Incest
shelfofunread's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.5
Having read and enjoyed The Aosawa Murders, I was pleased to learn that Bitter Lemon Press had arranged for a second of Riku Onda’s novels to be translated into English. And, as with its predecessor, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is somewhat unconventional in its structure and premise.
Told over the course of one night, the novel follows Aki and Hiro, who have decided to spend one last night together in their shared flat before going their separate ways. Over the course of a shared meal and some drinks, they confront each other about the tragic death of their mountain guide during a trekking holiday the year before. Each person is convinced that the other must have murdered the guide. But how did they do it? And why? As the night grows longer, Aki and Hiro become involved in a battle of wills that gradually reveals a series of shocking – and unexpected – truths.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is a very difficult book to review because to say anything further about the plot or the characters is to risk venturing into spoiler territory. And given the skill with which Riku Onda casually drops revelatory bombshells into this novel, that would be a great shame. What I can say is that the narrative, despite being told in a languid prose style, had me absolutely hooked and took several unexpected but satisfying turns along the way to its resolution.
Alternating between the perspectives of Aki and Hiro, the reader is gradually absorbed into the story of these two individuals, the connections between them, and the mystery about what happened on that ill-fated walking holiday. Along the way, the couple must both confront long-buried secrets, difficult truths, and suppressed desires: about themselves, about each other, and about the relationship between them.
Although told in languid, dream-like manner, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight does not shy away from confronting the darker aspects of human psychology and readers should be aware that the novel makes mention of or reference to suicidal thoughts, suicide, child death, and the death of a parent. The central relationship is also one of unhealthy dependence and obsession that gives the entire novel an unsettling air of menace and oppression that contrasts sharply with the poetry of Alison Watts’ translation.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is billed as a psychological thriller and, although I can see why it has been assigned that label, for me it’s a novel that resists such easy categorisation. Whilst the novel’s primary concern is the psychology of it’s protagonists – and the battle of wills between them is, at times, thrilling – the book is more than the sum of its parts. The central mystery of what happened to the mountain guide is, over the course of the novel, supplemented with several other mysteries about the exact nature of the relationship between Aki and Hiro, as well as about the accuracy (or otherwise) of their shared memories of the past.
As with The Aosawa Murders, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight probably won’t be for everyone. It requires a little more effort than the average thriller and, as with its predecessor, refuses to tie up all of its threads into a neat and tidy bow. For those prepared to expend a little more effort, however, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight a suspenseful, unsettling and satisfying psychological read.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the Blog Tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Told over the course of one night, the novel follows Aki and Hiro, who have decided to spend one last night together in their shared flat before going their separate ways. Over the course of a shared meal and some drinks, they confront each other about the tragic death of their mountain guide during a trekking holiday the year before. Each person is convinced that the other must have murdered the guide. But how did they do it? And why? As the night grows longer, Aki and Hiro become involved in a battle of wills that gradually reveals a series of shocking – and unexpected – truths.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is a very difficult book to review because to say anything further about the plot or the characters is to risk venturing into spoiler territory. And given the skill with which Riku Onda casually drops revelatory bombshells into this novel, that would be a great shame. What I can say is that the narrative, despite being told in a languid prose style, had me absolutely hooked and took several unexpected but satisfying turns along the way to its resolution.
Alternating between the perspectives of Aki and Hiro, the reader is gradually absorbed into the story of these two individuals, the connections between them, and the mystery about what happened on that ill-fated walking holiday. Along the way, the couple must both confront long-buried secrets, difficult truths, and suppressed desires: about themselves, about each other, and about the relationship between them.
Although told in languid, dream-like manner, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight does not shy away from confronting the darker aspects of human psychology and readers should be aware that the novel makes mention of or reference to suicidal thoughts, suicide, child death, and the death of a parent. The central relationship is also one of unhealthy dependence and obsession that gives the entire novel an unsettling air of menace and oppression that contrasts sharply with the poetry of Alison Watts’ translation.
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight is billed as a psychological thriller and, although I can see why it has been assigned that label, for me it’s a novel that resists such easy categorisation. Whilst the novel’s primary concern is the psychology of it’s protagonists – and the battle of wills between them is, at times, thrilling – the book is more than the sum of its parts. The central mystery of what happened to the mountain guide is, over the course of the novel, supplemented with several other mysteries about the exact nature of the relationship between Aki and Hiro, as well as about the accuracy (or otherwise) of their shared memories of the past.
As with The Aosawa Murders, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight probably won’t be for everyone. It requires a little more effort than the average thriller and, as with its predecessor, refuses to tie up all of its threads into a neat and tidy bow. For those prepared to expend a little more effort, however, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight a suspenseful, unsettling and satisfying psychological read.
NB: This review appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the Blog Tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Child death
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