Beautifully written.

To be honest, this is one of those books that I could simply list appropriate adjectives for. This book is poignant, evocative, moving, heartfelt, shocking and, unerringly beautiful in equal measure. Such is the complexity of the writing and plotting, that it almost defies its own inclusion into the crime genre, as its literary credentials are plain to see, and the pace and lyrical intensity of the slowly unfurling plot, take the reader on a wholly mesmeric journey. With each strand of the narrative pivoting between separate characters telling their story, and the shifting location from France to Japan, and the unique characteristics of these two societies, rural and city, weaving in and out of the plot, the reader is constantly kept on the back-foot, and deliciously toyed with as to how the plot will develop. Henshaw cleverly harnesses the haunting simplicity of Japanese fiction, with all the style and impetus redolent of European crime fiction, in this utterly enthralling and highly original novel. Wonderful writing, and a book that I cannot urge you strongly enough to discover for yourselves.

I picked this book up after hearing it recommended by Laura Kroetsch, the director of Adelaide Writers Week, where the author is to be a guest next year.
Henshaw is a highly respected Australian author, but I had not read any of his work before and, while I enjoyed this novel, I'm not sure I'd rush to read any of his other works.
Because of his writing style, I struggled to engage with this book for at least the first 1/4 of it. The writing is beautiful but, at times, enigmatic, getting in the way of the story and causing me to flip back through pages to try to keep up with the characters and time frames.
The story, however, is a corker and once I got past the writing it is what kept me hanging in there. It is rich in atmosphere and convolutions, although I'm still not entirely sure it needed the Algerian complication. Towards the end there are more twists and flips than a fish on a line, but it's worth soldiering on.

Such a beautifully written story. Four and a half stars! Sometimes the plot got a bit confusing as the story weaved between Japan, Algeria and France. But I loved this book.

"In some mysterious way, he seemed to suck the light out of things. There was nothing left for anyone else. All of us came, in one way or another, to experience this. Ironically, however, in his Katsuo's company, we also felt privileged."
Beautifully written book that is like a mysterious Japanese puzzle. I found it hard to put down even when, for the longest time, I didn't really know what was happening or where the characters were going.

Intense.

This was an impromptu read, not my usual type of book, but I found it to be quite compelling and enjoyable.

I received this book free in return for a honest review.

I did not like the book because of the way it was written. The way they moved back and forth between the past and present, circular instead of linear, gave me a headache. I couldn't follow it or connect to the book.

I couldn't even figure out what it was about or why characters were interacting with each other.