When choosing a novel to read during my train commute, I often pick one I haven't read yet from online recommendations for mysteries.
This time, I've chosen Tokuro Nukui's debut work, "Dokoku" (Wailing).
This work was published in 1999, but this is the first time I've read anything by this author.
In everyday life, we don't often use the word "wailing," but I was aware that it meant something like "crying."
When I looked up the meaning of the word "慟哭" (dōkoku) online, I found that it means "to cry out loud and grieve intensely."
In other words, it's not a sobbing kind of crying, but a much more intense sadness.
The title might seem a bit heavy for reading on my morning commute, but I decided to give it a try.
It was definitely a very interesting read.
Simple synopsis
The story unfolds by alternating between chapters depicting Saeki, the head of the investigative division who is leading a series of child abduction and murder cases, and chapters depicting a man who becomes deeply involved in religion.
The realistic depiction of the investigation, which makes full use of the police's organizational capabilities, feels like reading a documentary, and you're immediately drawn into that world.
At the same time, the portrayal of Saeki's complex relationships—his career as a detective, his subordinate Okamoto, his superiors, the journalists, and his wife—is also realistic.
The way the author describes the internal dynamics and circumstances within the police force, even though it's fiction, is so convincing that you almost believe it.
Review (contains spoilers)
As I read on, I initially felt that the story was written from two different perspectives.
However, as I continued reading, I gradually realized that one of them was the culprit, and it became more interesting.
I usually try not to overthink the tricks, but it suddenly occurred to me, "Aren't both of these from Saeki's perspective?"
Just as I arrived at that conclusion, there was a description that contradicted it, stating that the perpetrator's name was "Matsumoto," and a driver's license also appeared.
This made me reconsider, wondering if I had been wrong.
However, the fact that they deliberately revealed the culprit's name to the readers felt somewhat contrived, and it also reminded me that Saeki had married into the family.
That made me think that Matsumoto and Saeki could be a possibility.
At this point, I realized that almost both perspectives were likely from Saeki's point of view.
From the perspective of the perpetrator, the name of the head of the investigative division holding the press conference is not mentioned, which made me certain that this is probably not happening on the same timeline.
And since Saeki was the culprit, it was predictable that Saeki's daughter, who was currently under investigation, would also eventually die, and that's exactly what happened.
When Okamoto finally identified the culprit and the trick was revealed, I felt more of a "I knew it" feeling than surprise, and I was happy that my guess had been correct for the first time in a while.
I felt the same kind of surprise I felt when I first played the adventure game "EVER17".
However, after finishing this book, I came to the conclusion that the author probably didn't intend to seriously deceive the reader with this trick.
There were quite a few clues scattered throughout, and you could probably arrive at the answer by working backward and asking yourself, "Who would be the most surprising culprit?"
I think the main message the author wanted to convey with this work was ultimately "grief and sorrow."
Despite his complicated upbringing, separation from his wife, and strained relationship with his daughter, Saeki still cared deeply for her in his own way.
The author's masterful portrayal of the characters' complex and often inexpressible emotions, and their final, intense emotional outburst, is best captured in the title "Wailing."
I was really impressed by the spiral-like structure of the story, where Saeki himself experiences an incident and then recreates it.
This made me wonder if the first case, in which Saeki's daughter was murdered, had been solved, but to that end, he replied, "No...not yet."
It's incredibly disheartening that I, who committed a similar crime, was caught, while the initial case in which I was the victim remains unsolved.
summary
This book is one where those familiar with mysteries might figure out the trick halfway through.
However, I feel that the main theme of this book is not to deceive the reader with tricks, but rather to carefully depict the inner workings of the characters' minds.
It would be uncouth to boast, "I easily saw through this trick."
For casual readers, the book is user-friendly, as it includes various hints scattered throughout to help them figure out the trick.
Personally, I believe this is an excellent work that will satisfy readers of all demographics above average.
The works I introduced are here.
Rakuten Market: 慟哭（楽天ブックス）