On an isolated island, oppressed citizens are slowly stripped of their material reality.

This was a very tightly crafted story. It didn't drag for a moment and every line moved the story forward. The oppressive atmosphere permeated every page, and made for some striking dismal imagery.

It's never really explained why, but the Memory Police have better things, and are clearly the bourgeoisie. Food is scarce, but the Memory Police have plenty to eat. And they have tea, which is usually a sign of high-class sophistication. They have higher quality boots for the snow, elegant furnishings, and fancy limousines to chauffeur people to their deaths. One disappearance after another they take away people's ability to maintain a normal life. Not unlike the capitalist's slowly taking away the rights of their workers. With each disappearance, most people say they will simply learn to live with it as they have every time. Sort of like how Amazon warehouse workers likely had to just learn live with having their steps counted while on the clock, and not being able to sit down or take bathroom breaks.

One summary of this book called it Orwellian, and that is a perfect description. There is constant surveillance, a hidden room where forbidden knowledge is cherished, and a bleak setting with characters persisting against all odds. Truly a powerful story with a powerful ending.

Reading this with a Goodreads group. It's amazing so far and I love the cover.

Yuko resigns from her job as a teacher after har daughter has supposedly died from an accident. During her last lecture, she confronts her pupils with the truth. It wasn´t an accident and two of the pupils in her class are responsible for the death of her little girl.

This is only the beginning of the novel and a dark and twisted revenge story unfolds. Each chapter is told from a different persons perspective and every time I thought I knew where the story was heading, it took a completely different direction.

I enjoyed the feeling of strangeness and alienation throughout the novel. The culture and the people are completely different to my own European upbringing and the way Kanae Minato describes the characters is creepy and eery, yet she manages to make her characters human in a disturbing way. I constantly asked myself who is telling the truth and which character is the most responsible one for all that has happened.

It´s a rather unsettling read but a captivating one as well. I couldn´t put this book down once I have started it. And I have a soft spot for Japanese mystery and crime novels and the atmosphere that these books are able to create.

I´ve read this book for the Booklikes-opoly. It´s a mystery / thriller novel and it starts with a C.