is a 1998 novella collection by
Hideo Yokoyama
is a Japanese novelist who specializes in mystery novels. He is also known for his career as a journalist for the Jomo Shimbun, the regional paper in Gunma. He repeated his Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! No. 1 ranking in 2013 with '' Six Four'' (64). ...
, published by
Bungeishunju. The English translation, by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies, was published by the MCD imprint of
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...
in 2020.
There are four novellas in the collection:
* "Season of Shadows" (陰の季節)
* "Cry of the Earth" (地の声)
* "Black Lines" (黒い線)
* "Briefcase" (鞄)
The novellas take place in "Prefecture D", which itself is not specified. Paul Sedan of ''
The Christian Science Monitor
''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...
'' argued that it would likely be "one in a mountainous location in the middle of the country."
They focus more on day-to-day business of the police agency of that fictional prefecture, including personal conflicts.
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
stated that "politics" rather than "mayhem" is the focus.
Background
The translator originated from
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
[
]
Reception
Sedan argued that the work has "attention-grabbing prose" and that the translator did "a yeoman’s job here."[
]Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
stated that the book is "disappointing", arguing that the resolutions "are largely anticlimactic" and that the characters are not "memorable".
See also
Other works by Yokoyama:
* '' Seventeen''
* '' Six Four''
References
External links
*
Prefecture D
' - Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...
*
Kage no Kisetsu
' - Bungeishunju
*
Kage no Kisetsu
' - Bungeishunju
Japanese novellas
1998 Japanese novels
1990s novellas
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