Author: Kanae Minato
Translator: Stephen Snyder
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
First Published: August 5, 2008
Book description: Her pupils killed her daughter.
Now, she will have her revenge.
After calling off her engagement in wake of a tragic revelation, Yuko Moriguchi had nothing to live for except her only child, four-year-old Manami. Now, following an accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation.
But first she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that upends everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.
Narrated in alternating voices, with twists you'll never see coming, Confessions explores the limits of punishment, despair, and tragic love, culminating in a harrowing confrontation between teacher and student that will place the occupants of an entire school in danger. You'll never look at a classroom the same way again.
Review:
I found the concept of the lesson to be quite intriguing. The teacher's personality was raw and ruthless, which I think was necessary for the subject matter at hand. The writing style can be found interesting, for me it worked but it might not be the case for everyone.
This book is set up as 5 confessions of different people connected in different ways to the main confession:
The teacher whose daughter was killed
The two students that killed her, Naoki and Shuya
A classmate, the class president Mizuki
One of Naoki's older sisters (this was simply added and provided very little to the main event really)
Each POV retells the main event, providing insights as to why the murder happened. Also, it includes the fallout after the revenge plot was revealed.
I will go into more detail ahead if you do not want mild spoilers- run away for now.
It starts off with the middle school professor giving a lecture on the last day of school. The teacher is giving her last lecture, it appears to be a huge ramble to start off. She touches seemly unrelated topics: the milk program the school participated on, the announcement of her retirement from her profession, the terminal illness of a very famous teacher from another prefecture, and lastly the death of her four-year-old daughter Minami. Slowly her lecture becomes a tightening noose as these seemingly unconnected stories take on a chilling shift as she accuses two students in the classroom; Shūya and Naoki, of causing Manami's death. And then very casually drops the bombshell of the horrifying revenge she has already set in motion. It was shocking to hear what she had planned, and her students couldn't believe that someone they had known and interacted for months could be capable of such a thing. Everyone left the lecture feeling uneasy and unsure of what to do next.
The second Chapter is a new voice Muziki, the class president. Her section is told as if in a letter. She is writing to her professor to let her know what has happened to the class and the two murders after the new school term started. She is talking mostly of how the class atmosphere and the students reacted: in short badly.
From there the mic is handed over to the two accused boys in turn, and a chapter from Naoki's sister. It does jump back to Naoki and Shuya. Each narration provides more about the repercussions and it gives details on the motivations leading up to Minami's murder and the truth about her death. Each narrative provided a piece of the puzzle, and as the reader connects the dots, the truth began to reveal itself. It became clear that some individuals had been hiding the truth and manipulating the situation for their own benefit. But with each answer received, their lies were exposed. As the different perspectives began to interlock, the intent behind certain actions became more apparent. It was a complex web of motives and agendas.
The story came to an explosive conclusion with a final chapter from the teacher. It was intense --full of vengeance, gotchas, and the last word was emphatically had. I couldn't put the book down until I finished the last page. The way it ended left me in awe, and I will definitely recommend it to my friends.
This book was used for challenges:
#AYearAThon: May's theme: Rereads. This doubles up as I do have a personal challenge to reread at least 2 books each month.
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