The North Light

by Hideo Yokoyama, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator)

Minoru Aose is an architect whose greatest achievement is to have designed the Yoshino house, a prizewinning and much discussed private residence built in the shadow of Mount Asama. Aose has never been able to replicate this triumph and his career seems to have hit a barrier, while his marriage has failed. He is shocked to learn that the Yoshino House is empty apart from a single chair, stood facing the north light of nearby Mount Asama.

How can he live with the rejection of the work he had put his heart and soul into, the dream house he would have loved to own himself? Aose determines that he must discover the truth behind this cruel and inexplicable dismissal of the Yoshino house and in doing so will find out a truth that goes back to the core of who he is.

Plotted with the subtlety of his bestselling masterpiece Six Four, The North Light is Yokoyama at his elusive, tantalising and surprising best.

Genres: Japan, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Japanese Literature, Novels, Mystery Thriller

416 pages, Hardcover

First published February 22, 2019

About the author

Hideo Yokoyama (横山 秀夫) worked as an investigative reporter with a regional newspaper north of Tokyo for 12 years before striking out on his own as a fiction writer. He made his literary debut in 1998 when his collection of police stories Kage no kisetsu (Season of Shadows) won the Matsumoto Seicho Prize; the volume was also short-listed for the Naoki Prize. In 2000 his story Doki (Motive) was awarded the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Short Stories. His 2002 novel Han'ochi (Half Solved) earned a Konomys No. 1 and gained him a place among Japan's best-selling authors. He repeated his Konomys No. 1 ranking in 2013 with 64 Rokuyon (64), his first novel in seven years. Other prominent works include his 2003 Kuraimazu hai (Climber's High), centering on the crash of JAL Flight 123 that he covered as a reporter in 1985; the World War II novel Deguchi no nai umi (Seas with No Exit, 2004); the police novel Shindo zero (Seismic Intensity Zero, 2005); and the story collection Rinjo (Initial Investigation, 2004).

Source:http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/authors/...

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to be quite so captivated by a psychological mystery that revolves around architecture but I couldn’t put this down. Hideo Yokoyama’s novel’s told from the perspective of Aose a world-weary, middle-aged architect whose career and family fell apart when Japan’s bubble economy burst. Aose now works for an old college friend, introspective and insecure, he’s essentially adrift. His relationship with his teenage daughter Hinako is fragile and Aose’s unable to establish any real intimacy or deeper connection with the people around him. His only point of pride is the Y-house a recent project that allowed him to design the building of his dreams. But then he finds the Yoshino family he built it for has inexplicably vanished, even harder to fathom the Y-house shows no signs of ever having been lived in. The only remnant of his clients’ presence is a single chair placed close to a window that opens onto a glorious view of the sky. But this is no ordinary chair, it was designed by Bruno Taut – the real-life German architect who spent two years living and working in Japan in the 1930s, after his politics led him to flee Nazi Germany.

The finely-wrought but slender plot hinges on Aose’s search for the Yoshinos but this isn’t in any way a conventional crime novel. Instead, it’s a character-led narrative, through which Yokoyama explores broader questions about existence, identity, and Japanese culture both past and present. Aose’s growing fascination with the life and work of Bruno Taut opens up a fascinating discussion of modernism in Japan, Japanese aesthetics and the nature of beauty. One that forces Aose to think about his own creative priorities and values. Aose’s quest also stirs up memories about his rootless childhood, his fractured family, his shattered friendships; all the experiences and relationships that underpin his shaky sense of self. Through his investigations Aose begins to confront feelings and events long-buried, and reconsider his ideas about life and how to live it. It’s a leisurely, meditative piece, filled with beautifully-rendered images of Japan, its sounds, its landscapes, the play of light through houses and apartments. In the concluding episodes Yokoyama briefly ramps up the tension via a sub-plot about bribery and corruption but this too loops back to earlier issues about personal legacies and heritage. Elegiac yet optimistic, atmospheric, and fluid, I really relished this. Translated by Louise Heal Kawai.

Thanks to Netgalley UK and publisher riverrun for an ARC

Rating: 4.5

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premise: A down-on-his-luck architect was commissioned to design a house for a family of five in a suburban town in Nagano, Japan. (Information for the actual location: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinano...)

Divorced with his wife, separated from his daughter and filled with nostalgia for a homeland that his unstable childhood had never provided him, the architect poured his heart into this commission, designing a cozy wooden house with warm Northern Light filling the spaces. The family seemed to be happy with the ending result, they were moving in and living happily ever after, right? Right?

But the architect soon discovered four months after this dream house was finished, it was still sitting empty and never having been lived in, and the family of five in question had dropped off from the face of the Earth. What was going on?

Rating: 4.8 stars. 0.2 star being taken down due to the ending.

"One's attempt to create beauty is the attempt to fill the void within one's heart."

How true.

I like the explanation of the missing people mystery: so the mysterious couple is not a real couple, but a pair of siblings pretending to be a married couple so the architect would agree to design the dream home in his mind, the siblings went into such great length in order to atone (in secret) for what their father had once accidentally done to the architect's family in the past? It is a very unlikely explanation and it somehow still works out good!

The explanation might not be all that outstanding, but I really like the texture of this novel, it is really great with various layers to thicken the story and its characters. I like it! At first it's just a 'missing people' mystery, then we learn more about the MC, his ex wife, his fellow architects and the trade of architectures and construction they are living in, the competition among architects to get the contract to build a new art museum (and the backstory about a late female artist in the subplot), the passion for architectures they share. Then the missing people mystery starts to be entwisted with a famed architect Bruno Taut from history and Taut's time in Japan before WWII. All of these manage to construct a bigger picture of human dramas among the characters, their internal thoughts and motives, and how personal tragedies from the past might affect these characters.

There is hardly any exciting action scene in the book, but if you are patient, you can well give book a try.

[Bella Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. Let me recollect my thoughts before i review this because I didnt expect to cry for this book.

Here is my review after sleeping it off last night. I finished the rest of 200 pages before i sleep. I couldnt get it out of my system, the last 100ish pages, I cried and cried for the loss. Its either I'm very emotional at the time of reading or this book really just hits the soft spot in me, the spot of appreciating the flawed characters in here🥲.

The North Light explored the mystery of loss and love in a dynamic architectural world of a man whom pursued his passion in building houses for other people but dreamt a house fitted for his family. Yet he lost his wife and daughter to a divorce, lost his good working job as an architect in an established firm due to the economic burst bubble 10 years ago, lost his family to tragedy that befell his father, he lost his sense of self. Minoru Aose however was requested by the Yoshino's family to build the house quoted by Yoshino "you should build the house that you want to live in" and thats exactly what Aose did - built Y Residence with the Northen Light warmth seeped through the building making it the house of his dream. Then, he found out the Yoshino's family disappeared, not even living in the house they asked him to build. Unable to let it go, Aose went all his way to track this family

In a way, this story tugged all the emotional strings in me. Its how the family bond of a man losing his wife and daughter but we can see how much he still loves them, the migratory childhood he had growing up as his father, a dam construction builder caused them to move around yet the family ties they have were strong. Aose's friendship with Okajima, his boss and also his college mate whom is a passionate person and also a loving father. Aose and his fractured childhood make up to who he is now, his dream of wanting to create a house, a place to live in forever due to the constant migration, a place to belong as he isnt able to feel belonged in his childhood, and as an architect he dreamed of this belonging. The references of architecture, particularly to the modern German architect Bruno Taut from 1930s that came to Japan with his partner Erica and becomes a leading propeller that influenced and shape Japan's architecture. The history and culturally relevance of this discovery brought more discovery to Aose as we learned also what kind of place do we wanna go to and stay when we die, its a sort of question that truly felt too close to me.

I love how the themes of family and loss were explored in this book. The psychological mystery of this book does no rely on the mystery itself but the characters that lived through in this story. Aose and Okajima are the two highlights in this story for me thats why I was very affected with the fate of them and how I was devastated by what happened. I couldnt argue and said its the best story ever and I know the story can feel tad too long but I found how incredibly well written this is and thanking it for punching my emotional gut. I guess I do need to release some pent up emotions in me

Thank you to @definitelybooks and #pansingdistribution for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful novel from another Japanese writer new to me.

Aose is an architect, divorced from his wife and trying to keep a connection with his daughter, Hidako. At one meeting Hidako asks about his greatest triumph to date - The Y Residence, which was reckoned to be amongst the 200 greatest Japanese homes.

His interest reawakened Aose tries to get in touch with the clients he designed the Y Residence for but is totally unable to contact them. On visiting the house he finds it deserted and the only thing left is a chair.

The story follows Aose's journey as he tries to discover why the family who asked him to design a "house he'd design for himself" have disappeared without a trace. It leads him all over Japan, introduces him to the work of Taut (a German architect who took refuge in Japan in the 1930s) and leads him to rethink his childhood, marriage and career.

This book really fascinated me. I'm a sucker for books about architecture and the added aspect of the mystery of what happened to the missing family, it grew on me more and more as the novel went on.

There is a lot of information about Taut and various beautiful Japanese residences but it also touches on the relationships we have with our families, our homes and our surroundings. The prose is beautiful and makes for a very readable novel. Aose's character is passionate and driven whilst also being vulnerable. It's a clever book with very human emotions.

I'd highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys Japanese literary fiction with a twist. I'll certainly he on the lookout for more by Hideo Yokoyama.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the advance review copy.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5. Interesante

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit fooled into thinking this was a crime novel, and even though there is someone missing and Aose is searching for him, this is rather a character driven novel about architecture, inspiration and personal growth. The beginning is a bit slow, but once I got into it, I was hooked. I always like it when a book makes me curious enough to look things up. 'The North Light' awakened my interest in architecture in general and Bruno Taut in particular.
A great read!
Thank you riverrun and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

[El desván del lector · Rating 5 out of 5]

La vida, en ocasiones, puede estar llena de misterios que no llegamos a comprender del todo. Situaciones aparentemente lógicas pero que, a falta de una explicación, no llegamos a comprender del todo. En esa tesitura se encuentra Minoru Aoese, un arquitecto al que una familia le encarga diseñar una casa con una única condición: que diseñe la casa en la que le gustaría vivir. Con esta premisa, Aose se pone manos a la obra y diseña una casa sublime que le otorga cierta fama dentro de su campo.

Y es aquí cuando el desconcierto comienza a aparecer en la vida de Aose al darse cuenta, meses después de haberle entregado la casa a sus dueños, los Yoshino, que estos han desaparecido y que la casa no tiene señales de haber sido habitada en ningún momento. Con curiosidad por saber que le ha pasado a la familia Yoshino, Aose inicia un viaje que lo llevará por diferentes puntos de Japón para intentar averiguar el paradero de la familia y el por qué parece que se han esfumado de la faz de la tierra. Pero este viaje también llevará a Aose a recordar su pasado, su infancia, y a revivir algunos traumas que permanecían ocultos pero que siempre han estado latiendo débilmente en su interior.

La trama se va tejiendo lentamente como una telaraña, en la que al final del libro todo queda conectado y bien atado. La prosa de Yokoyama es una auténtica delicia, pausada y reposada, simple y a la vez compleja, y cargada de una belleza sutil que pone de manifiesto la habilidad narrativa del autor.

Los personajes son, sin duda, el punto fuerte de la novela. Son complejos, están muy bien definidos y tienen una profundidad que los hace realistas y creíbles. Tantos los principales como los secundarios, el abanico de personajes es muy amplio y eso le otorga a la novela una gran riqueza psicológica.

En resumidas cuentas, “La luz del norte” es una novela sublime, cargada de simbolismo y belleza, de amor y redención, de luz y oscuridad. Hideo Yokoyama tiene una prosa exquisita para describir personajes y dotarlos de carisma y profundidad. Solo he leído, hasta la fecha, dos libros del autor, y puedo decir que en lo que a escritura y narrativa se refiere, son de los libros más bellos que he leído.

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slowburning mystery that lured me into the beauty of architecture and a hidden tale of guilt and redemption; so dense and intricately plotted, loving its quietude setting and how the author combined an absorbing perspective of familial conflicts and friendship with a profound career related premise. I followed Minoru Aose in his journey to uncover the truth behind the abandonment of the prizewinning Y Residence that he has designed previously for Touta Yoshino. His curiosity piqued with an uncomfortable thought that the client might be humiliatingly rejecting his creation, thus his search quest begins to find Yoshino who was unexpectedly disappeared without a trace.

A multilayered plotline that can also be quite complex to grasp; from the burst of economic bubble and its impact to a break-up in marriage and a childhood backstory that observed into one’s existential issue and emotional struggles. Love Aose’s musings and how his sleuthing work gets him to unfold his love for architecture and peek into the history and its relation to the German architect, Bruno Taut. I like that deep architectural talks in between and how it intertwined the mystery of a single chair that stood facing the north light at Y Residence and unfurled the secret behind a death tragedy.

The side characters among my fav esp Aose’s colleagues at the Okajima Design. Cute Hinako, her interaction with Aose added a little charm to his dynamic. Okajima was a bit cunning, love the friendship and I get so sentimental when Aose said he would further complete the memorial job for him. That few last chapters were so intense, and honestly the revelation by Yoshino at the end did not really thrill me that much but considering how Aose felt towards the Y Residence and his relationship with Yukari, it did break my heart a bit.

A beautiful heart-moving plot overall, bittersweet in a way yet fairly engaging for its selfhood exploration and how it touches the vast perspective of culture and the reflective outlook on the Japanese architecture.

4/5 stars.

Thank you Pansing Distribution for sending me a copy to review!

[Tundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still thinking about why I enjoyed this book. It is not a book that I can easily quantify. On the one hand the story becomes quite bogged down in detail, it frequently rehashes events and we spend a lot of time in the internal monologue of Aose, the protagonist. However, I also liked that it wasn’t trying to showcase literary ‘tricks’ or red herrings, it was a straightforward narrative that just required patience. I also thought the explanations of architecture as art were thoughtful and actually made me think about how design can really impact your vision or state of mind. This was definitely a palate cleanser and stylistically quite different from a lot of contemporary literary fiction.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The North Light by Hideo Yokoyama (2019), translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai (2023), captures humans in all their complexities and contradictions. Although it had its share of drama with political bribery, birth secrets and mysterious vanishing of a family, it was the quiet moments of vulnerability and connection, wordless yearning for something they didn't want to say out loud that drew me in. Though the mystery did deepen once private detectives and menacing thugs got involved.

I didn't know much about architecture going in but the analytical conversations of design ie. traditional vs modern, eastern vs western, the emphasis on light, the beauty aesthetic were extremely engrossing. It felt quite realistic; working busily through the night, cost analysis, bidding for a project, professional jealousy and competition. Like the protagonist, I moved a lot when I was young. Each time I got to choose my new bedroom at a new place, I would choose the one with the most light streaming in. Similarly, the North light has been a guiding principle in architect Minoru Aose's life and designs. His client asked him to 'build a home you would want to live in' which reignited his passion professionally and personally. The emphasis and pride in professional craftsmanship especially on heritage cultural arts and crafts is something I witnessed on a recent trip to Japan.

I am quite delighted by all the bird watching and ornithological references in the story. In fact, a certain bird is central to the plot. Even the romance between Aose and Yukari was blossomed by birdwatching!

All the characters felt well thought out, I was most surprised by my contradictory feelings toward Aose's boss Okajima. Just when I think I have him pegged as a brash loudmouth, womanizer and plagiarist, the author shows another side of him. We all wish to leave our mark upon this messy chaotic world. But how we go about it is just as important.

It is notable that all the architects (Ishimaki, Takeuchi, Nose, Okajima, Taut, Aose, Conder, Corbusier) featured are male, the females (Erica, Mayumi, Yaeko, Karie) have supporting roles like office accountant, wives, secretary (Aose's ex-wife is an interior designer). I feel that we got more of the architects' visions, aspirations and struggles. It's difficult not to want to cheer on the underdog short-staffed architectural firm yet the ending had a drama-like rah rah lead-up and ending.


People’s obsession with their homes was never a matter of simple preference or taste. It was rather a manifestation of their personal values and their hidden desires. It was not a view of the future but rooted firmly in the past.

If a house had the power to make people happy or unhappy, that would mean that architects had the power to play either God or the Devil. Taut’s experience in the tiny Senshin-tei house may have been a lesson that it was in fact people who had the power to make other people happy or unhappy.

'I like it so much that I think I became an architect just to build it. It’s a house that someone else asked me to build, but I built a house that I wanted to live in.’

[Aida Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aose es un arquitecto poco conocido que tras el estallido de la burbuja económica de Japón se divorcia .

Su vida cambia cuando recibe un misterioso encargo ,construir una casa donde a él le gustaría vivir.
Con este proyecto le llega el reconocimiento profesional.

Y también la inquietud.
Descubre que la familia no llego a habitar esa casa.
Encontrarlos le perturbará.

Pistas ,indicios ...construyen está trama llena de pasión por la arquitectura y el interiorismo.

Como en cualquier novela negra tenemos dosis de intriga con detectives,periodistas ,añadan corrupción y muertes misteriosa.

El resultado ,una novela de calidad ,sin "triples mortales",ni giros imposibles e improbables que rellenan y llenan los actuales Best Seller .

"Luz del norte" mantiene al lector atrapado en una trama atmosférica.

El final que crea el japonés ,es bello y poético ,una estocada a la literatura de misterio ,un broche final a la altura de la calidad de la pluma de Hideo Yokoyama... realmente las casas son nuestros "nidos".

[Beatriz V.]

Lectura abandonada en 2024.
He leído más de un tercio de la novela y la historia no fluye.
Una historia que le sobran páginas y le falta trama.
Hay demasiadas lecturas por leer para perder el tiempo en una historia así.

[Basalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

這本本質上應該算是懸疑偵探小說，但是主角擺明了就是一個建築師，因此在前半部查案的過程其實會覺得：這線索也太薄弱了吧! 怎麼查得到~ 一種很無望的感覺。
但是當然啦，劇情不會這樣設計的，因為答案其實就在身邊而已。

對我來說這本書最迷人的地方是描述建築的部分，"北光"的來源，最後競圖那邊地獄式的改圖修圖構想的過程，就是職人最值得敬佩的地方。

[Alberto Illán Oviedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tres son las partes que definen a este libro. La primera es el misterio que se describe en el resumen: una familia contrata a un arquitecto para construir una casa que no es una cualquiera, sino la que el propio arquitecto ha deseado siempre para vivir, pero que su azarosa y, hasta cierto punto, desastrosa vida se lo ha impedido. El resultado no es una casa, sino una obra de arte, la Residencia Y, que, unos meses después, descubre que ha sido abandonada por la familia. Es la investigación de este misterio lo que le va a llevar a tomar decisiones que le darán la oportunidad de redimir su vida.

La segunda, tiene que ver con los concursos públicos en el periodo posterior a la crisis económica de 2008, que es cuando transcurre la trama y que ejerce de catalizador de la primera parte. La tercera tiene que ver con el arquitecto Bruno Taub y la esencia de la arquitectura y del arte en general.

La integración de estas tres partes marca el ritmo y aquí radican tanto sus virtudes como sus defectos. En algunos momentos, la trama se vuelve árida, parece no avanzar cuando se centra en descripciones arquitectónicas y artísticas (que, seguro que a muchos les parecen muy interesantes, como cuando, en mi caso, se incluyen descripciones ornitológicas), por otra parte, las razones que le empujan a buscar a esta familia se me hacen demasiado forzadas, aunque una vez aceptada esta parte el relato, va de menos a más.

Entre lo mejor, las relaciones entre los personajes, que son bastante japonesas y el cierre de todas esas tramas, que me parece muy bien hilado. En mi caso, la manera en que el protagonista supera su propia oscuridad me ha gustado mucho.

Le he puesto tres estrellas, que parece poco, después de lo que he comentado, pero es una pena que no se puedan poner medias estrellas, porque estaría por encima de las tres y media.

[Manaksh Bhanushali · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strong case of its not the book its me. Too many subplots, too much deviation from the premise that made me pick this up in the first place.
And slows down way too much in middle while also having too many characters.
Much like the cult hit Butter.

[María Reina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura lenta pero agradable que et transporta a l’altre banda del globus terraqui. És una barreja entre thriller i novela sobre la cultura arquitectónica japonesa. Relaxant de llegir i molt ben escrit.

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

it caught me by surprised how much i enjoyed this book. the north light is a slow character driven book and i couldn’t help but love aose and wish only the best for him. sprinkled in were family, friendship, and work colleagues dynamics and i was hooked

[Iza Brekilien · Rating 5 out of 5]

The North light was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion, here it is :

This is an interesting and atmospheric novel, delving into what are the notions of home, belonging, family - and of course architecture.

Truth be told, I didn't know what this book was about before I selected it on Netgalley. I just knew that it was a Japanese contemporary novel and that was it. It might have been a mystery (the disappearance of a whole family, a gorgeous brand new house remaining empty) but it wasn't really ; a novel about architecture (it deals a lot with it and it made me curious about things I wasn't curious about before, I learned about Bruno Taut and went net-hunting for information) yet it wasn't just that ; a book about the sense of belonging and what it represents, an exploration of a family's history. I felt this particular link that you find a lot in East Asia, how someone crosses someone's else path once and they will meet again somehow. It has a name, I forgot which one.

Maybe it wasn't my best read of the year, yet it will be one I will remember. The atmosphere, the dreamlike references about north light, traditional Japanese architecture vs modern practical architecture, the themes evoked : it was all very unusual and interesting, it's like this novel is in its own bubble. The pace is rather slow, but it adds to the dreamlike quality I mentioned before. It's nothing like I've read before and I will keep it in a corner of my memory.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is originally described as a mystery: why is the house empty? In reality, that's the starting point for multiple storylines, some of which I enjoyed more than others.

The ending -- it had been spoiled for me by someone's review on Goodreads, so I wasn't surprised by it. Also, maybe it's a cultural difference, but I found it completely illogical. The path to get there was also strange, and this I am sure is because of cultural differences.

There were times in the book where the narrative dragged, in my opinion, and this novel could have been slightly shorter. I didn't always enjoy getting back to the book, and once I knew what the ending would be I had to convince myself to get through the book, as the main reason to read it would be to discover what's happened to the owner of the Y Residence.

The characters are well described and felt real to me. As I always have, I enjoyed the interactions and the depiction of Japanese culture. The plot is what I'm not 100% sold on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Andy To · Rating 5 out of 5]

雖然佢俾人分類咗去推理小說 不過同我一開始想像嘅類型完全唔同
平時嘅推理小說我會expect一個好曲折嘅故仔，一步一步幫讀者搵個答案
但係北光入面推理嘅部份其實唔多，反而似用推理依條線黎帶大家走入去主角青瀨嘅內心
唔止係青瀨，每個人物嘅心理都刻畫得好立體
我覺得本書冇13。67果種強烈想追住黎睇嘅感覺
不過每次讀小小都好似一齊去面對青瀨（甚至自己）嘅懦弱，俾社會同化，或者放真實嘅自己喺一邊嘅情感
睇依本書就好似欣賞緊日本嘅電影 甚至感受到每個still shot、每一個停頓 同埋日本底片果種藍藍綠綠嘅抑鬱感

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A struggling architect’s life is rejuvenated when he’s commissioned by a family to build a house for them. It’s a spectacular success but he learns by chance that they never moved in. The mystery of what happened then ripples outward to the mystery of how families are held together. It’s a little sentimental at the end (after all, the theme of how do you make a house a home is sentimental at its base) but you won’t mind. There’s also a lot on western and Japanese design aesthetics.
Also: it’s interesting how the formality of Japanese culture (card exchanges, bowing, other protocols) masks the almost instant uneasy and reflexively antagonistic relations between people; everyone is always on guard.

[anaeliteratura · Rating 4 out of 5]

i particularly enjoyed the focus on the main character aose as a husband & father, as an architect, and, as an individual marred by his childhood which is profoundly connected to his chosen career and passion for architecture. i loved seeing how passionate he was for his residence y project and how he just couldn't let the disappearance of the yoshino family go. as a reader, it was delightful to see how his present was being haunted by his past (knowing and unknowingly) and the internal struggle he bore daily because of it.
overall, this is as much of a character driven book as it is plot driven, one pushed the other in a satisfying manner, greatly paced, peeling the layers one by one as you follow aose's investigation. a solid mystery from mr. yokoyama, will definitely be checking his other works out!

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Pena bat Seis Cuatroren ostean, modu antzekoko thriller bezala saldu izana bere bertsio espainolean. Ez da thriller bat al uso, baina Hideo Yokoyamaren luma gustatzen bazaizu, eleberri hau datsegikozu, pertsonai-eleberri honetan non misterio-zertzelada oso lausoak agertzen diren. Baina ez da misterio-istorio bat, baizik eta pertsonai ezberdinak ildo hartuta Japoniaren errelato politta. Hori bai, Seis Cuatro autorearen obrarik gorenena izaten jarraitzen du, dudariki gabe.

Espero dut Salamandrak bere eleberri gehiago hona ekartzen jarraitzea...

[Shera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fue un regalo de una amiga, y me gustó bastante pero diría que por diferencia de cultura y el poco conocimiento que tengo de ella (además del desconocimiento del mundo de la arquitectura) no he podido disfrutarlo tanto como me hubiera gustado. Sin embargo es un buen libro que narra la cotidianidad en un contexto social concreto, con emociones e historias corrientes y naturales, y realza la importancia de los vínculos sociales. Está bien escrito, aunque pueden pasar capítulos sin muchos cambios; se narra una historia que se entreteje lentamente. Recomiendo si se quiere leer algo cotidiano, sobre un tema en concreto (arquitectura, Bruno Taut..), aunque no diría que encierra mucho misterio, pero mientras más avanza más interés logra captar el autor acerca de la propia historia.

[Xabier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha maravillado cómo las diferentes tramas y misterios se van entrelazando para "construir esta obra" digna de Taut (punch line intended). Misterio, arquitectura, recuerdos del pasado... cimientos perfectos para una preciosa novela de misterio ambientada en el mundo de la arquitectura.

[Ally Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2022.05.07_61]

吉野夫婦以「請蓋一間你自己想住的房子。」的請求，委託建築師青瀨建造了Ｙ宅邸，卻在完成之後，一家人不但沒有遷入居住，反而人間蒸發。

小說以這樣懸疑的開頭起始，青瀨靠著唯一在Ｙ宅邸發現布魯諾．陶特的椅子這個線索，一步步走訪各地解謎原因，過程中融合青瀨、事務所所長岡嶋、布魯諾．陶特三人的故事，到最後才揭開青瀨家和吉野家的淵源。

故事進展緩慢，解謎的過程沒有什麼懸疑刺激，反而是用說故事的方法教授關於布魯諾．陶特這個建築大師以及他對日本工藝的影響，揭開謎底的方式就只是失蹤的人自己出現，然後把原委說明清楚而已。

若這是我讀到橫山秀夫的第一本書，大概不會再追他其他的作品了。

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還有那個翻譯，譬如說第十七章：「池園將膝蓋轉向青瀨」，這什麼意思？

[Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

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我沒想到我會失望成這樣，故事真的是很普通的推理，感覺還不切實際；而且不是清晰沿著主線方向發展，有些我其實根本也不在乎的雜亂小事也在一起… 是我不喜歡的那種、文字裡充滿很多問號的類型。

更不開心的是翻譯… 譯者不喜歡這本書是嗎？『只有一開始稱得上是痛並快樂著』是什麼意思呢
『假如是吉野本人接聽，他也只能笑笑了。』只能笑笑？
更經典的是『青瀨覺得她將手迅速地插入他心裡。』嗯我覺得這個譯者放棄了。

[CESAR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela japonesa con un poco de intriga pero que,sobre todo, trata de las relaciones entre las personas.Minuciosa y muy psicológica.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting something exciting but it was slow dragging plot with no point in the end…

An architect designed a house for his client and after hand over the client disappear and never moved in. So the architect tried to find out whats going on…

There are also side stories bout other people around the architect’s life, it made the plot slow and too much irrelevant stories.

[Louise James · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
Bit disappointing, an anticlimax