糊塗蟲

by Miyuki Miyabe, 宮部美幸, 林熊美 (Translator)

「與其凡事看得一清二楚，
稍微眼花一些還比較好走──
所謂的世道便是這麼一條路。」
同心平四郎深諳世情，有點隨便又不至於太隨便。
但或許是老天保佑，倒也無災無難地做到如今。
不過興許是陰德值用完了，竟然開始栽跟頭了──
深夜中竟有殺手闖入大雜院；
妖冶的風塵女子成為新住戶；
眾人好端端地卻興起拜壺潮；
臥病卻遭送信烏鴉耍得團團轉；
一個不注意，雜院竟人去樓空！？
而這時居然開始傳出有隻幕後黑手操弄住戶離開雜院的耳語……
這可不是搔搔後腦、摸摸下巴就能解決的事情。
自認糊塗過日的平四郎該如何解決同心生涯的第一個重大危機？

448 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

See also 宮部 みゆき (Japanese language profile) and 宮部美幸 (Chinese language profile).

Miyuki Miyabe (宮部みゆき Miyabe Miyuki) is a popular contemporary Japanese author active in a number of genres including science fiction, mystery fiction, historical fiction, social commentary, and juvenile fiction.
Miyabe started writing novels at the age of 23. She has been a prolific writer, publishing dozens of novels and winning many major literary prizes, including the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize in 1993 for Kasha and the Naoki Prize in 1998 for Riyū [The Reason] (理由). A Japanese film adaptation of Riyû, directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, was released in 2004.

Reviews

[JooYoun Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I read Miyabe Miyuki's books, I felt like I'm watching Japanese animation. Her writings are very engaging that I felt like I'm listening to Japanese whenever I read dialogues between characters.

Good story and plots, but I can't help myself feeling frustrated with the events and how things turned out to be in the book.

There were series of events happening on Denpin Nagaya. And one by one, people living there began to move out of the area. And all this was controlled by Soemon of Minato firm. Some people even died along the way but he doesn't seems to mind it. He pays people, but its not because of thankfulness or because he is sorry. But it was to cover his ass, treating people like a things that can be purchased and used, showing contrast to protagonist Heishiro. When Heishiro called him out, Heishiro was representing readers like me. But there was no satisfaction given. Heishiro let those go. Maybe it was because that was the way it ways back then (or even way its now, we compromise all the time), or because it was out of character for Heishiro to pursue further... no satisfaction but just this.. frustration left...

Near the end of the book, Aoi visits Denpin Nagaya (not because of her son but because of her curiosity) but Otoku chased her out. She, along with Soemon, was the one who disrupted peace of so many different people living there. But that disruption was just that, just another moment in their life. Otoku and others might have lost their home but they moved on. There were people waiting for her, like Heishiro and Sakichi. They moved on.

Maybe the event of Otoku and Aoi was a way that author was pleading and telling readers that not to be angry so much and giving us some satisfaction. Lol