La Lumière de la nuit

by Keigo Higashino

Yukiho et Ryoj ont deux points communs : ils fréquentent la même école et la mère de Yukiho est la dernière personne à avoir vu le père de Ryoji avant qu’il soit assassiné. Après une enquête infructueuse, l’affaire est classée sans suite. Les années passent. Yukiho devient lycéenne, puis étudiante ; elle se marie, divorce, se remarie, dans une éblouissante ascension sociale. Ryoji, lui, vit en marge de la société, s’enrichit dans des combines douteuses, et se débarrasse des obstacles qu’il rencontre sur sa route par tous les moyens possibles. Quels liens mystérieux entretiennent-ils ? Dans un polar incroyablement riche et subtil, Higashino distille le malaise sur fond de transformation de la société japonaise.

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

627 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

Associated Names:
* Keigo Higashino
* 東野 圭吾 (Japanese)
* 東野圭吾 (Traditional Chinese)
* ฮิงาชิโนะ เคโงะ (Thai)


Keigo Higashino (東野 圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest selling fiction authors in Japan—as well known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy are in the USA.

Born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co.　(presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title of Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.

Higashino’s novels have more movie and TV series adaptations than Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum, and as many as Michael Crichton.

Reviews

[Liong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dramatic mystery with a twisty plot.

The creativity of the author always makes me surprised when solving crime cases.

Keigo Higashino is a good storyteller.

A complicated mystery about many people involved and related to a series of murder cases and crimes.

You can see the complex characters and well-developed.

The ending of the story is ambiguous.

I read it a few times, especially in the last few pages.

It is left up to us to think!

No easy answer to Good or Evil?

[b z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pardon me, but I don't think those who only commented on the story catch the essence of this masterpiece.

The most amazing part of this book is not the plot itself! Instead, try concentrating on the details that Higashino-sensei gave you (e.g., what kind of books did the officer saw when he entered the boy's room for the first time at the beginning of the fiction?) and you would be able to solve many quizzes that were not revealed by the author...

This interaction between storyteller and readers is the reason I rated it 5 instead of 4.

[Taufiq Yves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novel like, 10 years ago, and later watched the movie too. It’s definitely 1 of Keigo Higashino’s signature works - brilliantly plotted, and from both a mystery and cinematic perspective, it’s a masterpiece.

But I’ve never been able to shake off the story. It’s just sooo dark.

When I finished the book, I didn’t get that satisfying feeling I usually get when a mystery is solved. Instead, I felt disturbed. The love portrayed in it felt terrifying. I couldn’t see any beauty or joy in it tbh. The whole book is wrapped in this cold, tense atmosphere where death and accidents lurk around every corner - it was suffocating.

While most reviews are filled with sympathy for Yukiho and Ryoji, I didn’t feel that at all. I actually found them scary. I wanted their schemes to be exposed and for justice to be served.

And when people talk about their “great love,” I just don’t see it too. No matter how many times I tried to read between the lines, I couldn’t find any trace of warmth or beauty in their relationship.

If they love each other, fine - go ahead and love. But why hurt innocent, kind people in the name of love? Just because you suffered as a child doesn’t mean you get to hate the world. Maybe I can’t fully understand their despair, but this kind of revenge doesn’t make me feel sympathy - it makes me feel disgust.

Take Imada, the good detective - he was killed for no reason, and someone who loved him was left waiting in vain. Takamiya lost money in a fake marriage and missed out on years with someone he truly loved. Yukiho’s foster mother, who was basically her benefactor, was killed just because she was in the way of Yukiho’s career. Eriko, a kind girl, lost her chance at love just because she accidentally stole Yukiho’s spotlight. Even little Mika, who was just acting out because she didn’t like her stepmom, was manipulated in disgusting ways by Yukiho.

Everyone connected to them either got hurt or killed. It was so oppressive. I even thought Noriko might get killed once she was no longer useful. And I also thought the clever detective Sasagaki might die for getting too close to the truth too

I started feeling like I was losing my mind.

I honestly can’t imagine what my life would be like if someone like Yukiho existed around me.

So I won’t discuss the plot here. You’ll uncover Higashino’s clues and twists as you read. What I really want to talk about is the psychology of the characters.

Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Yukiho Nishimoto
I’m using her original name because it reflects her many identities. Karasawa Yukiho, Takamiya Yukiho, Shinozuka Yukiho - each name marks a step in her journey to fulfill her desires. But the 1 name she probably hates most is Nishimoto.

She walks through the “white night” without hesitation, carefully crafting the image of a flawless woman. All the darkness stems from her time as Nishimoto Yukiho. Back then, she was poor, and her own mother sold her to a pedophile for sex. After enduring abuse from multiple monsters, her soul was shattered.

So how did she grow up to be this elegant, graceful, radiant woman?

It started when she deliberately delayed time so her mother would die from poisoning. From that moment, she took control of her life. She buried her past and evolved. Higashino describes her as a beautiful and intelligent child, with a pride that refused to let anyone see her scars. So anyone tied to her dirty past was eliminated - often by Ryoji.

What does Yukiho want in life? Control. She wants to dominate everything. Anything that threatens her future gets wiped out. She builds a perfect image, but behind it is a relentless hunger to possess. Money, power, status, admiration - these give her a sense of safety. She’s terrified of becoming that helpless little girl again. So she plays roles, wears masks, and climbs toward power and influence.

Ryoji Kirihara
If Yukiho’s life is about control and possession, Ryoji’s is about atonement.

As a child, he saw his mom having an affair. Then he witnessed his dad abusing young Yukiho. That moment shattered his worldview. Disgust, fear, rage, despair - and a budding affection for Yukiho - all exploded. If he hadn’t met her at the library, maybe he wouldn’t have killed his father. But he did. And from that moment, they weren’t just childhood friends - they were partners in crime.

From then on, Ryoji’s life revolved around Yukiho. Driven by guilt and fear, he silently protected her for 19 years. He committed crime after crime for her, becoming a shell of a man. His only purpose was to shield her.

Unlike Yukiho, Ryoji never tried to hide his darkness. He let himself rot. But deep down, he still had a sliver of humanity. He pushed his friend Tomohiko away to protect him, handed over the shop, and wished him a happy life. He wanted to bear all the darkness alone. So when the police finally caught up, he jumped to his death - his final act of protection, burying their secret forever.

Now the biggest question for me is: was there love between Yukiho and Ryoji?

Was this a story exposing the ugliness of human nature through mystery, or a twisted take on love?

Some say yes - why else would Yukiho embroider a handkerchief for him, or name her shop using their initials?

Some say no - because when Ryoji died, Yukiho showed no reaction.

Look at the final scene: Yukiho stands beside Ryoji’s body, pale as snow. A cop asks, “Who is this?” She replies, expressionless, “I don’t know. The manager handles temp hires.” Then she walks up the escalator, her silhouette like a white shadow. She never once looks back. That gave me chills.

Why didn’t she react? Was it because she never cared? But remember - she’s a master actress. Always smiling, always graceful, always crying at the right time.

But when Ryoji died, she didn’t act. She was calm, ghost-like. Maybe her soul died with him. Maybe that one light in her dark world finally went out.

So was she truly indifferent? I don’t think so. That blank face might’ve been her most honest moment. All her emotions before were just performances. Maybe behind her back was a face full of despair.

So yes, I believe there was love - but not pure love. It was a deep, twisted bond. They were never together, always apart - 1 in the light, 1 in the dark. How can a broken person save another broken person? They knew each other too well, and their childhood trauma kept them apart.

There’s a line in the book: “There’s no sun in my sky, only night. But it’s not dark, because something replaces the sun. It’s not as bright, but it’s enough. With this light, I treat night as day. I never had the sun, so I’m not afraid of losing it.” That’s Yukiho’s confession. That light in the darkness? It was Ryoji.

He was the only 1 who truly understood her. Without him, she might’ve ended her life long ago. But he changed everything. “I feel like I’m walking through the white night,” Ryoji once said. That’s the title of the book - Journey Under the Midnight Sun. The cover shows a boy leading a girl through the white night. That’s the essence of the story: a bond born in the ugliness of humanity, flowing like murky water - quiet and endless.

Here’s what I struggle with: most people don’t think what Yukiho and Ryoji did was unforgivable. They say their traumatic childhoods explain their twisted minds. And maybe we can’t fully understand that kind of pain.

But imagine if it were us - facing such a horrible past and disgusting adults - what choices would we make?

Personally, I can’t accept their actions. Maybe they’re hard to judge by normal standards. Yes, their pasts were tragic and deserve sympathy. But the crimes they committed later in life? Those can’t be excused.

You can’t hurt others just because you’re afraid of being hurt. You can choose to grow strong and protect yourself - but you can’t become a violent monster just to avoid pain.

It’s like a kid who was abused growing up, then becomes an abuser. Even if there’s a reason, the behavior is still wrong.

After finishing the book, I felt nothing but helplessness. Higashino created such tragic characters. People can choose their paths, but they can’t easily erase the shadows that shape them. That’s the contradiction and complexity of human nature. And I’m grateful to Higashino for giving us a story that makes us think so deeply.

4.9 / 5 atars

[Apoorva · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You know how the sun rises and sets at a certain time each day? In the same way, all of our lives have a day and night. But it’s not set like it is with the sun. Some people walk forever in the sunlight, and some people have to walk through the darkest night their whole lives. When people talk about being afraid, what they’re afraid of is that their sun will set. That the light they love will fade.”

‘Journey under the midnight sun’ begins with the murder of a pawnbroker in an abandoned building in Osaka in 1973. Detective Sasagaki is assigned to investigate the crime. He uncovers a lot of clues and possible suspects, but the evidence isn’t enough to pin down a specific criminal. That’s why the case reaches a dead end and Sasagaki is forced to give up his investigation. He still continues to keeps tabs on two people involved in the crime, both related to the suspect and the victim in order to find their connection to the crime.

This book was absolutely brilliant! It is so much different from the other crime thrillers I’ve read; here, we follow the mystery and its effects for a long period of time. This novel takes place over a span of two decades and follows the lives of two people connected solely because of the crime and detective Sasagaki’s obsession with uncovering the truth, as he believes the crime has caused a ripple effect which impacts the lives of people even after 20 long years.

It had a unique, brilliantly crafted and intricate story-line. This was my second book by Keigo Higashino, after Devotion of Suspect X that I absolutely loved. One thing I noticed in his books that make them exceptional is that the mystery is not about who committed the crime but rather, how the crime was committed and the possible motivation behind it.

“When you wander in the dark too long, you start to see things that aren’t really there.”

The story is told from multiple points of views so we get to experience it from the perspective of different characters, mostly the minor characters. From them, we learn different aspects of the same events and other characters which were really interesting. Following the timeline, we get to see all the changes along the way in Japan. There were a lot of references to the video games, computer technology, movies, baseball and economic changes which manages to capture the heart of the changing and progressing era of the country. It also gives an insight into the Japanese culture and the way of life.

As the story progresses, a lot of characters get introduced. It might be a little overwhelming at first, but everything comes together eventually just like different pieces in the puzzle fit to show the whole picture and in the end, you’re left gasping for air at what you see! The shifting point of views among the different characters kept the tension alive. The story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, making me feel all sorts of feels and caused me to question everything I’ve ever known!

This book truly is a masterpiece! If you’re a fan of thrillers and anything related to Japan, I highly recommend this book.

Read On Blog. :)

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books written by Keigo Higashino leave most of the readers pretty speechless with their clever twists & turns, adroit characterization, and the depth of emotions that lace the actions on part of all concerned. The book under review is, even by his standards, a masterpiece, that has literally left me stunned. I am actually finding it difficult to write a review of it, but still, one has to try.

A pawnbroker named Yosuke Kirihara was found murdered in an abandoned bulding. The body had been found by a kid named Kikuchi who, along-with other kids, used to play in the ducts inside the building. Suspecting that Kirihara had gone to that building on some adulterous fling, Police zoom on the only female customer of the pawnshop: Fumiyo Nishimoto, as well as a regular customer of the udon-shop where she works: Tadao Terasaki (jealousy-angle). They, also continue pursuing the widow Yaeko Kirihara, the pawnbroker’s assistant Isamu Matsuura, as well as the Kikuchi family (because the pawnbroker was carrying an unusually large amount of money that he had, most uncharacteristically, withdrawn from Bank). However, alibies were all cast-iron. Only person devoid of an alibi is Terasaki, who died shortly in an accident. And it seems that this would remain as another unsolved low-profile murder in the books of Osaka Police. However, Detective Sasagaki couldn’t let the case go, because he had noticed two pre-teen kids in this ruined & desolate landscape who were very special, and very captivating. For the next twenty years, even after he retired, he pursued those two persons: (1) the daughter of Fumiyo Nishimoto: Yukiho, (2) the son of the deceased: Ryo Kirihara. The book is a journey of those two, the unstoppable & insatiable white queen, and her ever-faithful dark knight.

While I had started reading the book knowing fully well that this is not going to be a mystery in the traditional sense (Higashino simply enjoys breaking all the ‘rules’ that we associate with a mystery), the book left me literally gasping for breath as I raced towards the end with the Detective. Was I eager to see their fall? Yes. Oh God, yes! I wanted them to be destroyed, killed, ruined, burnt alive, thrown to wolves, fed to the grinder, etc. And I also wanted to see just what height they can reach taking this dark road until someone comes with the thunder. And all along, I also felt very-very sorry for them, as I also started joining the dots inside my mind to understand exactly how they had started this walk.

The book is complex to the extent where the reader knows that at the end of this maze only the Minotaur would be waiting for him. It was unbelievably good, deeply unsatisfactory, and heartbreakingly tragic. Why? Because so many lives got destroyed, one fell, the other rose, and we kept walking under the midnight Sun. Perhaps, we might have another book that would eventually show someone crashing even that Olympian figure, and only then it would be the end of the night.

Sorry about the rambling. Now, I wouldn’t like to take up any more of your time. Please enjoy the read. What? You are having doubts about reading the book? Are you crazy? This is an essential read!

Recommended, obviously.

[Haiiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tôi đã bình tĩnh hơn, cách đây 15 phút là một trạng thái khác. Lúc đó giống như đường thở có dị vật còn nước mắt cứ nối nhau rơi ra không cần cố gắng. Tôi hiểu rõ vì sao mình rơi vào trạng thái đó.
*
Độ dày của Bạch dạ hành trông thật đáng nản cho tới khi tôi hoàn toàn bị cuốn vào diễn biến của câu chuyện. Chuyện này đồng thời cũng thật là đáng sợ và có gì đó hoang đường. Nếu để so sánh thì có lẽ nó giống với cảm giác khi rơi tự do từ một nơi cao xuống, biết là sẽ tan xác khi chạm đáy nên trong lòng hoảng loạn vô cùng, thế nhưng cứ rơi mãi không dừng lại mặc cho mình đã vùng vẫy đến cạn lực, mà cảm giác hoảng loạn kia thì không hề biến mất hay giảm bớt đi.
Ryoji và Yukiho có lẽ cũng đã như vậy.
Tôi đã bảo Keigo rất hời khi có một độc giả non yếu như tôi phải không? Nghĩ lại thì không sai nhưng chắc cũng không tệ đến mức ấy, ít nhất thì đôi khi cũng có linh cảm linh tinh gì đó cho dù độ đặc hiệu khá hên xui. Chẳng hiểu sao từ đầu tôi đã đinh ninh rằng vụ án giết ông chủ tiệm cầm đồ khi ấy chỉ là một lát nhỏ cắt ngang qua cuộc đời những người có liên quan, và với riêng hai đứa trẻ năm đó mới chỉ là sự khởi đầu. Cái linh tính thật quá tào lao đi nhưng đâu hẳn là vô nghĩa.
Đúng là tất cả mới chỉ bắt đầu.
*
Kazunari dùng một từ để miêu tả ấn tượng ban đầu về Yukiho - theo tôi là một từ vô cùng khúc chiết và đắt giá - là 'ti tiện'. Tôi không có cơ hội tiếp xúc với cô ta và lại có lợi thế hơn hẳn Kazunari vì những gì biết về Yukiho trước đó dù phần nhiều mới chỉ là phán đoán cá nhân chứ chưa rõ ràng hẳn, cảm thấy trực giác của người này thật không tồi.
Yukiho - dù chỉ là một nhân vật hư cấu - lại là con hồ li tinh ghê sợ nhất tôi từng gặp. Cô ta không đáng sợ theo kiểu thông thường, dường như không cùng hệ quy chiếu với những trải nghiệm tâm lí liên quan tới máu me, trộm cắp, tai nạn... Tôi cũng không biết phải diễn tả thế nào. Một dạng trở ngại về tinh thần, tâm lí mà ta không thể nắm bắt, không biết làm thế nào để vượt qua chăng, kiểu như khi bị bóng đè, tôi không thể tự chủ được cơ thể đáng ra thuộc về mình? Với tôi, những nỗi sợ mơ hồ và vô danh chỉ bị trấn yểm bằng lá bùa xoàng xĩnh là sự tự kìm nén, dối lừa bản thân như vậy tuyệt là thứ đáng sợ hơn máu me nhiều. Những con người như Yukiho có thể đội một cái lốt đời thường như bất cứ ai xung quanh tôi vậy.
Từ lúc hiểu ra tất cả những trò bỉ ổi xung quanh đều có bàn tay Yukiho nhúng vào, tôi đã ghê tởm nhân vật đó đến tận cùng. Mà tôi đã tưởng rằng cô ta làm vậy đơn thuần chỉ vì không thể chấp nhận bất cứ ai che lấp vầng hào quang giả tạo xung quanh mình, kể cả người bạn thân thiết đã từng chia sẻ mọi điều, kể cả người mẹ nuôi đáng kính đã cho cô ta cuộc đời trước đây không dám với... Hóa ra vẫn chỉ là tôi cạn nghĩ.
So với Yukiho, ấn tượng về Ryoji dù không thể nào gọi là tốt đẹp bằng phẳng nhưng cũng khá khẩm hơn nhiều. Bất cứ chuyện bẩn thỉu nào cũng có sự tham gia của anh ta, thậm chí tay anh ta còn nhúng chàm nhiều hơn cả Yukiho, nhưng tôi lại không có chung cảm nhận như khi nghĩ về Yukiho. Có lẽ vì tôi không tài nào đoán được động cơ trả thù đời của anh ta dù chỉ chút ít; hoặc có lẽ vì ngay từ đầu Ryoji đã lựa chọn nhấn chìm mình đi khi đồng hành cùng Yukiho để đổi lấy ánh sáng cho cuộc đời cô.
Bởi não bộ tôi hoạt động nghèo nàn nên cuối cùng phản ứng mới ào ào như vỡ đê. Hoặc giả do tôi tự thấy có lỗi vì đã quy chụp và hiểu sai hơi nhiều, dù mọi điều Yukiho và Ryoji đã làm với những người cả thân quen lẫn lạ lẫm xung quanh là để giành về lợi ích tối thượng cho bản thân họ hoàn toàn là bất nhẫn, là tội ác đáng kinh tởm. Vốn dĩ nhân chi sơ tính bản thiện hay là tính bản ác? Vấn đề này còn phải bàn cãi nhiều.
Bất cứ điều gì xảy ra đều có lí do của nó, dù lí do ấy có được người đời chấp nhận và thông cảm hay không. Tôi biết điều này có trái với mọi thứ tôi được giáo dục từ nhỏ tới giờ về sự hướng thiện, đi ngược lại những giá trị đạo đức đã làm nên phần người cho con người, nhưng vẫn không thể nói dối rằng mình không có chút nào cảm thông cho những chuyện bẩn thỉu họ đã làm. Tôi còn khóc như thác lũ vì thương họ, thương cho sự hi sinh không hề đi kèm một đòi hỏi cá nhân nào của Ryoji; thương con yêu tinh bất đắc dĩ không có quyền chọn lựa xuất thân cho mình - Yukiho - mà chính tôi từng kinh sợ; thương cho sự loay hoay quanh quẩn, mệt nhoài thoi thóp trong đêm trắng của họ... Có phải tôi điên quá không?
"... cho đến cuối đời, Ryoji vẫn luôn khao khát được một lần đi dưới ánh mặt trời, còn Yukiho cứ ra sức vẫy vùng rồi mãi mãi chìm vào đêm trắng." Sống như vậy là cuộc sống kiểu gì chứ?
Không còn cá bống, tôm pháo sớm sẽ mắc cạn rồi khô héo lụi tàn.
Đến tận lúc đó, tôi mới nhận ra cái bóng lưng trắng lóa mắt của Yukiho khi từng bước thoát li khỏi chút hơi thở còn sót lại trên người Ryoji, thật ra mong manh nhỏ bé biết dường nào, như thể chỉ cần một cái khẽ chạm cũng sẽ vỡ vụn thành trăm nghìn mảnh. Trời đã tối, và trời sẽ không còn sáng lại. Cả tình yêu giữa Ryoji và Yukiho nữa, chắc sẽ mãi phải nép mình trong bóng tối thôi.
*
Tôi rất thích Bạch dạ hành bởi sự lớp lang bài bản trong xây dựng khung xương và chi tiết cho câu chuyện, dường như tất cả đều được tính toán tỉ mỉ. Mà điều khiến tôi cứ lật giở hết trang này tới trang khác cuốn sách dày cộp này không chỉ vì muốn biết tiếp sau hố đen này hai kẻ thất lạc cõi người ấy sẽ đào tiếp hố đen nào khác và còn định đào đến bao giờ nữa (dù lòng đã tự có câu trả lời), mà còn vì muốn tìm thấy động cơ chân xác của mọi chuyện hãi hùng này.
Dàn nhân vật phụ của Bạch dạ hành cũng rất hùng hậu, nhưng mỗi nhân vật đều được giao vai trò cụ thể và rất may nó lại không rườm rà như Tarot - lá bài phán quyết, chỉ đôi khi hơi khó nhớ nếu có một cái tên xuất hiện lại.
Chỉ có một chi tiết tôi thấy lãng xẹt là hành động khiến Ryoji bị Sasagaki tóm đuôi. Đáng ra anh ta nên giấu mình kĩ hơn để rồi lại có thể thoát hiểm an toàn như bao lần khác.
*
So với Phía sau nghi can X:
Về giọng văn: cứ tưởng giọng người khác cơ, mềm mại uyển chuyển hơn hẳn. Đối lập hoàn toàn với ấn tượng ngây ngô của một người viết mọt sách và là dân chuyên tự nhiên.
Về chất trinh thám, tâm lí: có cảm giác đám mây che khuất tầm nhìn của người đọc trong Bạch dạ hành có mật độ thấp hơn nhưng độ bao phủ lại rộng hơn. Không khó nhận thấy sức ép tinh thần thoát ra từ tiểu thuyết này, ngay cả khi đã thoát ra khỏi ma trận chữ tôi vẫn còn bị đè dưới tảng đá tâm lí - nhất là những phân cảnh cuối, chúng cứ lởn vởn mãi như mắc kẹt trong đầu. Tôi nghĩ điều thôi thúc người ta đọc Bạch dạ hành đến cùng không phải chuyện phải nhận ra "ai là thủ phạm?", cũng không phải thắc mắc "anh ta/cô ta đã làm điều đó như thế nào?" mà là tự quay cuồng trong câu hỏi "tại sao anh ta/cô ta phải làm như vậy?", rồi sau đó nhận đáp án kết thúc với tâm trạng hẵng còn đờ đẫn bàng hoàng.
Nên mặc dù không phải chuyện gì đáng ngại, tôi nghĩ rằng vẫn nên kiếm cuốn nào tươi vui một chút để đọc tiếp sau cuốn này, nên tôi chọn một cuốn có phần hơi lố kia. Vì tôi bàng hoàng lắm.

[Yuhuai · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a mystery: the story drags on for too long, introducing more and more subplots that ultimately did very little to advance the main plot. The author makes the reveal of the motive and 'trick' of each subplot self-evident to the extent that by the time the ultimate reveal comes, the reader is no longer interested. The ultimate reveal of the overall motive and 'trick' does little to justify the long setup, and the resolution is lacking in the way of consequences to the characters involved.

As a drama: the central protagonists are unsympathetic, not helped by the fact that readers only perceive them through the lenses of numerous underdeveloped secondary characters. The reveal about the protagonists' past is not interesting enough to inform their actions throughout the tiring amount of subplots introduced. It is not clear why the author needs to introduce an excessive amount of redundant subplots to establish the protagonists, or even what his overall objective was in terms of creating character arcs for the protagonists.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

I was conflicted on whether this was a 4 or a 5 star read but ultimately I could find hardly anything that I didn't like with the novel.

The characters are real. The conversations all felt natural. The story was thrilling and was a page turner. To finish a big book in only 2 days shows how invested I was.

The book shows who committed the crime early on (it's almost like an episode of Columbo) and you follow Detective Sasagaki as he tries to find the evidence. Also, Detective Sasagaki is only in the book at the very beginning and right at the end. You spend about 350 pages following all the other characters over a span of 19 years. It's unusual but I was gripped all the way through.

There's only one negative which is how Detective Sasagaki finds a clue right near the end which is a little bit too unrealistic (or maybe a little bit too neat). And that's it. The rest of the book is a stunning character study with a very satisfying conclusion.

Also, some evidence at the end of the book actually makes you change your mind about certain characters which is very clever.

All in all a fantastic read and an author I look forward to reading more from

[Jokoloyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can understand if someone rate this book 5-star. The voice of this book unique, especially if the reader has not read any Keigo Higashino's work before. The plot itself is more to crime thriller than to mystery.

The easiest to notice of this book is the POVs. The POVs of this book mostly from minor characters. I find this a little bit boring, because it makes the story slow (for every POV, there is a background story). But, the author uses the background story blending with the setting setup.

The setting is Japan on era 1972/3 up to early 1990s. There are rarely explicit date on the story, but author insert the thick atmosphere by discussing the real-life/historical event (for example, you could guess the year when Rocky movie was a big hit at theatres, or when the Japan's economic rise and fall. Unfortunately, some of the references are based on sport events at Japan.)

This novel has rich Japanese taste, not only in the setting, but in the characters' actions and way of life. Some of the taste are unfortunately still lost in translations, but I believe the translator had done his best.

In conclusion, this is one of the best translated Japanese Thriller at the market nowadays. Maybe even the best Keigo Higashino's work that has been translated into English.

[Rey of Sunshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

reading vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=homBs...
xin lỗi fan của cuốn này, có lẽ nó không hợp mình rồi... cơ mà mình rất sẵn sàng nghe ý kiến của các bạn :v

---

Mình tin rằng nếu đọc Bạch dạ hành với ít sự kì vọng hơn thì đây sẽ là một cuốn sách đủ hay. Khi không có sự kì vọng, khả năng đoán mò tình tiết của mình sẽ giảm, câu truyện vì thế cũng sẽ hấp dẫn hơn nhiều. Thật đáng tiếc, vì đã nghe quá nhiều nhận xét "Bạch dạ hành xuất sắc lắm" và "giống đứa trẻ hư lắm", nên toàn bộ cốt truyện và cách xây dựng nhân vật của Bạch dạ hành dường như không còn khiến mình phải bàng hoàng như Phía sau nghe can X.

Mình gặp vấn đề rất lớn với việc nhớ tên nhân vật Nhật Bản, vì tên họ na ná nhau và xưng hô loạn tên/họ. Đã vậy tác giả còn giới thiệu tới người đọc kha khá nhân vật hầu như không liên quan tới nhau mà chỉ là nhân vật phụ xuất hiện đôi lần, lại còn tua dòng thời gian nhanh tới chóng mặt dẫn đến việc mình mất nhịp truyện vì lan man quá. Quá nhiều nhân vật và chi tiết mà mình cho là bị dài dòng được tác giả chèn vào một cuốn sách đồ sộ, nhưng lại không mang lại hiệu quả trong việc kích thích trí tò mò.

Khi một vụ án đã được hung thủ xác định từ đầu, cái mà mình quan tâm sẽ là câu hỏi TẠI SAO. mình không quan tâm là sau đó hung thủ sống như nào, là người ra sao, gây ra thêm chuyện gì. mình chỉ muốn biết bí ẩn ban đầu, động cơ đằng sau như nào? điều này phải tới 5 trang cuối cùng của cuốn sách dài hơn 600 trang này mình mới được giải đáp. Cũng có thể nói, một lần nữa, là kì vọng của mình về sách này đi một đằng thì nó lại đi một nẻo.

Về độ đen tối của các nhân vật, chắc mình xem quá nhiều phim Mỹ nên không còn gì bất ngờ nữa. Con người kiểu máu lạnh ăn sâu vào xương tủy đã không còn độc đáo, con người hy sinh mù quáng vì một lý tưởng đã chết lại càng không có gì mới mẻ. Nhân vật phá án - ông cảnh sát già - không có quá nhiều đất diễn và cũng hầu như chỉ là nhân vật bù nhìn chứ không phá thành công thứ gì cả (cho đến tận cuối). Các nhân vật phụ cũng chỉ có "linh cảm" chứ chẳng có năng lực gì cả, ai ai cũng như những bóng ma mò mẫm trong câu chuyện. Tóm lại là thiếu thực tế!

Chắc là câu chuyện muốn gửi gắm độc giả một điều gì đấy, nhưng cá nhân mình chẳng nhận được điều gì trừ sự bất lực. Cũng chúc mừng tác giả vì đã viết được một cuốn sách đồ sộ, trở thành một "hiện tượng" được nhiều bạn đọc yêu mến.
Chỉ tiếc nó không cảm hóa được mình.

P/s: một lần nữa nếu mình đọc nó trong hoàn cảnh khác, với tâm lý khác thì có thể cũng đã thích nó rồi..

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

6-stars!
Higashino Keigo is, hands-down, one of the best Japanese crime writers I've read.

This book is long - longer than most crime fiction ought to be -- and so the first half was a bit diffuse, as the many relevant strands were being woven. Also, remembering all the Japanese names caused some confusion/difficult (for my aged brain) -- but, O! worth the wait...!

[Rach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yosuke Kirihara's dead body is found in an abandoned building, and Detective Sasagaki is unable to solve the case. Never one to give up, this novel traces the lives of the two main suspects over 18 years, with Sasagaki ever hovering in background.

To sum it up in one sentence, this is an infuriating and yet absorbing novel. One of the main flaws of this novel is that it is extremely hard to keep track of the characters mentioned. Higashino has the annoying tendency of introducing a seemingly endless cast of characters that appears for three paragraphs, only to have them vanish by the next. Some do pop up again in the future, but most are disposable and recyclable. It got to the point where I had to make a list to keep up, and finished the book with a total tally of approximately 20 (it got to the point where I just could not be bothered to keep track anymore), out of which most were only mentioned once, and never again.

To read and enjoy this novel, one must suspend one's common sense and logic. The reader must accept that two elementary school kids aged approximately 10 years old are capable of carrying out a murder and two other suspicious deaths in quick succession without leaving any identifying evidence that would get them caught; that a few years later, the same two teenagers are separately or jointly capable of ensuring not one, but that two female classmates endure a sexual assault, cast suspicions on other classmates for the said assaults, run a gigolo ring, cover up a death, and successfully break the ATM encoding on ATM cards and withdrawn millions of yen, all before they turn 30 and all without being caught. Not only that, but as the years progress, the reader is expected to believe that these criminal geniuses also managed to infiltrate two technology companies, run a criminal ring, cause more people to die in suspicious circumstances (one of them a private detective, who was aware that he was being followed and that the person he was investigating was dangerous, and yet ignores all the warning signs that he was in danger and walks right into his own death), and still get away with it without the bumbling police force being able to obtain any kind of clue or evidence as to the real perpetrator behind it. With the way this novel plays out, either the police force in Japan are extremely incompetent, or the author expects his reader to be unquestioningly stupid.

Despite the obvious weakness in the plot, I sped through this with ease, which is as per the case in most crime novels. Assuming you make it to the end of this 539 page paperback (Little, Brown; 2015 Edition), a most unsatisfying ending awaits you. Other crime novels exist, with better characters and tighter plots. Give this a try only if you are a masochist who enjoys being annoyed and unsatisfied.

[Mr B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ồ, bạn nghĩ thế nào về cái kết. Thật ra tôi chẳng quan tâm. Tôi chỉ nêu dữ kiện thôi, việc của bạn là đọc, đoán mò, đoán đúng thật hoặc đoán trật lất. Là tác giả tôi chỉ viết thôi, không để ý đến việc bạn hiểu hay không hiểu câu chuyện đâu.

Đấy, mình đoán Keigo sẽ nói vậy. Một câu chuyện đọc cứ lành lạnh gai gai người, vì cái tăm tối và góc khuất và nhiều thứ khác mà một con người có thể nghĩ ra được. Cái trinh thám của Keigo, là cái trinh thám phơi bày, tiểu tiết, nhưng hướng về nội tâm người đọc. Có lẽ ông quá tài để đưa ra những thứ đánh đố cho người đọc cứ thế lật trang sách cố đọc nốt để rồi hiểu chưa hay chưa hiểu thì cũng mặc.

Xuất sắc và ám ảnh.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is much too long and has what seems to be about a hundred different characters with Japanese names to keep up with. Try keeping tabs on Yuichi, Yaeko, Yosuke, and Yukiho. And yet, ‘Journey Under the Midnight Sun’ is sooooooo good, and I found myself not only picking it up when I had a free moment, but also creating free time to get back into it. I’m just getting used this Japanese style mystery crime story, and this one is probably my favorite so far. The action takes place over a period of twenty years, and the author cleverly leaves clues that become important in solving the crime as the story unfolds. Not everyone’s cup of sake, but certainly a reward for those who persevere.

[Aldeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keigo Higashino is a master of this genre. He has rewritten everything I ever thought a thriller should be. This is no exception. The tiny details and how they all come together is perhaps the best part about this book. And the fact that no one is ever good or bad here. We are all capable of embracing darkness and this is something Higashino explores time and again. This novel is not for those looking for a resolution. This is not that kind of a story. It burns slow, a midnight sun.

[Thanawat · Rating 5 out of 5]

บีบคั้นหัวใจ
เป็น 1041 หน้าที่ Keigo ตรึงคนอ่านเอาไว้ ไม่ให้วาง ไม่ให้ไขว้เขวไปอ่านเล่มอื่น

Keigo ทำงานกับนิยายขนาดยาวเล่มนี้ได้น่าทึ่งมาก
เดินเรื่องผ่านระยะเวลา 19 ปีในเรื่อง จากตัวละครที่เป็นเด็ก มาถึงวัยรุ่น และเข้าสู่วัยผู้ใหญ่
จนทำให้รู้จักมักคุ้นประมาณว่าเจอกันอยู่เนืองๆ แต่ไม่รู้จักตัวตนที่แท้จริงของตัวละครเอกทั้งสองตัวเลย
จริงอย่าว่ามันพอจะเดาเฉลยได้ลางๆ ตั้งแต่ผ่านประมาณ 3 ใน 4 เล่ม แต่ก็ยังลุ้นว่าจะจบอย่างไรและเฉลยจะหักมุมหรือไม่

เรื่องเปิดด้วยฆาตกรรมในตึกร้าง ที่ชายผู้เป็นพ่อถูกฆ่า
หนึ่งคนตาย แต่สองครอบครัวแตกสลาย
ความตายของชายผู้เป็นพ่อ เป็นปริศนาดำมืด ที่ตำรวจได้แต่ด่วนสรุปให้จบๆ คดี แต่มันจบแบบนายตำรวจค้างคาใจ 'ซาซางากิ'

19 ปี คดีหมดอายุความ
สิ่งที่ Keigo ทำ คือเก็บงำเฉลยของคดีเอาไว้ 19 ปี ด้วยเกือบ 1,000 หน้าหนังสือ
แล้วมาเฉลยทุกอย่างทุกปมด้วยบทสุดท้าย

เนื้อเรื่องดำเนินไปด้วยการสร้าง side story ของตัวละคร
Side story ที่เต็มไปด้วยอาชญากรรมที่เรียกได้ว่าเป็นผลพวงจากคดีนั้น
และยังมีเรื่องราวชีวิตที่หล่อหลอมตัวละครให้มาถึงจุดปลายทางของเรื่อง
โดยที่แต่ละเรื่องราวนั้นมันไม่น่าเบื่อเลย แถมยังช่วยให้คนอ่านเชื่อมโยงโน่นนี่นั่นได้บ้างประปราย

เนื้อเรื่องสะท้อนด้านมืดของสังคมอย่างเต็มขั้น ที่เห็นได้ชัดเจนเลยคือ
1. ค่านิยมเรื่องเพศ
เห็นได้ชัดว่าค่านิยมเรื่องเพศในเรื่องนี้ สะท้อนวัฒนธรรมชายเป็นใหญ่ในสังคมญี่ปุ่น ทั้งๆ ที่ดูจะเข้าสู่ยุคสมัยใหม่ก็ยังคงค่านิยมเดิม ตัวละครหญิงล้วนถูกกดเอาไว้ มีเพียงตัวละครหลักอย่าง 'ยูกิโฮะ' เท่านั้นที่สามารถถีบตัวเองขึ้นมานำหน้าผู้ชายได้ แต่ยังไงๆ ก็ใช้ความเป็นผู้หญิงตามแบบแผนมาเป็นตัวกรุยทาง ทั้งเรื่องความงาม ความเป็นแม่บ้านแม่เรือน ซึ่งมันไปขยายเรื่อง 'ชายเป็นใหญ่' อยู่ดี
2. ควา���แตกร้าวของสถาบันครอบครัว
ชัดเจนว่าปมที่ฝังเป็นบาดแผลของตัวละครล้วนมาจากเรื่องในวัยเด็ก และเป็นเรื่องเลวร้ายที่เกิดภายใต้สถาบัน 'ครอบครัว' ทั้งสิ้น
ซึ่งผู้เขียนจงใจเล่นงานสถาบันครอบครัวที่มีโครงสร้างง่อนแง่นหมิ่นเหม่จะพังแหล่มิพังแหล่ของญี่ปุ่นมาแสดงให้เห็น ซึ่งปัจจัยมันก็มาจากสภาพสังคม และค่านิยมของสังคมญี่ปุ่นด้วยนั่นแหละ
3. อาชญากรรมที่สุดโต่ง
เข้าใจว่าญี่ปุ่นเกิดอาชญากรรมน้อย แต่เวลาเกิดแต่ละครั้ง มันจะไปสุดทางของกระดาน คือสุดโต่งทั้งผู้ก่อเหตุ แรงจูงใจ และวิธีการ
Keigo เล่าได้น่าสพรึงทีเดียว ไม่ใช่หวาดเสียวแบบอี๋แหวะ แต่เป็นความน่ากลัวของคนมากกว่า

'ปลาบู่กับกุ้งมือปืน' เป็นคำที่นายตำรวจ 'ซาซางากิ' เลือกใช้ และเป็นความสัมพันธ์ที่เป็นแกนของเรื่อง
'ปลาบู่ทะเล (shrimp goby)' กับ 'กุ้งมือปืนหรือกุ้งตาบอด (blind shrimp)' ทั้งคู่อาศัยอยู่ในรูที่กุ้งเป็นผู้ขุดและทำความสะอาด ปลาบู่จะมาพบกุ้งแล้วก็ขออยู่ร่วมรูด้วย ปลาบู่จะคอยเตือนภัยเพราะกุ้งมีสายตาที่แย่มาก เวลามันขึ้นมาหากินเหนือรู จึงถูกศัตรูล่าได้ง่ายๆ แต่เมื่อมีปลาบู่อยู่เคียงกาย กุ้งจะเอาหนวดข้างหนึ่งแตะตัวปลาบู่ไว้ ถ้าศัตรูมา ปลาบู่ทะเลจะเตือนภัยโดยโบกหาง แล้วทั้งคู่ก็จะรีบหนีลงรูไปด้วยกัน

เกือบทั้งเล่ม ปลาบู่และกุ้งมือปืนต่างเกื้อกูลกันในทางลับๆ ทางใดทางหนึ่ง ที่เราไม่มีทางรู้ได้
แต่สุดท้าย ปลาบู่ก็ปล่อยทิ้งกุ้งเอาไว้ให้ตายอย่างเดียวดาย

เป็นนายตำรวจ 'ซาซางากิ' ที่กลับมาปิดคดี

เวทมนต์ของ Keigo ตรึงคนอ่านเอาไว้ด้วยเรื่องราวของตัวละคร และเนื้อเรื่องที่ชวนติดตามกระตุ้นต่อมอยากรู้ตลอดเวลา
เป็นหนังสือหนึ่งพนหน้าที่อ่านจบในเวลาไม่นานอย่างที่คิด
มันทั้งบีบคั้น ตื่นเต้นชวนลุ้น และหวาดผวา

ท้ายที่สุด ให้อารมณ์เหมือนจมลึกอยู่ในความมืดมิด

พลาดไม่ได้ด้วยประการทั้งปวง

[Citlalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Far too long and unnecessarily convoluted.
-Numerous subplots that don't contribute much to the main story.
-And what's worst, there's a clear hint in the first few chapters as to what's going on, so that the "mystery" is not a mystery at all 🙄
-Terribly disappointing 😒
-It's my fourth Higashino; it's also the longest and the one I've liked the least.

2,5 ⭐️⭐️⛅️

[K.J. Charles]

Wow this was good. Wow. I think it's his best. This is a thriller on an epic scale, starting with the unsolved murder of a pawnbroker and the death of a woman he might have been having an affair with. The ramifications spool out as we follow events through twenty years, through the eyes of a huge cast who have greater or lesser involvement.

It's a pretty horrifying story (TW: rape, several) and the slow reveal of what happens is immensely creepy and compelling. It's also a fascinating portrait of Japan's rapid changes from the 70s and of various aspects of culture--school, business, dating, marriage, women's position. Goodness. Hugely impressive, shows what genre fiction can do.

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Higashino's book, the third of his that I have read. Like the others, it is clearly Japanese and very unlike most American books. I have had the good fortune to visit Japan a dozen times or so and have stayed in Ryokan (Japanese country inns) where, on occasion, I was the only English speaker and I know about a dozen Japanese words. Great fun!!

Journey Under the Midnight Sun is a series of stories that do not always seem connected to each other but are skillfully drawn together bit by bit. There is also a massive and completely unexpected twist. It makes you think back over the entire story and view things in a very different light. Higashino's beautifully created plot started a bit slow but soon reached unputdownable status. In each of his books that I have read, he masterfully created complex storylines that often seemed simple and straightforward but never were. His characters sometimes seemed a bit simplistic but, ultimately proved to be the opposite.

The owner of a pawnshop is killed, stabbed to death in a locked (from within) room inside an abandoned building. A local detective investigates and, unable to let go of the case, his investigation continues for 19 years. Two children, ten or eleven at the time of the murder, an employee of the murdered pawnshop owner, the pawnshop owner´s wife, and one of the children's mother as well as her (later) adoptive mother are involved through most of the book while a couple of additional key characters become involved about midway.

I understand that is not much of a synopsis but it is difficult to say more without revealing too much and I just don't want to detract from your experience, should you choose to read this book.

Obviously, I loved the book and would strongly recommend it to those who enjoy books written with simple elegance (albeit translated), and long, convoluted tales that occasionally leave the reader confused but always provoke thoughtfulness. There is little action so it is definitely not recommended for action junkies.

Fini

[Bimbabati · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this 550-page tome in roughly 48 hours, foregoing sleeping and eating, and ending up dozing at work the next day.

It was all worth it, many times over.

It's a masterpiece, an effortless epic that grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go till you've finished the very last page.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The disturbing vibe that permeates this book draws on more than the damaged pair of characters tracked over the span of twenty years. It draws power from the gutters of Japanese society that fall under Higashino's impassive gaze. That sense of anomie is captured in the cover art, a photo of individuals on a busy urban sidewalk. The shot captures these people from behind. They are faceless vanishing shadows.

Higashino's initial setting is Osaka — the parts invisible to tourists but with which he no doubt was well acquainted with from growing up in this city. Governmental failure is subtly implied through a sequence of images. Detective Sasagaki glances at a trio of news headlines about public health endangerment due to pollution. The crime site he approaches is a partially built and then abandoned building permitted to stand despite being an eyesore and dangerous playground for neighborhood children. His interrogation takes him to “...a squat two-storey affair..in a cluster of small houses that looked as if they had been thrown together from corrugated tin siding and whatever lumber happened to be lying around at the time. Black splotches marked the building's sooty grey walls and serpentine lines of concrete had been plastered over the many cracks.”(p.23) The murder victim is a local pawn shop owner, and the police suspect robbery was the motive. That suspicion is reinforced by the information that he had withdrawn a sizeable amount of cash from the bank the same afternoon he was killed.

Higashino bookends his story between two economic crises: the 1973 oil embargo and the late 1980's real estate bubble collapse. Even middle school children hustle for spare change. Fumihiko Kikuchi, a middle school student, complains about being unable to afford going to the movies. Conversations with his friend Yuichi Akiyoshi always seem to be tinged with envy. The book is filled with scenes of extreme wealth and poverty juxtaposed, of secretive family units terrified of neighborhood gossip, a corrupted cultural legacy, superficiality, struggles for survival in a predatory food chain and human loneliness.

This is not a mystery. It is a suspenseful story told in over 500 pages. It is Higashino's storytelling ability that holds the reader's interest in such a hefty volume. The reader reacts with surprise when a connection is made to some seemingly insignificant or even accidental incident in a previous chapter. Likewise, the reader is tempted to predict what looks like a certain outcome to the presently unfolding events. Each chapter jumps to a succeeding time period, and introduces a new set of associates surrounding the main characters, a girl named Yukiho (Nishimoto) Karasawa, and a boy named Ryo Kirihara. Yukiho lived with her mother in the squat squalid building described above. Ryo was the son of Yosuke Kirihara, the pawnbroker who was murdered. Despite this proximity, there is a separateness to their stories. Some characters persist over more than one chapter. Others vanish only to reappear later. The temporary nature of these associations reinforces a sense of ad hoc and opportunistic relationships.

The reader's craving for continuity is satisfied by the invisible persistence of Detective Sasagaki. After the initial murder investigation, his appearance is intermittent and sometimes he is not even identified by name. Yet, he persists, even after the statute of limitations has expired, even after his own retirement, determined to uncover the trail of crimes and damaged lives that were set in motion by that one elusive murder case. Of all the characters, he is also the most opaque. Not even he can explain his obsession with this case.

Higashino employs extraordinary skill in writing this story. In its bare outline, the plot might seem like a mundane genre piece. There are parts that dissolve into pure melodrama. There are shades of gothic noir. Some of the unexpected turns will leave the reader gasping. Even at its conclusion, there is an element of ambiguity. Like Sasagaki, the reader can easily become obsessed with the truth of this story.

NOTES:
There are a lot of characters. Readers are cautioned to keep a list to track them.

Some of the best commentaries on this book are in blogs:
https://sourwhiskey.wordpress.com/201...
https://fictionmattersfromageek.wordp...

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

امتیاز واقعی ٣.٧۵ که هرجوری فکر می کنم ۴ نمیشه

:موارد لازم برای خواندن این کتاب
١. یک کاغذ و خودکار برای نوشتن لیست سنگین اسامی کاراکترهای اصلی و فرعی و نیم اصلی و کلا فرعی
٢. تحمل بالا برای نفهمیدن ماجرا برای تقریبا... اکثر کتاب
٣. صبر به مدت حدود پانصد صفحه یا هجده ساعت صوتی برای پیدا کردن قاتل مردی که همون صفحه اول میمیره

داستان چیه؟
مردی در یک ساختمان نیم ساخته به قتل رسیده و پلیس به دنبال مظنون می گرده. بیست سال می گذره و زندگی آدم هایی که به نحوی به مقتول نزدیک بودند رو دنبال می کنید. داستان ها به ظاهر پراکنده اند و به هم ربطی ندارند تا لحظه ای که لینک بینشون رو کشف می کنید و به قاتل اصلی و انگیزه قتل می رسید

برای من خیلی جالب بود که از یک نویسنده ژاپنی کتابی با ژانر تعلیق و جرم بخونم. داستان با سفر کردن در طول بیست سال، برشی از زندگی و فرهنگ ژاپن رو به خوبی نشون میده و به نظرم تصویری متفاوت از چیزی که در ذهنمون هست رو ارائه میده

انقدر کشش داشت که با وجود اینکه دائما اسم ها و آدم ها رو گم می کردم (که از ریویوی بقیه فهمیدم ظاهرا طبیعیه!)، کل نوزده ساعت کتاب رو در دو
روز خیلی کرونایی گوش کردم تا سر در بیارم که چه اتفاقی داره می افته. تنها مشکلم طبق معمول با انتهای کتاب و مسترمایند پشت همه ی اتفاقات بود
!spoiler!
پذیرش اینکه این دو بچه پشت تمام این اتفاق ها بودن برام سخت بود. این همه قتل و تجاوز و سرقت و انواع و اقسام جرم های سنگین رو این دو تا چطور از پسش بر اومدن؟
البته با توجه به سال چاپ کتاب (١٩٩٩) شاید انقدر هم غیرقابل باور نیست. این مسئله بازم پایان عجله ای و سر بسته رو توجیه نمی کنه. پایانی که تشنه نگه ات نمی داره ولی حرف برای گفتن زیاد باقی می گذاره

کتاب و صوتیش رو هم مثل همیشه اینجا گذاشتم
Audiobooks are awesome

٩٩.٨.٢٨

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read few books by Japanese authors. Those I have read were by powerhouses of Japanese literature. I found them well done but difficult to get into and containing a bit too much angst. Consequently, I have avoided Japanese authors. Keigo Higashino has changed my perspective. This is an incredible book. It follows a murderer, the murderer's friends and acquaintances and determined detective over the course of 22 years. If you have never read Japanese fiction and you like some meat on the bone, this is a great book.

[Naddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know how sun rises and sets at a certain time each day. In the same way, all of our lives have a day and night. But it’s not set like it is with the sun. Some people walk forever in the sunlight, and some people have to walk through the darkest night their whole life. When people talk about being afraid, what they’re afraid of is that their sun will set. That the light they love will fade, that’s why they are frightened.



I was so fascinated by Keigo Higashino when I read Devotion of Suspect X, I was pretty sure I read some of his other work. And few months back one of my colleague recommended me this book. When I look at book, the sheer size of the book make me skeptical, we are bound to be confused by the book which is heavy in weight I feel :P I felt I ll give it short for 50 pages and see how it goes, if I find it boring I will leave it after 50 pages. I was on second page murder occurred, 10 pages criminal investigation, 30 pages alibis, but no arrest by that time I was sure I would complete this book.

Journey under the midnight Sun is mixture of obsession, voyeurism, love, trust, betrayal and has been narrated so vividly. Just imagine all the parameters combined with mystery what would be the impact.

If I compare it with Devotion of suspect X, at its dark heart is just another tautly enigmatic relationship between a man and a woman. There are appalling acts, but our interest lies not in grisly details but in the ripples that undulate for years after. As one character notes towards the end: "Two decades. Kazunari couldn't understand how something that happened so long ago in Osaka could be having such an effect on his personal life in the here and now." At one crucial moment, this reverse ends up two decades before. As a storytelling technique, it is both disorienting and enticing. The reader is constantly kept on their toes and tantalized too. The effect is a little like the rudimentary games that Ryo pirates - mazes within mazes within mazes. All the characters play one game or another - whether they are on a computer, the golf course, card table, stock market or even the dance floor. These fictions within fictions and systems within systems create a hall of mirrors or statute of limitations that reflects the manipulations of Higashino's characters, whose plots rise and are submerged before our eyes. It will give you feeling like you are walking in a same wheel rut for twenty years. I quite like the term symbiotic relationship and analogy of Gobi and shrimp.

In terms of Japanese cuisine I found it quite insightful, starting from Miso Soup, ramen, sashimi, Tokyo areas, Osaka parts, mural art. It can be read it as a potted history of modern Japan - gender, class, money, obedience, an exploration of a crumbling social order, a ludic literary puzzle that plays with genre expectations

It could have been five stars rating but somehow I was taken aback as there were so many characters and not all have the link to the many story. For instance Yukhio’s mathematician tutor he just came to think how Yukhio only killed her mother with unnecessary background details. Also, there was no even single dialogue exchange between Yukhio and Ryo, no confession. When you will reach towards end you will able to figure out the reason for the murder and murderer and also even was there any accomplice.
One thing found it confusing or misread, how potassium cyanide and sulfuric acid acid turned into a gas and killed Imeada not Ryo ,how Rayo able to do this, that part I found bit mushy.

So, I would like to sign off with 4/5. This book will not let you down, will give you shrills, some will pump, adrenaline, some characters you will find the empathetic, some of the sub stories will leave you bewildered. If you have Devotion of Suspect X, you should give a try for certain. Remember it is not whodunit or whydunnit rather it what-exactly-is-being-dunnit

[সালমান হক · Rating 4 out of 5]

আমার মতে এখন অব্ধি হিগাশিনোর সেরা সাহিত্যকর্ম হচ্ছে আন্ডার দ্য মিডনাইট সান। কেন? বলছি। পুরো বিশ্বে হিগাশিনোর যত পাঠক আছেন, তারা মূলত তাঁর বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত টুইস্ট, চমৎকার চরিত্রায়ন আর আবেগ নিয়ে দারুণ যে খেলা খেলেন- সেজন্যেই তার লেখা ভালোবাসেন। তবে আন্ডার দ্য মিডনাইট সানে কিন্তু সেই অর্থে হিগাশিনীয়ো টুইস্টের পরিমাণ কম। গল্পের প্রয়োজনে বাঁক আছে অনেক, তবে তা পরিমিত। এই বইয়ে হিগাশিনো মূলত চেয়েছেন অপরাধীর মনস্তত্ত্বে ফোকাস করতে। একজন অপরাধী কেন অপরাধ করছে, কিভাবে করছে, কতটা ধূর্ততার সাথে- এই সব ছবিই এঁকেছেন দক্ষ তুলির আঁচড়ে। কিছু কিছু জায়গায় পাঠকেরা বুঝতে পারবেন যে কি হচ্ছে, কিন্তু গল্পের চরিত্রগুলো কিন্তু বুঝবে না। মানে, আপনি জানেন একটা মানুষ খারাপ। কিন্তু আশপাশের সবাই তাকে ভালো হিসেবে চেনে। চাইলেও আপনি কিছু করতে পারছেন না, এই হতাশাবোধটা কাজ করবে প্রচণ্ড পরিমাণে। বিশাল ক্যানভাসের বই হওয়ায় হিগাশিনো সুযোগও পেয়েছেন বিশাল একটা টাইমলাইন নিয়ে কাজ করতে। এক পর্যায়ে হয়তো অনেকের মনে হবে, বইটা এত বড় হবার কারণ কি? অযাচিত বর্ণনা। কিন্তু সত্যি বলতে কি, হিগাশিনো একটা শব্দও অতিরিক্ত খরচ করেন না তার লেখায়।

বইয়ের শুরুতেই ইয়োসুকে কিরিহারা নামে এক 'পনব্রোকার'(কোন কিছু বন্ধক রেখে টাকা ধার দেয় যে) খুন হয় এক পরিত্যক্ত বাড়িতে। মূলত তার খুনের তদন্ত দিয়েই এই বিশাল যাত্রার শুরু। ডিটেকটিভ সাসাগাকি তদন্তে নেমে বোকা হয়ে যায়, কারণ যাকেই সে সন্দেহ করে, প্রত্যেকের শক্ত কোন অ্যালিবাই আছে। একমাত্র যে সন্দেহভাজনের অ্যালিবাই নেই, তার মৃত্যু হয় সড়ক দুর্ঘটনায়। তবুও সাসাগাকি হাল ছাড়ে না। বিশ বছর ধরে কেসটার পেছনে লেগে থাকে সে। এমনকি অবসর গ্রহণের পরেও। কেন? সেটা জানার জন্যে পড়তে হবে বইটা।

শেষে কি অপেক্ষা করছে, তা হয়তো অনেক আগে থেকেই বোঝা যাবে। তবুও গল্পের মুখ্য চরিত্রগুলোর ভীষণ হৃদয়-বিদারক পরিণতি অস্বস্তির উদ্রেক ঘটাবে পাঠকের মনে। আসলে গোটা বইটাই অস্বস্তিদায়ক। ইচ্ছেকৃতভাবে গল্পটা এভাবে বুনেছেন হিগাশিনো। প্লটের প্রয়োজনে যৌনতা আছে, তবে সেটাও অপরাধ এবং অপরাধীর মনঃস্তত্ত্ব বোঝার খাতিরে।

[cuong tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Higashino Keigo luôn ghi dấu những ấn tượng sâu đậm, khó có thể phai mờ đối với độc giả qua các trang viết đầy day dứt và ám ảnh. Bạch dạ hành cũng không là ngoại lệ. Đây là lần thứ năm mình đọc thêm một tác phẩm của ông – một tác phẩm xuất sắc, gợi được những trăn trở, suy ngẫm nhất đối với bản thân mình.

Hơn hai mươi năm về trước, cái chết của ông chủ tiệm cầm đồ và những kẻ bị tình nghi đã để lại những phép toán hóc búa không có lời giải, gây nên những xáo trộn không nhỏ đối với cuộc sống yên ả, đơn điệu chốn thị thành nghèo vùng Osaka. Hai đứa trẻ liên quan tới vụ án: Kirihara Ryoji và Yukiho Nishimoto, một là con của nạn nhân, một là con của nghi can, dần lớn lên dưới bóng đen của dị nghị và mất mát. Một người khao khát được bước ra ánh sáng, còn kẻ kia lại tự nguyện hiến dâng mình cho đêm tối, trị vì đêm tối như một bà chúa, ông hoàng.

Giống như những câu chuyện trước của Keigo, Bạch dạ hành có gắn tag trinh thám song không chất trinh thám dường như bị lấp vùi, mờ nhạt nhiều phần. Thông qua một vụ án đang dần bị ngỏ ngỏ, tác giả bóc tách từng lớp một trong tâm lý phức tạp của con người, đồng thời lột tả trần trụi bộ mặt đầy rẫy những khuất tất của xã hội Nhật Bản hiện đại.

Yukiho là nhân vật trung tâm của truyện – một người đàn bà thực sự khiến mình kinh hoảng. Sinh ra trong một gia đình nghèo, không có cơ hội để học tập trong một môi trường giáo dục tử tế, lại bị người mẹ nhẫn tâm bán đi tấm thân trinh bạch, hòng kiếm chác, trục lợi. Tưởng chừng trải qua tuổi thơ đầy sóng gió, bất hạnh ấy, Yukiho sẽ rũ bùn đứng lên tựa đóa hướng dương luôn vươn mình về phía mặt trời. Ngờ đâu, ả sẵn sàng vứt bỏ vầng dương, lầm lũi bước đi trong đêm tối. Áp lực tiền bạc, nỗi tủi hổ về gia thế cùng với sự vô trách nhiệm của người mẹ đã gián tiếp nuôi dưỡng mầm mống tội ác trong tâm hồn thơ ngây của đứa con gái nhỏ. Ả bỏ mặc mẹ đẻ đến chết hòng chuyển tới một gia đình danh giá hơn, sẵn sàng nhìn bạn bị nhục mạ hòng thu nạp lòng tin và tình yêu thương của những kẻ chống đối. Yukiho tựa như một nữ hoàng trị vì đêm tối, chễm chệ trên chiếc ngai vàng làm từ máu và xương. Quyền uy và đẹp đẽ, song tanh hôi và nức mùi thối tha.

Để đạt được mục đích mình muốn, để giật lấy những cái mình cần, ả không ngần ngại bất chấp thủ đoạn, lợi dụng hết kẻ này đến người khác. Cái méo mó, dị dạng trong tâm hồn ả được khéo léo che đậy sau một chiếc mặt nạ được gia công tinh xảo, sau một vầng hào quang chói lòa song giả dối khôn cùng. Ả mê muội những kẻ háo sắc bằng đôi má ửng hồng mỗi khi thẹn thùng, làm lạc hướng những người lý trí bằng đôi vai gầy khẽ run rẩy và cặp mắt trong veo đẫm nước. Ả đẩy những con người vô tội xuống vực sâu không đáy của mưu mô và thủ đoạn, rồi lại chính ả kéo họ lên bằng đôi bàn tay trắng nõn, vỗ về họ bằng những cái ôm ấm áp, đặt lên trán họ những cái hôn chan chứa tình yêu thương. Dã tâm và bộ mặt giả tạo của ả khiến mình phát tởm.

Còn Ryo? Sau nhát kéo định mệnh cướp đi sinh mệnh của người cha đốn mạt, bệnh hoạn, đã không thể đường hoàng bước đi dưới ánh mặt trời chói lọi. Anh buộc phải lùi sâu vào đêm tối, dần bị bóng tối bủa vây, vùi lấp, cho tới khi quanh anh chỉ còn quánh đặc một màu đen. Từ ngày đó, anh nguyện song hành cùng người con gái kia trên con đường nhuộm đỏ mùi máu và tanh tưởi mùi tội ác. Anh sẵn sàng vì Yukiho mà giết cha, đoạt mạng của những kẻ vô tội, vấy bẩy thanh danh của những người mà anh chẳng hề quen biết. Đỉnh điểm của sự sa lầy, anh một dạ nghe lời Yukiho để làm nhục một thiếu nữ chưa tròn mười tám, dẫm lên vết xe đổ của người cha, để tội ác chồng chất tội ác, để đau thương diễn tiếp đau thương.

Nhào nặn nên Ryo và Yukiho, Higashino mảy may có lấy một dòng khắc họa nội tâm nào, song tất cả những gì khuất lấp, kín đáo, vẹn tròn hay méo mó của hai nhân vật này đều được tác giả phơi trải không giấu giếm. Thông qua hành động, lời nói và việc làm của cả hai, từng sự kiện khúc mắc, rối rắm, tưởng chừng như không thể nào lý giải lại dần được gỡ bỏ, ngày càng được lộ rõ. Độc giả có cơ hội trực tiếp tham gia vào quá trình đi tìm chân tướng vụ việc, lí giải những rối ren đồng thời được chứng kiến hành trình sa ngã của cả hai nhân vật. Higashino không có lấy một lời bình, tất cả đều do độc giả tự tìm tòi, rồi tự phán xét, tự chiêm nghiệm, đấy chính là điểm đầu tiên làm nên sức hấp dẫn độc nhất của Bạch dạ hành.

Mình rất thích cách tác giả gọi mối quan hệ giữa Yukiho và Kirihara – tôm pháo và cá bống trắng, hai loài động vật cộng sinh, sống dựa vào nhau để cùng tồn tại. Tôm pháo đào hang, cá bống ở ngoài hang, thoạt nhiên có vẻ không liên quan nhưng lại có một mối tương giao kì lạ.

Cũng tựa như Yukiho, Kirihara: cô gái dù thông minh, sắc sảo từ tấm bé, song lại chọn cách nuôi dưỡng mầm ác trong mình, lấy nó làm sức mạnh chi phối kẻ khác. Cuộc đời của ả ngày một thăng tiến. Từ chỗ là một đứa bé có gia cảnh bần hàn, dần dà trở thành một tiểu thư cao sang, một phu nhân quyền quý, một nữ doanh nhân giàu có thành đạt. Còn người kia, đứa bé ngây ngô thuở nào – một đứa trẻ cô độc, đáng thương, một đứa bé khéo tay với những món đồ thủ công dễ thương, đáng mến, một chàng trai đong trong tim thứ ánh sáng lấp lánh của niềm khao khát hoàn lương, dẫu bủa quanh chỉ độc một màn đêm đen đặc. Suốt từ những năm tháng ấu thơ cho tới những ngày nhúm chàm tội ác, Kirihara Ryoji vẫn luôn trông ngóng một ngày “được bước đi trong ánh sáng”, vẫn luôn bị nỗi cô độc đeo đẳng, bị mặc cảm tội lỗi giằng xé, dằn vặt. Dù bên cạnh có Yukiho, song Ryo vẫn mãi là một linh hồn cô đơn, một vì sao lẻ le lói những màn đêm tăm tối. Xuất phát từ thôi thúc bảo vệ người bạn duy nhất trên đời, anh lại bị chính người bạn ấy thao túng, lún sâu vào vũng lầy nhơ nhuốc của tội lỗi. Liệu anh sẽ nhận được gì sau những gì mà anh đã gây ra? Là sự sẻ chia từ người bạn độc nhất, sự thương hại của một linh hồn mà anh chới với bấu víu trên cuộc đời; hay, không gì cả, mọi sự đều chỉ xuất phát từ nhân cách khiếm khuyết của anh?

Thật khó có thể đoán định được đích xác liệu giữa hai người này có một chút gì gọi là tình yêu đôi lứa hay không, hay đơn thuần chỉ là mối quan hệ hỗ sinh không hơn như người cảnh sát già Sasagaki từng gọi. Không, như vậy thì đơn giản quá. Theo mình, giữa hai con người này đã dần hình thành một mối liên kết kỳ dị khó có thể diễn tả. Cả hai đều tàn nhẫn, đều không ngại bất chấp thủ đoạn; cả hai cũng đều mất đi ham muốn tình dục thường thấy. Là những ám ảnh về sự giao cấu trong quá khứ đã gợi nhắc cho họ về hệ lụy mà cái bản năng mang tính nguyên thủy này của con người gây ra; hay chính họ đã lập một giao kèo bí ẩn – họ chỉ giành cho nhau, tâm hồn và khối óc họ đã bện chặt vào nhau, tuyệt nhiên không một kẻ nào có thể chạm tới mối liên kết lạ lùng ấy.

Ngoài những nhân vật gây ám ảnh, thì một điều mà mình không tài nào có thể quên ở cuốn sách này đó là kết truyện. Trời ơi, cái kết khiến mình vừa buồn vừa tức. Buồn vì sau những hi sinh của mình, Ryo vẫn chẳng nhận lại được chút mảy may xót thương nào, dù chỉ là một cái nhíu mày hay tiếng thảng thốt khe khẽ. Tức vì sau những tội ác tày đình mà hai con người kia gây ra, chỉ có mỗi Ryo bị trừng phạt đích đáng. Ả đàn bà đáng sợ kia vẫn mãi nhởn nhơ ngoài vòng pháp luật, vẫn có thể tiếp tục đẩy người khác vào chỗ chết vì những thủ đoạn bẩn tưởi của bản thân. Bởi vậy, hình ảnh Yukiho lạnh lùng bước đi khi nhìn nhát kéo định mệnh cướp đi sinh mệnh của Ryo khiến mình rợn cả tóc gáy. Ả ta đã chồng lên nhân diện mình không biết bao lớp mặt nạ, bôi trét lên chúng những cảm xúc, những biểu hiện muôn vẻ, muôn hình. Cho tới tận thời khác cuối cùng, lớp mặt nạ ấy vẫn chẳng hề sứt mẻ dù chỉ một mảnh nhỏ. Ả vẫn thản nhiên cất bước như người dưng qua đường, thậm chí còn vô tâm buông lơi những lời nói lạnh lẽo tới mức như có thể bóp nát trái tim của những kẻ đã chết. Yukiho đã từng bảo cuộc đời ả vốn dĩ không có mặt trời, chỉ có một quầng sáng lờ nhờ chiếu tỏ. Mình cũng đã từng nghĩ quầng sáng ấy có phải Ryo hay không, mình mong là có. Bởi vì, khi đọc tới cái kết, trong trí óc mình lại lóe lên một nét nghĩ: liệu quầng sáng đó, phải chăng không ai khác lại chính là bản thân Yukiho – một bản thể nhẫn tâm, thủ đoạn – một nhân cách thối nát, méo mó. Cái ác đã dẫn lối ả cất bước trong đêm.

Ở Bạch dạ hành, cái tài của Higashino Keigo lại được nâng lên một tầm cao mới. Ông không chỉ xây dựng lên những nhân vật chân thực tới rợn người, mà còn có thể khắc họa những chi tiết gây ám ảnh tột độ, qua đó, ông đã phơi bày không che đậy những góc khuất tối tăm của xã hội Nhật Bản đương đại: một xã hội hiện đại, hào nhoáng song mưng mủ những nhức nhối – xã hội với nạn ấu dâm hoành hành, với một bà mẹ bán con vì tiền, với những méo mó, xấu xa – xã hội đẩy những đứa trẻ ngây thơ lún sâu vào bóng đêm, gây nên những tội ác không tài nào đồng cảm nổi.

Bạch dạ hành đã một lần nữa đã khẳng định tên tuổi của Higashino Keigo trên văn đàn hiện đại, khi đã chắp bút nên những trang văn hoàn hảo, kín kẽ tới từng thớ chữ. Đáng lẽ cho 9/10, song cái kết làm mình không ưng một chút nào cả. Bởi theo quan điểm của mình, gieo gió ắt phải gặt bão, nhìn Yukiho vẫn ngông nghênh bước đi giữa đời, mình tức. Câu chuyện này khiến lòng mình ngổn ngang những suy nghĩ, khó chịu, bức bí tới độ không ngủ được...

[Tuấn Lalarme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Câu chuyện rất hay, chi tiết, tiểu tiết được đặt ra cân nhắc gợi ý cho độc giả rất khéo léo, để đi đến tận cùng ta mới có thể nắm được chuyện gì đã thực sự xảy ra. Tuy nhiên thì cấu tứ bị lặp lại không ít, nên tạo cảm giác hơi lê thê.

Nếu thích trinh thám thì đây đúng là 1 quyển "must-read".

[Lê Tuyền ICHI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một quyển sách tầm cỡ. Và là một cậu chuyện tăm tối.

Anh ta cầm giấy bằng tay trái, dùng lưỡi kéo cắt lên, dịch chuyển tờ giấy cẩn thận mà đều đặn. [...] tay trái và tay phải phối hợp với nhau một cách cực kỳ khéo léo.

Lát sau, Kirihara cắt xong[...]

Tờ giấy đã biến thành hình một bé trai và một bé gái dắt tay nhau. Đứa bé trai đội mũ, trên tóc đứa bé gái buộc một chiếc nơ bướm to, trông hết sức tinh xảo.

Cặp bé trai bé gái trên mũi kéo (hình minh họa trên bìa ảnh) là hình tượng ẩn dụ sống động về mối quan hệ cộng sinh mang tính định mệnh và đầy oan nghiệt giữa Kirihara Ryoji và Nishimoto Yukiho.

“Tôm pháo biết đào hang, nó sống ở trong hang. Nhưng có một con vật khác lại muốn ở chung, đó là cá bống trắng. Có điều cá bống trắng cũng không ở không, nó sẽ tuần tra ở cửa hang, nếu có kẻ địch lại gần, thì sẽ quẫy đuôi báo cho tôm pháo trong hang. Bọn chúng hợp tác khăng khít, hình như gọi là cộng sinh cùng có lợi hay sao đó.”

Sasagaki dùng hình ảnh con tôm pháo và cá bống trắng để ví von nói Kirihara và Karasawa Yukiho giống như hai loài động vật này, sống cộng sinh với nhau.

“Nhưng tôi không biết tổ của bọn họ ở đâu. Vì chuyện này, tôi đã điều tra gần hai mươi năm rồi.” Lúc nói câu này gương mặt viên cảnh sát già lộ ra nụ cười tự giễu.

Kirihara Ryoji và Nishimoto Yukiho đều là những kẻ xinh đẹp, nhạy bén trước cuộc sống, bản năng sinh tồn mãnh liệt, thủ đoạn và vô cùng tàn nhẫn. Cả hai dựa vào nhau mà sống và sẵn lòng gạt phăng mọi chướng ngại vật nào ngáng chân ngăn cản mục đích của họ, dù là bắt cóc, hãm h.i.ế.p hay giết người.

Và thế là, hai người họ cùng dắt nhau Đi trong đêm trắng (Bạch dạ hành) tăm tối không lối thoát.

“Cuộc đời anh cứ như là đi trong đêm trắng vậy.”

Sau vụ án mạng định mệnh ấy, Ryoji vẫn mãi là đứa trẻ bò loanh quanh trong đường ống thông gió năm xưa.
Kirihara Ryoji vẫn luôn mong ước “Đi dưới ánh mặt trời.” Nhưng cuối cùng chỉ là một kẻ không khước từ làm bất cứ điều xấu xa nào, để rồi hãm hi.p trẻ vị thành niên (ấu dâm) và chết bởi chính mũi kéo "hung khí" ấy, không khác gì người cha mà anh ta ghê tởm nhất.

“Còn tôi,” Yukiho tiếp tục nói, “xưa nay chưa từng sống dưới ánh mặt trời.”

"Ti tiện" là từ Shinozuka Kazunari hình dung về Karasawa Yukiho trong lần đầu tiên gặp gỡ. Đây cũng là cách hình dung xác đáng nhất về ả, bất kể ngoại hình tựa thiên sứ hay dáng vẻ cao nhã mà ả ta cố bồi đắp.
Rợn xương sống với những gì ả đã làm để đạt được mục đích của mình. Và đã làm được mọi thứ một cách ngoạn mục.

Chỉ thấy Yukiho đang vịn cầu thang đi lên tầng, bóng lưng cô ta tựa như một bóng ma màu trắng.

Yukiho không ngoảnh đầu lại, dù chỉ một lần.

Mẹ ruột, mẹ nuôi, bạn thân, hay thậm chí là kẻ cộng sinh với mình, với Yukiho chỉ là hòn đá lót đường. Sau đêm án mạng năm xưa, Yukiho chưa từng dùng gương mặt thật để đối diện với cuộc đời và mãi mãi chìm vào trong màn đêm tăm tối.

Thực sự đọc truyện, mình thương nhất là bác thanh tra già Sasagaki, người chưa từng từ bỏ, bất kể vụ án đã hết hạn truy tố, bất kể bác đã về hưu. Vậy mà cuối cùng, bác chẳng thể lôi ra ánh sáng những sự thật cần sáng tỏ ấy, còn bóng ma ấy vẫn trôi vật vờ trong đêm tối.

Truyện trinh thám của Keigo Higashino chưa bao giờ CHỈ là truyện trinh thám. Nhưng câu chuyện trong Bạch dạ hành thâm trầm đến mức ám liệt.
Hai vấn đề xã hội nổi cộm nhất là:
- Nạn mua bán tình dục, đặc biệt là tình dục trẻ em.
- Vấn đề ăn cắp sản phẩm trí tuệ (máy tính) và sở hữu bản quyền.

Một quyển sách buộc phải đọc kỹ, đọc chậm, để hiểu rõ được chi tiết, ẩn dụ mà tác giả Higashino cố gắng gợi ý, cài cắm, ám chỉ. Bên cạnh đó, truyện có số lượng nhân vật nhiều đến choáng ngợp và mức độ tình tiết khá rối rắm. Thực tế với quyển này, mình mất nhiều thời gian hơn quyển bình thường.

Rất hiển nhiên là Bạch dạ hành được đánh giá cao và khen ngợi đến thế.

[Angel Manzano · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you Google popular Japanese authors or books and popular local authors or books in Japan, you'll see two vastly different list. The first is a list of authors or books that mostly non-Japanese (Westerners usually) would recommend while the latter is a list taken from the consensus of the Japanese. Sure, there are some familiar faces between the list, i.e. Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto and Yoko Ogawa but in the latter list, most of the authors that populated it are genre-fiction writers such as mysteries, thriller, horror and Science-Fiction. Keigo Higashino, the author of Journey Under the Midnight Sun sits around the top of the latter list, writing mostly mystery or detective fiction but like many work of literature nowadays, the line between genre and literary fiction are blurred or a thin one. Think of someone like James Ellroy or Dennis Lehanne.

Journey Under the Midnight Sun is a little different than the usual detective fiction that Keigo Higashino writes. There is an aspect of detective fiction here but as a whole, the novel rooted in the domestic thriller genre. Unlike other books from the domestic thriller genre I've read, normally those from the west, it's not a melodramatic whodunit attached to domestic suburban life but a gritty ground look told in labyrinth manner.

Journey Under the Midnight Sun follows the aftermath of the death of a pawnbroker in an abandoned building in 1973. One of them is Detective Sasagaki who investigate the case and his obsession drive his need to solve the case for twenty years. The other two are Ryo and Yukiho, the son of the pawnbroker and the daughter of the pawnbroker's client respectively. While the story seem so simple, the story presented it in a labyrinth like manner where the perspective of the story (told in third person) changes almost every chapter to different characters outside of the three and the clues to the mysteries drips slowly until the last third where everything looped back to the three. Higashino treated the readers as an outsider, and what I get to see are merely a tiny little corner of the full story.

This is an excellent domestic thriller done in such a unique way, storytelling-wise and it is indeed about the journey. There is depth of pain and sadness here which is conveyed with a light touch, not at all belaboured. Yes, it’s long, but I found it quite riveting and all the details add to the carefully crafted puzzle and characterization.

[nananatte · Rating 4 out of 5]

พระอาทิตย์เที่ยงคืน โดย ฮิงาชิโนะ เคโงะ สนพ.เนชั่น

อ่านจบจนได้! อ่านจบในที่สุด...
ความตึงเครียด ความสะอิดสะเอียน ทั้งน่ากลัวน่าขยะแขยง อ่านจบแล้วค่ะ 1041 หน้า...

ใครยังไม่ได้อ่าน บอกเลยว่า ถ้าชอบ GONE GIRL ในเรื่องนี้มีตัวละครที่สูสีกับ Amy ณ Gone Girl อยู่ และอ่านจนจบหน้าสุดท้าย ความรู้สึกที่เหลือไว้ให้ก็แบบเดียวกับเรื่อง Gone Girl เลย

เราโดนสปอยด์ก่อนอ่าน "พระอาทิตย์เที่ยงคืน" ค่ะ ดังนั้นรู้อยู่แล้วแหล่ะว่าต้องจับตามองใคร
และเพราะมันรู้อยู่แล้วว่า "ใครทำ" เนียะ... มันยิ่งทำให้กลัว
งานเขียนของคุณเคโงะโดยปกติมันไม่ได้ทำให้กลัวหรอกนะ ก็เรื่องอื่นๆ เราไม่ได้เห็นฉากที่อาชญากรกำลังลงมือประกอบกิจกันอยู่โต้งๆ นี่นา...
แต่ไม่ใช่กับ "พระอาทิตย์เที่ยงคืน" ค่ะ
เล่มนี้ เราเห็นกันจะๆ เลยว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้น และมันกำลังจะเกิดอะไรขึ้น และอะไรที่จินตนาการไว้ว่าแย่ มันแย่ได้มากกว่านั้นอีก มันเลวร้ายได้มากกว่านั้นอีก

เรามองดูอาชญากรใช้ชีวิตอย่างปกติสุขดี แล้วคดีอื่นๆ ก็ผุดโผล่ขึ้นมาอีกเรื่อยๆ
จิตใจของอาชญากร...น่ากลัวมากค่ะ
น่ากลัวจนเราต้องหยุดอ่านเลย

ปกติถ้าเป็นนิยาย เราอ่านแบบรวดเดียวจบนะคะ นานสุดคือ 3 วันจบ
แต่กับเรื่องนี้ ไม่สามารถจริงๆ คืออำมหิตระดับที่เราอ่านได้ครึ่งเล่มก็ไม่ไหว ต้องวางแล้ว
นี่ต้องวางทิ้งไว้ 6 เดือนเลยนะถึงจะกลับมาอ่านต่อได้ ความเข้มข้นของความโหดร้าย ใครเครียดๆ หรือซึมเศร้าอยู่ ห้ามอ่านเรื่องนี้โดยเด็ดขาดค่ะ มันแผ่รังสีอำมหิตออกมาชนิดต้องเอาไปเก็บไว้ไกลๆ ตาเลยค่ะ

ใครเป็นสายชอบอ่านอะไรโหดๆ เล่มนี้โหดค่ะ คุณเคโงะไม่ได้บรรยายซากศพแบบแผลเหวอะหวะหรอกนะ ไม่มีอะไรพวกนั้นเลย มันเป็นเรื่องจิตใจของอาชญากรล้วนๆ ค่ะ

ผลงานเรื่องอื่นๆ ของคุณเคโงะ อาชญากรอาจจะลงมือเพราะความรัก เพราะความไร้เดียงสา เพราะความริษยา... แต่เรื่องนี้ ทุกอย่างเป็นเหมือนเกม เกมยิ่งยากยิ่งท้าท้าย ยิ่งเอาชนะได้ยิ่งสนุก จนเรากลัวเลยค่ะ อ่านแล้วจะรู้สึกว่าโลกเราทุกวันนี้มันน่ากลัวจริงๆ

ไม่รู้จะเปรียบเทียบกับงานเขียนเรื่องไหนของคุณเคโงะดี เราว่าเปรียบกับ Gone Girl ของ Gillian Flynn น่ะถูกต้องที่สุดแล้ว เป็นแนว Suspense & Thriller ค่ะ

4.5/5.0