Really tells you the feeling of the history between Japan and Korea in a good way for people to realise. Also, above all, the mystery is like sooooo interesting that when I finished it, I went right to the start and started to reread the whole thing and read my favourite bits over and over. It is also very confusing to stay on track so make sure you keep on eye on every single bit of the information. I did not expect to see the moral of the history of Japan occupation in Korea and only thought this was a mystery thriller because really, I went to a cafe in Korea and for some reason, I did not have a book with me. So I grabbed one from the shelf in the cafe and it was this book. After I read about 100 pages, I had to buy that book. So I ran to the bookstore and bought the copy. Then I devoured the whole thing.
I've never been much of a mystery reader. If they tend to be like this, I understand why. Everything is just too clean, too smooth. It all fits together so nicely, it's almost unbearable. They're investigating a crime from decades earlier and just happen to find all the people they need to find, all the evidence they need, and even a body that just happened to be found right after the detective arrived in Hokkaido decades after being buried under the 樱树. In the end, everything pieces together just so and the mystery is solved.
That isn't to say it's a bad novel. I don't have much experience in this genre, but what I do know tells me that there's nothing unusual about this. So I won't judge it harshly for adhering to convention. It was an exciting tale with some unexpected political commentary regarding the Japanese maltreatment of Koreans and it certainly felt fairly fresh with its unusual crime and engaging series of fortuitous discoveries and the odd twist. It's a decent four, but no higher.